It seems that last year’s Burn Wall Street‘s “ironic” use of Bank of “un”America logos, has set the tone for future Burning Mans to come.

Earlier in the year, we brought you news of the giant iPhone advertisement - which the artist assures us is just an ironic homage.

Now, Facebook is getting on the scene too. There’s gonna be a great big LIKE Thumbs Up out there on the Playa, for all of us to see. We go to the desert, to be reminded of our iPhones and Social Media – in an ironic way, of course. Ah, the Brave New World.

From the Huffington Post:

If Facebook were to disappear tomorrow, what would happen to all the precious “likes” accrued over the years?

This might seem like a trivial question, but Dutch group Dadara would disagree. The art collective has launched an Indiegogo campaign, titled “Like4Real,” that asks precisely this: “What happens if Facebook vanishes into the digital ether, or the Spring of Eternal Likes dries up one day… will we go bankrupt because of our investments in accumulating Likes?”

Dadara isn’t really attempting to answer the lofty question. Instead it is planning on constructing a massive effigy acknowledging our shared obsession with social network “liking” in the best way possible — a fiery art project at Burning Man. The giant installation — a golden thumbs-up symbol erected on a black altar — would allow playa visitors to “worship” at the foot of Facebook IRL, before the oversized sculpture is set aflame in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

Dadara, the group credited with constructing the Burning Greymen, theExchanghibition Bank and the Transformoney Tree, has already raised over $4,000 for its ode to “Like” culture, and has 31 days to go before its opportunity to raise its intended $10,000 expires. The lowest possible donation is $1, a contribution that earns backers their very own “virtual like.” The most expensive? A $1,000 donation that gets you to “Enlikement.”

So, if this project comes to fruition, what will happen to “Like4Real” after Burning Man? “After [the] burn, as a Phoenix emerging from hot ashes, Like4Real will rise to become an ongoing project in the real world,” the group explains on Indiegogo, “where we aim to explore the various facets of our real and virtual relationships.”

No word yet on if the Google “Chrome Zones” will be popping up this year in Center Camp.

by Whatsblem the Pro

DOES NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS

So, Burning Man is on your bucket list, or you’ve already been at least once, but you’re having a hard time getting it together to get that sweet ass of yours to the Black Rock desert?

Image: regionals.burningman.com

There are options. The most obvious must be Regional Burning Man events and other, similar festivals (although you won’t find much that’s all that similar without getting on an airplane, if you live in the States). The Burning Man Regional Network is your friend, friend, and making contact with the burners in your area will inevitably hip you up to all kinds of things happening near you that appeal to a roughly burner demographic. Or, if you’re in the middle of nowhere, it’ll at least hook you up with people you can join together with to make something happen.

One slip-up and it really will make you go blind

If you’ve got a brain full of bees and you don’t mind leaving your house and your comfort zone occasionally for shenanigans, then you may already be a member of the Cacophony Society, with chapters in Michigan, Arizona, Texas, Maryland, Louisiana, Alabama, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Connecticut, Colorado, Nevada, California, Kansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Minnesota, Florida, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington (State), Washington (D.C.), and Missouri, with international lodges in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Netherlands, the North Pole, South Africa, the South Pole, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. If there’s no lodge near you, do some reading at the Society’s website and start one yourself. . . you’re all the authority you need.

I can’t find the “catch fire” button on my computer

If you’re some kind of cyborg and can’t be detached from your computer without specialized tools and the risk of death, there’s BURN2, a virtualized burn that takes place annually in the strange online mindfuck known as Second Life, a Matrixy, immersive, build-it-yourself world with its own economy and mores. Second Life provides a whole universe of time-wasting opportunities beyond the virtualized burn.

If you want something done right, DIY.

Finally, there’s home DIY Burning Man, for the rugged individualist who can’t be bothered to go anywhere OR sit glued to a computer for days on end.

Back in August of 2002, some unsung genius on the now-defunct Midwest Burn List fired off a humorous enumeration of things you can do “to enjoy the Burning Man experience from the comfort of your own home.” The list has since circulated among burners on the Internet like crabs at a Rainbow Gathering. Our efforts to identify the author have come to an impasse; if you know who did write it originally, please let us know in the comments.

22 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ENJOY THE BURNING MAN

EXPERIENCE FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME

by Anonymous Enigma-McUnknown, Jr.

