Lawyers For Burners interview on BMIR

[Canoe]

On BMIR today (Wednesday August 27, 2014), there was an interesting interview by Lisa Marie with David Levin of Layers For Burners.
On getting a citation from BLM (Bureau of Land Management), David said

"Our message to you is, relax, go back and enjoy the event. When the event is over, go to our web site, http://www.lawyersforburners.com, and fill out a feedback form...." and "...we get back in touch with you and we assist you with the process".

Issues discussed included what to do if you receive a citation, if you pay the ticket you are pleading guilty and there may be consequences, plea bargains, appearing in court, representation in court, representation if you can't travel to be in court, etc.. There was also some discussion on the County Sheriff. David Levin also said "if you are cited or arrested, do go to the lawyersforburners web site. We have information and recommendations...".

Fortunately, it was broadcast as the audio track for the playa webcam!
Even better, that burningman-webcast was recorded and is available to view at
You can listen in while the playa-cam rides a drone around on a mini aerial tour of part of the playa.
The interview starts at around 3:38 into the feed. Unfortunately the recording ends before the interview is over, but there is some interesting core information is there.

The Lawyers For Burners website, http://www.lawyersforburners.com, has a 2014 update too. No point in trying to duplicate any info here, and as it may change, so go to their web site and get it from the source.

[theCryptofishist]

[delle]

Very nice, Fishy.

Yes. The geologists in here would have a field day with that one.

[Captain Goddammit]

Oh crap I stared at that a long time, trying to "get" it... the lack of an all-important consonant, unless this an instance where it's a vowel... hard for me to figure out when it's silent...

[Canoe]

I didn't get it until I read Captain's post. Over and over.
oops

maybe a mod will fix that so people can find it easier

[Canoe]

it's the other layer
viewtopic.php?f=372&t=71722

[theCryptofishist]

Sorry. I thought it was funny. The human condition, trying to be serious about something, but your mere humanity (or in my case, fishness) gets in the way.

I was originally going to go with something like this:

[fireheadwhale]

I got it in a nano second. This Crypotfish is packing a rapier.

[Captain Goddammit]

A cock shot? Oh actually that works too...

[some seeing eye]

I thought it was about survival and dressing for extremes! Good to see the LFB has updated their website, they haven't done so every year lately. Thanks for finding!

[Canoe]

...with David Levin of Layers For Burners. ...

sigh
it wasn't just the title
I wonder if I can blame this on my new keyboard...

[delle]

You definitely could were there no other "w"s in the text. Unfortunately for that excuse, there are.

May I suggest that you did it on purpose knowing what would ensue?

So far we've got the geological factor, the hen factor, and a great little two-fer covering both the sexual factor and our universally felt but generally unspoken plea for shirtcockers to cover up. Surely we've only just begun?

Good to see that you reposted the interview under "Lawyer" so it can be found again. It was a very important interview -- stuff I certainly didn't know!

[Canoe]

... It was a very important interview -- stuff I certainly didn't know!

Some rather significant stuff in there I had no idea of.
Perhaps someone will do a full transcript.

[some seeing eye]

Well first you have the dusty underwear layer. Definitely the iconic boot layer. Got to have the fit in goggles layer. Then you have the fleece layer. You have the lotion infused sock layer, then you have the comfort later, followed by the sun shading or moon shading layer. The glove layer for late night chills. Rain layer and mud boot layer. Of course you need the cargo-festy belt layer, and after, the backpack waterpack layer. You definitely need the hat layer. Then you need the fur later. Makeup layer. Plus the bracelet later, the necklace later and the feather layer. Don't forget the sunscreen layer. The watch-timekeeping device layer can come in handy. Of course the body mod layer is mandatory! And the gifting layer is an added attraction. Or reverse of the two. Sure I'm forgetting a layer!

[theCryptofishist]

You definitely could were there no other "w"s in the text. Unfortunately for that excuse, there are.

Remember when the Clinton white house staffers took all the ws off the keyboards when they left in 2000?

[Canoe]

What the hell, for those new to eplaya, first customer for the layers:
viewtopic.php?f=56&t=63539

[Eric]

I've edited the subject for the OP, and merged the correct link into the thread.

[Canoe]

... It was a very important interview -- stuff I certainly didn't know!

Some rather significant stuff in there I had no idea of.
Perhaps someone will do a full transcript.

Splitting into parts for posting.

Lisa Marie: So yesterday we heard from the Black Rock Rangers about where their focus is at this year and where they see things trending, for the past few years and where their direction is heading.
But still things happen and people find themselves on the wrong side of that and it's frightening. It's a frightening experience. So we have here today with us David Levin, he's one of the founding members of Lawyer for Burners, that's right – Lawyers for Burners – these are lawyers here to help. Hi David.

David: Hi Lisa Marie.

Lisa Marie: I'm doing great. Thanks for joining us.

David: My pleasure.

Lisa Marie: Why don't you tell us a little about your program.

David: Sure, Lawyers For Burners was founded in 2007 by a group of lawyers, as a public service organization, to help the citizens and participants of Black Rock City deal with citations they receive from the Bureau of Land Management. Let me just start by saying that lawyers for Burners is an independent public service organization. We're not part of the org. We're separate. We operate separately and we're a public service organization that's founded to help people who get citations and we have a web site with information – can I give out the website?

Lisa Marie: That would be great.

