set-up & kicked out of blackrock in '03

[rev. happy owl]

i was ecstatic b/c the man was gonna burn in about an hour
i walked out to the man solo and w/ all the great folks out i felt great

i was approached by a female ranger who asked how i was doing
as if she couldn't tell i was really happy
regardless, she seemed nice enough and i humored her inquiry
she came up to me w/ a smile and one was returned to her
that's all
then she went away and i didn't think anything of it

well about 5 or 10 minutes later i had 5 blm guys in my face
telling me that i had inappropriately touched this lady ranger (i'm male)
to my shock, of course i responded 'I DID NOT!!'
this made no difference to the blm officers
and within 5 minutes i was totally surrounded by about 20 cops

i was told that i could accept a $985 ticket and get booted from the event
or go to jail - that simple
when i desperately argued that 'I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING'
and 'THERE IS NO PROOF!!!'
none of those f***er's cared at all
(not even the accusing ranger was present)

i was escorted by two rangers to my camp to get my stuff
then escorted out ((with a $1,000 ticket

to make a terrible story worse:
i was pulled over by the the washoe sheriff & friends on my way out
i was actually happy for an opportunity to see if he would revoke my ticket
(the rangers recommended that i bring my ticket up w/ the sheriff)
so here was my chance

unfortunately dude was a real a-hole too
i passed the sobriety test while his friend pointed a 50,000 volt tazer at me
then i was informed that since i was attending burning man
'I HAD NO RIGHTS!!'
that's right people, he told me there was a local law passed in 2000
called burning man 2000, which takes away all participants rights

umm..., can anyone say: VIOLATION OF THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION

i was then informed that i was to be forced to take an ambulence ride to reno:
for an 'evaluation'

i had a misdemeanour resisting arrest charge when i was about 21
(six yrs ago) when i was being harassed by hick cops for being a long-hair
so in my experience i knew it was pointless to argue in this situation
and i agreed to turning around and being searched
then he started twisting my arm (i guess for cuffs??)
i turned starting to ask what he was doing
and before i knew it i had like 4 of these guys on me
the one with the tazer just blasting the *^#@! out of me

seriously, i thought they were going to kill me
i am not a big guy - nor was i resisting
i was never informed that i was being arrested
but now i was hog tied to a gurney (half dead) on the highway to reno

after a 2 hour ride in the ambulence
i waited in the emergency ward for the rest of the night
handcuffed, until this shrink came in and asked me about 100 questions
real deep stuff like 'do you get mad when people try and hurt you?'
fool is luckky i was cuffed
at least he decided i was not up for a lobotomy
and they let me go

a two hour taxi ride to gerlach to get my truck from the impound
and except for my bruised body and spirit
i made it back to the bay area w/o further complications
end of story.

_______________________

so what do you all think?
have you heard anyone else talking about what happened to me
has this happened to others??
what about the 'burning man 2000' law???

i have been wanting to write about this since last yr
however some time to process and detatch myself was required
(sorry it took so long)

anyway, i've been to the last 3 burns
and this post is not to bitch or threaten just to inform
some of the best memories of my life have been at black rock city
& it's hard for me to speak on scandalous sh*t like this

hopefully i can help make the playa better thru this story
the laws should support us
who will go to the party if it's a free-for-all for poes
i want to go this year too, but for the first time i'm having doubts

getting compensated the $3,500 in fines and tickets would be a start..




.peace

[email protected]

[Otisserie]

I'm a little confused here: you post a long topic about being falsely accused of sexually harrassing a woman ranger, and finish the post with a cartoon of a topless woman flashing her tits at Death, and the words "Booty Call".

That doesn't exactly give me a warm, fuzzy, innocent-nice-guy vibe.

[JezebelinHell]

Hey now, just cause you're a little slimey, that doesn't make you guilty.