1. Read Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany. Read The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy. Cut off the bindings, throw all the pages up in the air, and shuffle them back together. Reread The City After Dhalgren by Samuel Murphy. Burn it. Read the ashes.

2. Pay an escort of your affectional preference subset to not bathe for five days, cover themselves in glitter, dust, and sunscreen, wear a skanky neon wig, dance close naked, then say they have a lover back home at the end of the night.

3. Tear down your house. Put it in a truck. Drive ten hours in any direction. Put the house back together. Invite everyone you meet to come over and party. When everyone leaves, follow them back to their homes, drink all their booze, and break things.

4. Buy a new set of expensive camping gear. Break it.

5. Stack all your fans in one corner of your living room. Put on your most fabulous outfit. Turn the fans on full-blast. Dump a vacuum cleaner bag in front of them.

6. Pitch your tent next to the wall of speakers in a crowded, noisy club. Go to sleep.

7. Lean back in a chair until that point where you’re just about to fall over, but you catch yourself at the last moment. Hold that position for nine hours.

8. Only use the toilet in a house that is at least three blocks away. Drain all the water from the toilet. Only flush it every four days. Hide all the toilet paper.

9. Visit a restaurant and pay them to let you alternate lying in the walk-in freezer and sitting in the oven.

10. Don’t sleep for five days. Take a wide variety of hallucinogenic/emotion-altering drugs. Pick a fight with your boyfriend/girlfriend.

11. Cut, burn, electrocute, bruise, and sunburn various parts of your body. Forget how you did it. Don’t go to a doctor.

12. Buy a new pair of favorite shoes. Throw one shoe away.

13. Spend a whole year rummaging through thrift stores for the perfect, most outrageous costume. Forget to pack it.

14. Listen to music you hate for 168 hours straight, or until you think you are going to scream. Scream. Realize you’ll love the music for the rest of your life.

15. Bust your ass for a ‘community.’ See all the attention get focused on the drama queen crybaby.

16. Get so drunk you can’t recognize your own house. Walk slowly around the block for five hours.

17. Sprinkle dirty sand in all your food.

18. Mail $200 to the Reno casino of your choice.

19. Go to a museum. Find one of Salvador Dali’s more disturbing but beautiful paintings. Climb inside it.

20. Spend thousands of dollars on a deeply personal art work. Hide it in a funhouse on the edge of the city. Blow it up.

21. Set up a DJ system downwind of a three-alarm fire. Play a short loop of drum ‘n’ bass until the embers are cold.

22. Have a 3:00 AM soul-baring conversation with a drag nun in platforms, a crocodile, and Bugs Bunny. Be unable to tell if you’re hallucinating. Lust after Bugs Bunny.

When Burning Man moved into the Central Market district, they made a lot of noise about how they were going to use the 10 Principles to transform the area. I’m still looking forward to the day I can write that story.

When Reallocate project [freespace] moved into the area, renting a vacant lot for a month for $1, and Gifting it to the community – with the values of Leave No Trace, Decommodification, Civic Responsibility, Radical Inclusion, Radical Self-Reliance, and I’m sure others…they also made some noise about the transformation.

And, in the spirit of Get Shit Done, they did 119 events in their first 30 days.

We paid attention, covering it at the start of the month when they announced a “Burner Hack“, and the end of the month when they took it to the next level, raised their Indiegogo campaign and brought the Cargo Cult Kontainers in. [freespace] is a project based on Burner values designed to gift something back to the underprivileged. A Temporary Autonomous Zone, designed to Leave It Better (as LIB’s motto goes).

I’m pleased to say that thanks to the innovation of Mike Zuckerman and his team, and the entrepreneurship of the Bay Area Burner community, [freespace] has been a huge success. So much so that they’re about to present it at the White House, as Champions of Change. Tune in live at 7am PST tomorrow (Tuesday) to see them present their ideas to The Man.

Marc Roth, profiled by VentureBeat in the story Homeless to Hacker: How the Maker Movement Changed One Man’s Life, has launched the Learning Shelter there, and their last hackathon was attended by more than 40 people. Homeless people, the unemployed, anyone who wants to learn can come in for free and learn all kinds of skills. Whether or not the new skills help them get a job immediately is beside the point: they’re engaging in a positive and uplifting thing, surrounded by positive and uplifting people. This is the way that someone’s situation can change: to do something in the day that they can feel enhances their lives, instead of wallowing in the gutter in a helpless drug coma. Prescribing more Prozac, or giving them $5 for “the bus ride home” or “gas”…is like giving a sandwich to a starving dog. There will still be starving dogs the next day, what changed? Teach someone to fish, and they never have to be hungry again. Restore someone’s dignity and self-respect, through camaraderie and shared experiences…well, to me anyway, that’s what community is all about. That’s the beautiful potential power of the Burning Man vision, and the Temporary Autonomous Zone vision. Recivilization.

