Come and tell your tale of something getting stolen (and get a listening ear, feedback, and a gift....)
Or seek absolution for something you've stolen (and get a listening ear, feedback, and leave a gift for the next person who had something stolen)
Or return what you have stolen to us, tell us where you got it, and we will (try) to return it for you, and if unseccessfull to the lost and found (but between us and the Playa Post something surely will happen)...this will also be with.....Veil Camp (see next post)
Camp Thievery
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Jordan 10-E
- Posts: 285
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:26 am
- Burning Since: 2002
- Location: Salt Lake City, UT
- Contact:
The "Theft Sucks" Booth
Hey you STOLE my idea! jk... Your idea is about the same topic yet has a slightly different bent to it, which I like BTW.
This year my bicycle and camera were stolen in front of Xara. Since that time I have tried to look at it the best way I could and wondered if there was anything I could do about theft on the playa, both for myself personally and for the problem in general. This is what I wrote to the lost and found email address @ Burning Man....
"In light of my experience this year and hearing of the many other incidents of theft on the playa, next year I am taking a proactive approach to Black Rock City's number one social problem. I will be setting up a small information booth near our theme camp (Euphoria) dedicated to helping prevent theft on the playa. It should be placed prominently enough to allow most people to interact with it. There will be single or half sheet pieces of paper available that will list practical suggestions that people can take to protect their property, reminders of why we come to Burning Man, what is not acceptable in a "gift" economy, and steps to take if your property is stolen, etc... We will also provide stickers that people can write on and attach to their bike or camera with contact information and camp location, etc. I have heard some success stories of people that have been reunited with their stuff because they had a contact sticker. It is just one of a whole list of things that people can do. If I could give away bike locks I would, but that is not within the realm of possibility
Granted, these measures and suggestions are not necessarily new or universally successful (please don't tell me it is already covered in the JRS or other materials because I know that), but if they help even one person prevent theft then it is all worth it to me.
I believe it is time to do something more to curb this real (and apparently growing) Burning Man social problem. The booth is not meant to be a negative intrusion in an otherwise fun environment. Instead it is a proactive attempt to prevent someone's enjoyable experience from being damaged unjustly by the inconsiderate and downright selfish actions of some other people. No one needs to go through that. It also will serve as a message to any would-be thieves that theft is NOT acceptable. Maybe some of them can be reached with a friendly reminder before they commit the crime.
As we get closer to next year's event and as soon as I have prepared the materials I would like to have this booth mentioned in the JRS to broaden it's support and let people know about it as a resource. I also would be happy to work directly with Burning Man on this in any other way. Please let me know you have any suggestions, information, or contacts to other people interested in being part of this small project.
I think I am going to call it - 'Theft Sucks' "
Atomic Gardener I like your interactive ideas and I fully encourage you to go through with them. I like your ideas about the gifts. I have thought that we could possibly work together on this, but I really think it might be more feasible if we do our independent projects. We could refer people to each other if that seemed appropriate. As I mentioned before, I am just setting up a booth, this will not be a full theme camp (I already have one of those).
Another idea... Just so everyone knows I am also entertaining the idea of a vigilante patrol that will case out places of high incidents of theft. I read another post where someone mentioned this same idea. Glad to hear others are thinking along the same lines. Likely this patrol will involve "planting" a bike and waiting for the thief to bite. Yes, this is a form of entrapment, but that person will take a bike whether we are there or not. Once we catch them red handed we could perform some playa justice on the person, but a better solution would be to get the rangers and some law enforcement involved. I don't mind taking a little time out of the week to do this.
I imagine some of you reading this will be picturing some "innocent" intoxicated burner that made a simple mistake getting busted unfairly. Personally I think this idea floating around that people make the mistake of picking up someone else's bike instead of their own and riding away on it to be a pile of crap! The same goes for bags. People take bikes because they want a new bike, want to sell it for money, are tired of walking, or want to go for a joyride. Hey, this is Burning Man! If people are that stupid and messed up they need some help. We need to take responsibility for our own actions.
The thieves out there know it's almost for sure that they won't get caught. Sometimes that fact makes current thieves worse and those that "normally" wouldn't do it justify it this time. Either way, there should be some justice. There will never be justice for all, but making an example of some will hopefully make people think twice. The word will get around eventually.
To turn a saying on it's head, I say that "Yes, this IS Burning Man" and thieves have no place in it.
I think the best way to make sure Burning Man stays the way it's supposed to be is make it what we want it to be by our own actions.
This year my bicycle and camera were stolen in front of Xara. Since that time I have tried to look at it the best way I could and wondered if there was anything I could do about theft on the playa, both for myself personally and for the problem in general. This is what I wrote to the lost and found email address @ Burning Man....
