would a woman be safe going alone?

[haolegolucky]

my friend is driving up from miami for BM, on a last minute whim.

she is wanting to know if she would be safe...she is prepared as far as materially (tent, food, water), but is worried about sexual assult possibly, and no one realizing she was gone, etc.

I am camping with a group and frankly we are out of room from what I am told, I am slightly concerned for her though (its both of our first times)

ideas, thoughts?

[dragonfly Jafe]

...as long as she keeps her wits about her, she should be fine. If anything did start to happen, all she would have to do would be shout for help, and dozens of good folk would come to her aid. And like any woman, she should not accept drinks from people she does not know/trust unless she watches them being made, etc.

She will likely make new friends wherever she camps, so yes, I vote for Hope! (she should go)

regards, Jafe

[unjonharley]

She just needs to stay into crowd. Camp by a couple of mean old men. JUst in the main stream. Have a good time.

[spectabillis]

considering the population and atmosphere she is far more safe than at any other kind of event - if you can accurately say there is a similar event i dont know - but its pretty safe.

most of the far-and-few-inbetween reports were oriented around being dosed via gifted drink.

[Ron]

Safety is a relative thing and so she's the only person who can answer the question, "will be she be safe at burningman." What constitutes, "safe," ranges from being aware of the shadows one passes, to avoiding shadows entirely based on the person doing the walking.

For myself, as a former women's self defense instructor, I'd advise any single woman at the burn to be as aware of her safety and security as she would be at the average fraternity party or while on a date with someone she had only recently met. I'm sure I'll take a lot of crap over this from the folk who think those who go to the burn are special or unique. Sorry, we really aren't. There is a lot of booze on the playa and that drug contributes to a lot of sexual assault. Simply true.

So I'd say she's as safe as you could expect at a party of 30K folk that lasts for a week or so. Which is to say, she should be aware at all times, IMHO.

Ron

[nocturnal_steve]

I don't get it ... if she is providing her own tent, water etc. how can you be
"out of room" . You mean if she parked her car elsewhere, and walked over to your camp, you don't have room for her to pitch her tent , even if its on the perimeter of your camp !?!?!? Have your friends been there before ?

If so, they would get what I am saying. If you are not in a registered camp, there's no such thing as "out of room", and if you are in a registered camp ( with reserved space) , I would think it is big enough to accommodate another person, especially if she first drops off her stuff and perhaps parks her car elsewhere.

That aside, browse these boards ("get involved") , there are PLENTY of camps that would welcome another person and help orient a newbie, including many "goddess" and woman oriented camps that would lovingly accept her and make her feel safe.

In fact, we are coming from Santa Barbara with an RV, and a couple of tenters', 5 guys and 1 girl, my significant other would welcome the female company ... so as long as she is starts off self sufficient food-water-shelter wise and is willing to contribute to general camp area clean-up she is welcome to join us ... have her e mail me through these boards ... Black Rock City is NOT "out of room !!!

[haolegolucky]

for some reason when I try to send people a PM, it says they don't exist.

Nocturnal Steve,
I am camping with a registered theme camp and don't really know the people there. I haven't been able to help them with any preparations and am frankly riding on good graces to camp with them. Although I will be donating fees and doing work there, I am uneasy about bringing someone into the camp that they don't know when I only know one person there.

I'm new to the whole experience, so I could be completely wrong and off my rocker, but *shrugs*

Your offer is kind and I will send her your way if needs be.

[willfixit]

BRC is one of the safest cities in the world. No where else will people help and assist people like in black rock. The BR Rangers will always assist anyone who is need of assistance and if someone is trying to bug u yell like hell and 99% of all folks in BR will come to help u. [/b]

[spectabillis]

for some reason when I try to send people a PM, it says they don't exist.

contact list things are a bit buggy at the moment

[nogganoodle]

I am going alone this year. I'm camping with a registered theme camp though (eplaya bar camp 3.00 and Anxious, Come see us) so I won't be completely alone. My only worry is driving up from Vegas but once I start the drive I'm sure all my worries will disappear. Even though I have never met my camp mates I'm pretty sure they aren't all a bunch of psychopaths, here's hoping anyway!

I'm sure your friend will find lots of people to camp with and all will be fine.