With cities like Detroit, Vallejo, and Stockton going bankrupt…this country needs solutions that can provide economic therapy. The art at [freespace] invigorated the entire project, creating a focal point for innovation and “The Shock of the New”; the respect and love and good souls inside made it something special. [freespace] have achieved so much already, who knows what the next few weeks will bring for them.

This is the power of Burners to make the world a better place. The 10 principles, at work, in the Default World.

Come on BMOrg, instead of sending out copyright infringement notices for pictures you don’t even own, you could be doing this too…and you have WAY more resources. Use all those Burner bucks for the good of everyone, there’s enough to go around in this huge community of contributors. We’re in the Maker world now, the Sharing economy.

From whitehouse.gov:

White House Highlights Open Government and Civic Hacking “Champions of
Change”

WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, July 23rd, the White House will honor 15 leaders
and organizations as open government and civic hacking “Champions of Change.” As
entrepreneurs, innovators, organizers, and community leaders, these “Champions of
Change” have made a tremendous positive impact by building high-tech tools to help
health workers and disaster-response crews better serve communities; piloting
innovative programs to involve traditionally disengaged communities in local
governance; using new technologies to enhance government transparency and
collaboration; and more.
When presenting his new management agenda earlier this month, President Obama
said, “… We the people recognize that this government belongs to us, and it’s up to
each of us and every one of us to make it work better…We all have a stake in
government success — because the government is us.”
The White House Champions of Change program was created as part of President
Obama’s Winning the Future Initiative. Through this program, the White House
highlights individuals, businesses, and organizations whose extraordinary stories and
accomplishments positively impact our communities

Reallocate founder Tim Lipton at [freespace]‘s [eko|space]. Burning Man shipping containers painted by Ian Ross and Eon75

SPUN OUT BY THE SCOOP! Are we actually all mutually, collectively experiencing the deja vu that I spoke of a couple of days ago? Remember when last year, Burners.Me brought you the news that the permit was increased? Well, now we’re bringing it to you again – and it looks like we will be for the next 4 years.

Good news, more tickets! Even better, just as I’m about to post this one here, Whatsblem the Pro ducks and weaves and slips in a three pointer from the halfway line (ie midnight). I do feel scooped. And yet…

Are you ready for a trip? Did you see the trippy video? Did you read my throwing down of the gauntlet (via the powers of morphic resonance, Superdistribution/Cox and Supernature) to Whatsblem the Pro’s Rationalist view of the world? You know, the one where Newton is just some random dude under a tree and an apple falls on the head? And not a member of the Royal Society, an elite secret society based on the false world of clockwork mechanics? A chaining of irrational time to the human spirit, against natural time. This is what the prophecies speak of. A Golden Age, when truth and justice and peace and love and abundance and wellness and prosperity and living in tune with Nature prevail. Harmonic Convergence. AKA GOOD FUCKEN TIMES BABY!

Whatsblem and I’ve been having a jocular , well, not flame war, perhaps we’ll call it “mild stoush” both offline and in the comments, which to both of us is of course one conversation occuring via the Internet. We’ve never actually met, but we see eye to eye on almost everything so far. Not this one though. Magical thinking (c’est moi) versus _____________________ …I’ll leave it to him to respond with his position to clarify the starting point of our debate. Think of it as the grumpy old guy up the hill (aka The Shaman) not quite seeing eye to eye with the Town Crier. I’ll call him Town Crier because he is batting a pretty good average right now on the popularity of his posts with y’all. I think a more moderate and eloquent viewpoint than my own. Whatever, I’m the grumpy old guy up the hill. Who’s actually pretty cheery.

I would never try to convince anyone of anything. I don’t actually think that’s possible. However, I am a living example of the power of positive thinking, and so is every other person I know who believes in positive thinking. Which I have to say is almost all of my friends and most of my family.