"In light of my experience this year and hearing of the many other incidents of theft on the playa, next year I am taking a proactive approach to Black Rock City's number one social problem. I will be setting up a small information booth near our theme camp (Euphoria) dedicated to helping prevent theft on the playa. It should be placed prominently enough to allow most people to interact with it. There will be single or half sheet pieces of paper available that will list practical suggestions that people can take to protect their property, reminders of why we come to Burning Man, what is not acceptable in a "gift" economy, and steps to take if your property is stolen, etc... We will also provide stickers that people can write on and attach to their bike or camera with contact information and camp location, etc. I have heard some success stories of people that have been reunited with their stuff because they had a contact sticker. It is just one of a whole list of things that people can do. If I could give away bike locks I would, but that is not within the realm of possibility
Granted, these measures and suggestions are not necessarily new or universally successful (please don't tell me it is already covered in the JRS or other materials because I know that), but if they help even one person prevent theft then it is all worth it to me.
I believe it is time to do something more to curb this real (and apparently growing) Burning Man social problem. The booth is not meant to be a negative intrusion in an otherwise fun environment. Instead it is a proactive attempt to prevent someone's enjoyable experience from being damaged unjustly by the inconsiderate and downright selfish actions of some other people. No one needs to go through that. It also will serve as a message to any would-be thieves that theft is NOT acceptable. Maybe some of them can be reached with a friendly reminder before they commit the crime.
As we get closer to next year's event and as soon as I have prepared the materials I would like to have this booth mentioned in the JRS to broaden it's support and let people know about it as a resource. I also would be happy to work directly with Burning Man on this in any other way. Please let me know you have any suggestions, information, or contacts to other people interested in being part of this small project.
I think I am going to call it - 'Theft Sucks' "
Atomic Gardener I like your interactive ideas and I fully encourage you to go through with them. I like your ideas about the gifts. I have thought that we could possibly work together on this, but I really think it might be more feasible if we do our independent projects. We could refer people to each other if that seemed appropriate. As I mentioned before, I am just setting up a booth, this will not be a full theme camp (I already have one of those).
Another idea... Just so everyone knows I am also entertaining the idea of a vigilante patrol that will case out places of high incidents of theft. I read another post where someone mentioned this same idea. Glad to hear others are thinking along the same lines. Likely this patrol will involve "planting" a bike and waiting for the thief to bite. Yes, this is a form of entrapment, but that person will take a bike whether we are there or not. Once we catch them red handed we could perform some playa justice on the person, but a better solution would be to get the rangers and some law enforcement involved. I don't mind taking a little time out of the week to do this.
I imagine some of you reading this will be picturing some "innocent" intoxicated burner that made a simple mistake getting busted unfairly. Personally I think this idea floating around that people make the mistake of picking up someone else's bike instead of their own and riding away on it to be a pile of crap! The same goes for bags. People take bikes because they want a new bike, want to sell it for money, are tired of walking, or want to go for a joyride. Hey, this is Burning Man! If people are that stupid and messed up they need some help. We need to take responsibility for our own actions.
The thieves out there know it's almost for sure that they won't get caught. Sometimes that fact makes current thieves worse and those that "normally" wouldn't do it justify it this time. Either way, there should be some justice. There will never be justice for all, but making an example of some will hopefully make people think twice. The word will get around eventually.
To turn a saying on it's head, I say that "Yes, this IS Burning Man" and thieves have no place in it.
I think the best way to make sure Burning Man stays the way it's supposed to be is make it what we want it to be by our own actions.
I am in for it... i am not so about baiting people into take them... more on the recovery side of things...
I poseted this in General but it pertains to this thread as well.
from General:
Hey folks... I had my bike and GPS stolen this year and well... i don't want it happening again to me or the others i have seen posting losing their bikes. So, i have been researching Radio frequency Tacking devices like they use for animals. I pose a question. Would people be into doing this at Burning man next year. There are some cost involved. But I would be willing to head it up. The more people that would go into it would give us the ability to track more bikes at one time. Maybe even offer a method of renting (or using for the week) them out there and returning them at the end of the event.
let me know folks.
So... if someone was good with electronics we could make small transmiters to give out as the gift and with a good receiver be able to track up to 200 bikes on the playa. if yours comes up missing, we use the reciever to track it and with the help of the "LEOs"... deal with the perps... i could go into detail about how fast my bike was takenfrom right under my nose (suggesting premeditated thought was involved) but thats something i have tried to get over... but i will be more prepared next year. pro-active. for sure.
papabear.
I poseted this in General but it pertains to this thread as well.
from General:
Hey folks... I had my bike and GPS stolen this year and well... i don't want it happening again to me or the others i have seen posting losing their bikes. So, i have been researching Radio frequency Tacking devices like they use for animals. I pose a question. Would people be into doing this at Burning man next year. There are some cost involved. But I would be willing to head it up. The more people that would go into it would give us the ability to track more bikes at one time. Maybe even offer a method of renting (or using for the week) them out there and returning them at the end of the event.
let me know folks.