[Tancorix]

Not to be negative but my bullshit detector is hitting +11.
Was the female ranger a Black Rock or BLM ranger?
Local laws never supersede constitutional rights, no matter what event you came from or which jurisdiction you're in.
With family in Law Enforcement (LE) and working with DHS and other LEO's every day, if you touched an LE officer inappropriately you would be taken down, on the spot. If it was a Black Rock Ranger, I'll make an assumption here but they seem to try and take care of issues themselves without drawing in LE. I find some things in here a little hard to believe...yeah, it sounds good at first take but then taken with your post and the image at the end, I'm not sure what to think.

So I'll trust my basic instinct and say: Bullshit. Give us more details and that can change.

[Dustdevil]

My knee-jerk reaction says bullshit, but a small part of me says well perhaps, maybe, but we are only getting one side of the story. I have a difficult time accepting so much force would be used against someone who is NOT resisting.

[rev. happy owl]

umm, about my artpiece

first, it is just a picture
why should it have any bearing on my story

the picture was not made for this account fyi

and if you want me to break down what it means
there are several interpretations that i get:

1. death is a part of life and the reaper is a reminder of that
'booty call' being it coming for us

2. a slutty girl unaware that death couldn't be interested in her tits
on her own booty call

3. a treasure box of 'booty' referencing the endless drive for loot
the madness (and humor) of it all
w/ characters like death and ho girls running about


_____________________

these are some of the things i see in my piece 'booty call'
it seemed relevant b/c my story dealt w/ a cheap woman, a brush w/ death (minor but still a scary situation), and pirate cops



i won't slave for beggars pay
likewise gold and jewels
but i would slave to learn the way to sink your ship of fools

[Rob the Wop]

Bullshit-o-meter at around 9.
Creepy-o-meter at about 8.

I've been arrested a number of times in my youth. Did half my senior year in juvie. Grandfather was chief of police for 35 years, best female friend in high school has been a sheriff for years. Seen the situations from both sides of the fence. Way too many things in your story don't sound right.

20 cops asking you specifically for $985 on the spot. Funny, sounds like a misdemeanor charge with that fine. Which they most certainly would not let you go for, you would be taking a ride to Reno. But it might not be. What exactly was the specific charge? Could you cite the Neveda code so I could cross check the fine?

Sacrificing 20 cops during the burn, at the precise time when they can't afford to waste that type of manpower on one man.

The continual references to them trying to determine what drugs you are on, plus the amount of cops that put you in the the ambulance, the tazer, etc. All point to you acting in a fashion that they deemed very dangerous.

The fact that everyone is a slut, asshole, or hick points to a baised account in itself.

[Blenderhead]

troll.

[diggum]

where do you guys get your Troll-o-meters and Creep-o-meters that have such accuracy. Mine are cheap pieces of shit made in Taiwan, and I suspect the dials are just painted on.

[Badger]

troll

No Blender, unfortunately not.

Although the writer's little missive is fraught with selective recollection and a good deal of revisionism here there's a lot that one can read between the lines - assuming this is the same person I'm thinking it might be.

The account described above is nothing as I remember it. Re-read the post and trust your gut to the portions of the story that seem to resonate. Cops, eviction and inappropriate touching/groping of a woman were issues for an eviction that took place last year.

Keep in mind that an event that has 30+ thousand people and fewer than 10 evictions (average) during the week might suggest to the general attendee that you really have to be fucking up to get the boot. But, I've been wrong before and there is always the possibility that the Rev. was just a victim of the mean old misunderstanding, ill-informed and less-than-sensitive Rangers.

Yep. I'm sure it was a TOTAL misunderstanding.

[stuart]

Local laws never supersede constitutional rights, no matter what event you came from or which jurisdiction you're in.

they do all the time, albeit temporarily (usually). Otherwise we would have little need for a constitutional (supreme) court.

[theCryptofishist]

where do you guys get your Troll-o-meters and Creep-o-meters that have such accuracy. Mine are cheap pieces of shit made in Taiwan, and I suspect the dials are just painted on.

Mine too. But with glow in the dark paint. That makes em work better.