David: It's http://www.lawyersforburners.com If you receive a citation from the BLM, our message to you is to relax, go back and enjoy the event. When the event is over, go on our web site, http://www.lawyersforburners.com, and fill out a feedback form. The feedback form prompts you for some information about your citation, the circumstances, whether you feel that you were treated unfairly or any of your rights were violated by the BLM. You input that into the form, and, we get back... you submit the form, and we get back in touch with you and we assist you with the process".

[Canoe]

Lisa Marie: David, and that is, the most important thing you said there is relax. Everything is going to be O.K.. Go back and enjoy the event, right?

David: Exactly. The reality of the situation is there's law enforcement and the law enforcement has a mission and one of their missions is to cite people who possess controlled substances. But, the good news is we have a system worked out, a protocol with the United States Attorney's office in Reno, such that, every single person who contacts Lawyers for Burners, and gets our assistance, is given the opportunity to plea bargain their citation from a drug offense to a non-drug offense. The way it works is, you either... if you get a citation, as Lisa Marie said, you relax, you go back to the event, you enjoy yourself. In the mail you'll get a notice to appear in court. Now you have two choices. You can either simply pay the citation - typically it's $525 - and you can be done with it. It's an infraction, it's not even a misdemeanor.

But if the charged offense is possession of a controlled substance, if you pay the ticket, you're pleading guilty to drug possession. That could have negative consequences professionally for people. People who need security clearances, people who have immigration issues, they don't want to plead guilty to a drug offense, and they don't have to. If you come on your court date, and it's the court dates are in November, December or January, members of Lawyers For Burners will be there at the court house and will help you plea bargain your citation from a drug office to a non drug offense, typically a motor vehicle infraction. If you can't come back to Reno in November, December or January – and a lot of participants are in this situation – contact us and we can recommend a criminal defense lawyer in Reno who will make the appearance for you, plea bargain your citation down to a non drug offense and only charge you a couple hundred dollars. So, you have options. As I said: you can pay the citation, you can come to court yourself, or you can hire a Lawyer for Burner(s) representative for a couple hundred bucks. And if you do the later two, come to court or hire a lawyer, every person who has taken that path in the past, has been offered the opportunely to plead to a non drug office and pay a reduced fine.

Lisa Marie: Right, so that's a lot of good news.
...
So that was a lot of information for a lot of non-lawyers to take in. Really key there is, again, relax, calm down, don't let it ruin your burning man, and when you get back home contact Lawyers For Burners on their website and they'll start the process.

[Canoe]

Lisa Marie: David does this work for only citation written by the BLM, or also with those written by the County Sheriffs.

David: So, the way it’s working this year is, the county Sheriff is referring... it's my understanding that the Pershing County Sheriff law enforcement is referring the drug citations, or maybe referring is the wrong word but, the drug citations are being handled by the BLM. Other offenses involving Pershing County Sheriff are typically non drug offenses. If you do have an encounter with Pershing County local state law enforcement, it's probably not going to be for a drug offense it'll be something else. But if you are cited or if you are arrested, do go to the Lawyers For Burners web site. We have information and recommendations on Reno criminal defense attorneys who are members of the Burning Man community, who are affiliated with Lawyers For Burners and we can highly recommend them to help you. They're very experienced with Pershing County. Pershing County is a small jurisdiction and there are really only a few lawyers that regularly appear in that county. They're affiliated with Lawyers For Burners and we can recommend them. So we're mostly geared towards the BLM citations, but if you are cited or arrested by Pershing County, go on the Lawyers For Burners website, there's information, and most most importantly, there are attorney resources who we can recommend and who can help you out.

Lisa Marie: That's wonderful. So, there's a lot of help out there. If you find yourself in a situation, don't panic. You're going to get help and it's going to be at an affordable price.
So, but let's talk about I have this Handy dandy card I found out at one of the camps and it is .. was put together by...
<end of stream>

[danibel]

I used their services a few years ago and it was great! I was lucky enough to be able to go to court in Reno and they met me there. I didn't have to do a thing. They had a deal worked out with the court clerk/judge. I got the fine and charge reduced, and a payment plan. Highly recommend anyone with a ticket gets in touch with them ASAP.

[Canoe]

I used their services a few years ago and it was great! I was lucky enough to be able to go to court in Reno and they met me there. I didn't have to do a thing. They had a deal worked out with the court clerk/judge. I got the fine and charge reduced, and a payment plan. Highly recommend anyone with a ticket gets in touch with them ASAP.

Yup
they seem pretty impressive

... you submit the form, and we get back in touch with you and we assist you with the process".

It's not just making the process easier for people, and a way for those out of the state, or even the country, to handle things easily and at low cost, it pretty important what they can do if the charged offense is possession of a controlled substance.

... every single person who contacts Lawyers for Burners, and gets our assistance, is given the opportunity to plea bargain their citation from a drug offense to a non-drug offense. ...

But if the charged offense is possession of a controlled substance, if you pay the ticket, you're pleading guilty to drug possession. That could have negative consequences professionally for people. People who need security clearances, people who have immigration issues, they don't want to plead guilty to a drug offense, and they don't have to. ...every person who has taken that path in the past, has been offered the opportunely to plead to a non drug office and pay a reduced fine.

Or those outside of the country that need to travel to the States, or intend to attend Burning Man again.

[Bless]

God bless Lawyers For Burners. Gideon's army.