So... if someone was good with electronics we could make small transmiters to give out as the gift and with a good receiver be able to track up to 200 bikes on the playa. if yours comes up missing, we use the reciever to track it and with the help of the "LEOs"... deal with the perps... i could go into detail about how fast my bike was takenfrom right under my nose (suggesting premeditated thought was involved) but thats something i have tried to get over... but i will be more prepared next year. pro-active. for sure.
papabear.
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Jordan 10-E
- Posts: 285
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:26 am
- Burning Since: 2002
- Location: Salt Lake City, UT
- Contact:
well, i am doing a lot of research riht now on what would be the most economic and practical approach to the playa. Another Medium Tech idea could be procimity alarm. ( i do you spell that... haha). Something the ower could have on a keychain or around there neck and when the bike is moved more than 15-20 feet from the owners it would vibrate or a small audible alarm could go off on the bike. Startling the perp into just dropping it right there and running. There are a few ideas bouncing in my head. Lets keep this moving and make something happen.
papabear.
Being prepared allows a fun time at Burnign Man. I really like the Camp Idea.
papabear.
Being prepared allows a fun time at Burnign Man. I really like the Camp Idea.
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CampKiller
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2003 7:50 pm
- Location: Philadelphia
burning man's #1 social problem
AG, I like your idea. If it comes to fruition I will be sure to stop by next year.
I had my art vandalized for the 2nd time in 2 yrs. You can read about it in the JRS.
Campmates of mine have floated the idea of creating a piece of art that when vandalized will spray the vandal with a very visible and indelible ink. At least that way we can identify them within the community.
I also had a bike stolen from me in '01. I wasn't more than 15ft away talking to a friend in their theme camp with my back turned. It was 10 in the morning so the excuse "I thought it was mine" goes out the window. Lucky for them, I never saw them ride off on it, because they would have gotten a heavy dose of playa justice.
My solution the last two years is that the minute my ass leaves the seat, the lock goes on. I also have a sticker on it that gives my camp name and address should it go 'missing'.
Camp Killer
I had my art vandalized for the 2nd time in 2 yrs. You can read about it in the JRS.
Campmates of mine have floated the idea of creating a piece of art that when vandalized will spray the vandal with a very visible and indelible ink. At least that way we can identify them within the community.
I also had a bike stolen from me in '01. I wasn't more than 15ft away talking to a friend in their theme camp with my back turned. It was 10 in the morning so the excuse "I thought it was mine" goes out the window. Lucky for them, I never saw them ride off on it, because they would have gotten a heavy dose of playa justice.
My solution the last two years is that the minute my ass leaves the seat, the lock goes on. I also have a sticker on it that gives my camp name and address should it go 'missing'.
Camp Killer
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ouraybound
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2003 5:31 am
- Location: kannsas city/ouray colorado
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Atomic Gardener
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2003 11:11 pm
Well, I'm sort of curious how a thread for Thievery Camp brought you to seek parenting advice, but I guess there's a cosmic reason for it....what age is your teen, and are you a single parent with much experience, a part timer wanting to do something cool on your shift, or have some help but you two are escaping for a week (or is your mate comming with you?). What does your teen want to do camp wise? I'm betting they have purused the BM site unless this is a surprise for them and have an idea of what they want....but let me just say you either want to be in a camp with a LOT of responsible adults that can share supervision with you or you want to be with your child 24/7......... is that why you came to Thievery Camp thread, to see just how bad things can get at BM with your fellow burners (actually there is that weird sexual violence thread supposedly started by a suspected sexual assaultor...is that freudian or what?). Is there a regional group you can camp with? Are you comming for the whole week or just a few days? And have you ever camped with your child before (or maybe you are getting a RV?). If you are brave, respond and I will ask you more personal questions....AG
i've only gotten a bike stolen, in 7 years. -('69 sting ray, silver ghost. rare), but the day after i left, my good friends "sparks" from the fire team, and todd went on a mission to find her. and they DID at center camp and she was already repainted....(fuzz)..
-(the only other time in my life when my fav' bike was stolen, the guy painted my ultra cool metal-flake red-white-blu frame, flat oranage. wheels and all. the *stolen* look).
it was no worries. i actually saw the girl that ganked it, and she was just fucked up that night... but i almost lost a jewl.
other than that, some hippies stole a bunch of camp mates water one year. -- they later got busted. haha dorks... but it's been very well consciously handled over the years. no theft at all in *our* premise, and that's part of being able to turn "off" and get that 500 yard stare going.
- for at least a week anyway.
-b
-(the only other time in my life when my fav' bike was stolen, the guy painted my ultra cool metal-flake red-white-blu frame, flat oranage. wheels and all. the *stolen* look).
it was no worries. i actually saw the girl that ganked it, and she was just fucked up that night... but i almost lost a jewl.
other than that, some hippies stole a bunch of camp mates water one year. -- they later got busted. haha dorks... but it's been very well consciously handled over the years. no theft at all in *our* premise, and that's part of being able to turn "off" and get that 500 yard stare going.
- for at least a week anyway.
-b
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