[Otisserie]

OK Reverend, you deserve real answers as to why this story seems at best incomplete:
1.

i was ecstatic b/c the man was gonna burn in about an hour... i felt great. i was approached by a female ranger who asked how i was doing as if she couldn't tell i was really happy

I would guess that if a ranger is approaching you out of the blue to ask how you are doing, it's because you appeared to be not doing well, control-wise. You say you were "ecstatic"; yeah, we've all been there. The problem is that it makes you more likely to cross a line, and a less-than-reliable witness to the subsequent events.

2.

within 5 minutes i was totally surrounded by about 20 cops

Even allowing for some exaggeration, this is a staggering number of police for one guy. It makes me wonder about the accuracy of your memory.

3.

i was escorted by two rangers to my camp to get my stuff then escorted out.

This means that not only were the cops assholes here, but so were the rangers. Granted there can be ranger assholes, but as a whole they're pretty damn mellow, and it generally takes something serious to piss them off.

4.

i was then informed that i was to be forced to take an ambulence ride to reno: for an 'evaluation'.

It's a pain in the ass for a rural sherriff to call for a psych eval: they have to wait around with the suspect for an ambulance, fill out paperwork, etc. It's way easier to ticket and release or even arrest them than go through that. They are generally only going to go through that if the person looks seriously disturbed, which I'm guessing you were.

Sorry, there may be elements of truth to your account, but I'm seeing to many holes to accept it without some corroboration.

[TheJudge]

Gimmie a B
Gimmie a U
Gimmie an L....

I do like the "Burning Man 2000" law though. That was pretty damn funny.

It may be bullshit, but at least its entertaining bullshit.

[Otisserie]

I do like the "Burning Man 2000" law though. That was pretty damn funny.

I say we go out of our way this year to make them create a "Burning Man 2004" law. I know we can do it!

[zorro sings]

I liked "Camp Hedon from the Planet Wanton" better.

[ibdave]

[
then i was informed that since i was attending burning man
'I HAD NO RIGHTS!!'
that's right people, he told me there was a local law passed in 2000
called burning man 2000, which takes away all participants rights

Bob, Do you have any info on this statement???

[rev. happy owl]

ok-o

i never called anyone a hick or a slut
and the washoe county sheriff treated me like an ass
rob the wop, why are you trying to insult me?

i really didn't even want to post this story terribly
everyone i have spoken w/ about it was like 'post it, post it, you need to warn people'
so believe me or not, i am only trying to help

i swear to god i am not making up the 'burning man 2000' law
i don't know if it really exists but that is what the cops said
it's funny how many of you seem to have such high regard for the pigs
i have no serious grudge on them, but i know police often abuse their power

generally i have had nothing but compliments for the rangers
but that lady was wak

i never touched her



Blue light rain, whoa, unbroken chain
Looking for familiar faces in an empty window pane
Listening for the secret, searching for the sound
But I could only hear the preacher and the baying of his hounds

Willow sky, whoa, I walk and wonder why
They say love your brother but you will catch it when you try
Roll you down the line boy, drop you for a loss
Ride out on a cold railroad and nail you to a cross


________________________

i 'm sick of the sexual politics in this country
if you're a man and accused by a woman you might as well plead guilty


.peace, please

[Badger]

everyone i have spoken w/ about it was like 'post it, post it, you need to warn people'

Um, I think people have been 'warned.' Trust me on this.

[Sensei]

...i 'm sick of the sexual politics in this country

Um... Sexual politics? What the fuck you are talking about now?

if you're a man and accused by a woman you might as well plead guilty

Try telling that to O.J.'s ex-wife. Oh, that's right, she's dead, isn't she? He killed her and fucking got away with it because she didn't accuse him. But if she had accused him, then boy, would he have been in trouble, right?