[vic]

I would recommend camping near a friendly looking camp and getting to know the neighbors. A few years ago a woman camping solo next to us did that, and we have become good friends. Having said that, l would also say that we are not enthusiastic about having strangers join our theme camp. We carefully select our camp members out of concern for grown-up self-reliance and leave no trace. We are not interested in baby sitting or cleaning up after messy camp mates.

[anarchist]

BM is not a frat party. However, that element is there so, as pointed out, you need to keep your wits about you. This is particularly true as you get later in the week. Most of the real yahoos don't show up until Thursday. Accordingly, the energy of the event becomes more frenetic and chaotic as Saturday approaches.

The earlier she arrives the better off she'll be. She'll be able to camp closer in, it's easier to get to know your neighbors earlier in the week, it's less chaotic in general and easier to find people you know, and it's easier to get the lay of the land and get familiar with the city. Knowing your way around the city is a good way to keep from getting lost and wandering excessively. This is hard for newbies and the later you get there the more overwhelming the event is, which makes it harder to get your bearings.

So, yes BM is extremely safe, especially when it concerns walking around and meeting people in general. The idea of someone dragging a woman kicking and screaming into a tent is practically unimaginable. However, having stuff slipped into drinks is not unheard of and there are certainly people who would take advantage of a girl that's out of her head on something.

That said, there are also a large number of people in BRC that would find said girl a place in their chill tent, cover her up with a blanket and let her sleep it off safely.

Personally, I'd be more concerned about her driving from Miami than her time in BRC.

[sunnflower]

A woman alone would be okay as far as safety, as others have said, Black Rock City, (although nothing is ever perfect, alas) is much safer than other areas for any person, regardless of sex to be camping alone at.
For one thing, the spirit of BM is different than anything your friend will experience elsewhere. She will go out for a "short walk" to the portapotties, for example, as I did last year (my first burn), and find so many friendly people and camps to stop and talk with along the way that I wouldn't return to my own camp for hours.

I did also question, as Noc. Steve did, why one lone girl who couldn't be found a tent space of room even in perimeter area so she at least would feel comfortable being closer to where you are camping. Maybe if your own theme camp stays adamant that they really do not have room to not be able to squeeze in even one more, ask a nearby camp...they may be more amenable, I would hope. We had more than enough room on both sides of us last year but it depends on your location. I'm sure it will work out but let us all know so we can help you if needed!

[Rockdad]

...as long as she keeps her wits about her, she should be fine. If anything did start to happen, all she would have to do would be shout for help, and dozens of good folk would come to her aid. And like any woman, she should not accept drinks from people she does not know/trust unless she watches them being made, etc.

She will likely make new friends wherever she camps, so yes, I vote for Hope! (she should go)

regards, Jafe

I agree with Jafe and If Xta and NNoodle want to they could fold her into the "V" Camp section of ePlaya Bar Camp probably.

[bullyrocks]

Your friend could check out this camp...

Gypsy Nomads / 4:30 Plaza & 1:00
Stray Mutts…The Gypsy Nomads have been providing a safe haven for solo first time female participants since 1999. If you come alone you won't be alone. Pop your tent within our safe perimeter and enjoy espressos at nine, wine at nine, and most anything else that you may require to make your virgin year run well… at nine. We will meet as kindred spirits and leave as friends. Tap into 12 collective years of burning man experience to get the guidance, pre-burn advice and camp resources that you may need to make your first time experience less frazzling. We can also help you get to B.R.C. from the North or the East and see that you have adequate transportation while at B.R.C. Our “Solo First Time Female” theme is a proven dynamic and completely drama free. Please, if you can, R.S.V.P.
Hometown: Ogden, UT
Contact: AFRugby1 (at) aol (dot) com or jonniesquest (at) yahoo (dot) com

[mars]

I just want to say that one of my biggest regrets in life is that I did not go to Burning Man when i first heard of it. And the reason I did not go, was that I would have had to go alone. And now that i have been, it is my opinion that I would have been fine to go alone and I wish I had done so.

Instead, I waited many years to find other people who wanted to go...but I did make it and this will be my 4th year of, hopefully, many many more.

I HOPE she doesn't let FEAR stop her!

Neon

[ScoutDG]

There is a thread about sexual assaults, which have occured at Burning Man. I think the community makes participating in Burning Man about as safe as possible, but there is no absolute safety.

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... pe&start=0