[rev. happy owl]

sensi,

i think your post is rude

i am not speaking about murder
and maybe i 'm generalizing too much to speak about the politics of the whole country based on my one experience

but still, when i had these officers in my face
they all seemed perfectly fine that there was no proof that i had done ANYTHING

and i have heard many similar stories

[Sensei]

...i was approached by a female ranger who asked how i was doing as if she couldn't tell i was really happy regardless, she seemed nice enough and i humored her inquiry
she came up to me w/ a smile and one was returned to her
that's all... then she went away and i didn't think anything of it

well about 5 or 10 minutes later i had 5 blm guys in my face
telling me that i had inappropriately touched this lady ranger (i'm male)
to my shock, of course i responded 'I DID NOT!!'
this made no difference to the blm officers
and within 5 minutes i was totally surrounded by about 20 cops

OK, maybe I was rude, as you may be on to something here. Cops make mistakes and hose people. It's an unfortunate fact of life. But what I want to know is, what happened in those "5 minutes" between having the 5 BLM guys accusing you and then having 20 cops surrounding you?

This was Sat. and the man was about to go... I would have been pissed off in your situation and maybe said the wrong thing. Like "Fuck you" or "You guys are full of shit" or something to that effect. I've seen the use of a few swear words go the wrong way more than a few times. Some cops take a defensive attitude as straight-up aggression and react accordingly. I'd be just guessing here, I'd need to hear both sides if you want my official position; but I'm real curious as to exactly what was said in those "5 minutes"... I'm just saying the Tazers don't usually come out unless the Klingons are real, real mad or scared as hell; often with good reason.

[rev. happy owl]

((:

i'd like to thank the mods for editing out my double post
unfortunately the one i meant to post was the one you all removed
basically they were the same, just that there was one extra idea that said:

police at brc should have to wear tutus b/c their uniforms have no style
& i believe their pinched uniforms create pinched spirits

thanks again!!



700 elves

[TheJudge]

Police in tutus.

Right.

[unjonharley]

me thinks the Wopster is trolling.

[Rob the Wop]

Oh no, this one is beyond anything I could dream up.

[atossab]

He screamed "she lies, that little slut".

The judge knew he was full of shit, and he gave him 25 years,
and now his heart is full of tears.

One night in jail it was getting late,
He was butt-raped by a large inmate,
and he cried,
but the guards paid no attention to his cries,

That's when things got out of control.

The moral of the date rape story,
It does not pay to be drunk and horny,

That's the way, it had to be,
They locked him up and threw away the key,
I can't take pity on men of this kind,
Even though he now takes it IN THE BEHIND"

Na na na na na na, na na na na na na...

[atossab]

And also,

You've been doing far too much E, for far too long my friend. It is not funny or cute that you can take 16 hits over a couple of days. Your post screams of spinal juice depletion.

If I'm totally wrong, then my post screams of too much cheap wine.

[thedrunkenmonkey]

Dammit.

"Happy" at first glance says, "Fucked up beyond belief."

Every single time the monkey has been beyond his control boundaries, someone will say, "How are you doing?" and they kind of actually mean it.

When that issuance comes from someone in a uniform, the monkey sits his ass down and says, "I'm a little drunk. I'm gonna drink some water and calm down. Is there something that I can do or help do to make sure I'm not being a problem for others?"

Cops are people.
Cops don't like being told, "FUCK OFF, YOU TOOL OF THE MAN!"

Amazingly enough.
If you're doing something worthy of getting booted from the arena, I have a feeling you probably weren't quite in your right state of mind.

Oh, a casual mention - doing drugs, packing everything up, THEN getting the hell out of camp? On drugs? Perhaps this might be why you got pulled over and a nice fat misdemeanor slapped on you.

Look, do all the drugs you want. But.

If you come stumbling into my camp howling at the moon when you're not supposed to be there, pinching the asses of people who don't want their asses pinched, or being aggro druggy man, you are getting thrown over the wall, and I'm not going to care overmuch if you're arse or tip.

If you do this to a cop...sheesh, man. No wonder. Be nice to the police and they'll be nice to you. They are outnumbered by freaks and weirdos and people who play with fire and sharp objects ALL DAY LONG.

You think they REALLY want to mix it up with the Burners At Large?

[thedrunkenmonkey]

Last.

Good luck with getting reimbursed for your fines and expenses. I mean that. If you can get the BM community to cough up for the fines incurred for the activities you were fined and charged with, more power to you.

Likelihood for the Monkey's Meter: infintesimally small. But good luck!