That’s not to say I’m a believer in any old shit that comes my way. Although, they say you can always sell a sales guy. When I first encountered Nassim Haramein, I was intrigued…but wanted to check out for myself if the guy was for real. I went to the Institute of Noetic Sciences in Petaluma. Edgar Mitchell was one of the Apollo astronauts, and he had an experience with an angel/alien on his way back to Earth from the Moon. This experience moved him to set up the Institute, which is a real place. It’s based on science, you might remember having read about it in the Da Vinci Code. Experiments that prove telepathy exists. 3-star generals, the former head of the US Special Forces, investing heavily in this interdimensional consciousness technology as a military capability. Maybe they’re all wrong, and the people who haven’t reviewed the material but cling to what they know are right.
Or, maybe, just maybe, the classified US black ops and the 50 years of peer-reviewed Russian science that David Wilcock outlines in the Source Field Investigations, actually has something to it. Maybe it’s worth looking into before you dismiss it, even if at first it sounds like nonsense. I looked into the idea of “everything came from a single spec of dust in the big bang and we can’t explain consciousness so it doesn’t matter, there’s no maths for it”…and concluded that worldview could not appropriately explain my own experience of the Universe. If science couldn’t explain what I’ve seen with my own eyes, then it’s science that’s wrong, not my eyes.

The Institute of Noetic Sciences is trying to produce peer-reviewed, academically acceptable science in the areas that science can’t explain – magic, the paranormal, the power of prayer. It’s a Burner type of place, the kind of place where shamans from all around the world could fly in and dance unseen in a forest grove next to you, while you’re listening to a guy like Nassim share deeply personal experiences with incredible passion and authenticity, about quantum physics. And, you could camp, although I’m not sure about getting an RV up there…I stayed at the nearby Sheraton Petaluma, right on the 101 with it’s own Marina. I spent a weekend with the guy, he spoke non-stop with passion and without hesitation, he drew a great crowd of about 100 people all in for the full 3 days…and I came away convinced. So did the two angels that were with me. I don’t have the maths or physics to say if he’s right or wrong, he certainly has some detractors on the Internet – as does every good scientist. But he seemed like a genuine and positive person to me, someone trying to make the world a better place even if he had to make some waves to do so. I’ve put a lot of hours into watching his material now, look around YouTube pretty much everything is out there. You can get right into it. I recommend it all, to me part of this guy’s gift is he makes this stuff simple.

So, here we go. I’m gonna take it slow. Ease in with the flow. Coz it’s only one post, there could be many more, we could go in many directions with this stuff. To me this is the best half hour introduction I’ve ever seen, I just tried it on a guest audience new to the material. DeeM iT so.

On this blog we do not advocate taking any drugs, prescription or otherwise, without speaking openly about everything that’s going on with your wellness to a good medicine man first. Or woman. The shaman. Take medicine in the right context, as Timothy Leary said in the 60′s, set…and setting…make sure you know who’s really dosing you, even if your dose is just Starbucks. You know, there’s a star on the logo, they make buck$…that one…

This, though…this we advocate. You don’t need drugs for this. You don’t need rigid dogmatic scientifc beliefs for this, and you don’t need zealous absolutist religious views the other way either. Who’s to say, who’s right, who’s wrong? Most likely, we’re both a bit right, we’re both a bit wrong. My point is… EXPAND YOUR FREAKING CONSCIOUSNESS. You wanna be a golf ball, you wanna be a melon, you wanna be the whole Universe? BE ALL YOU CAN BE

We live in a holographic Universe, and life’s what you make it. But it isn’t what the official schoolbooks tell you. Miracles happen. The more you notice they happen, the more they happen. If you’re reading this but you haven’t been to Burning Man before, this is why people like us Burners care so passionately about it. Here we get to experiment. A Temporary. Autonomous. ZONE OF SEPARATION

Anyway I’m talking about solutions to Einstein’s field equations.

Before you say “why don’t you present your evidence” – I have, it’s an 800 page book I just linked to. The guy spent years collating the evidence that used to be classified military secrets in this country, and accepted academic knowledge in others. There’s no point me repeating it here, now it’s a George Clooney movie, but Wilcock summarizes some of the key research in this video:

Over to you, WTP. You might lose me on the maths in your debunking, or indeed logic (!) however I think there is enough brainpower attached to this blog now that someone (eg my Knight in Shining Armor 5thfool) might step up to my “hippy intelligentsia” defense.

Say it!

I had a chance over lunch to look through the 13 page decision issued by the Bureau of Land Management. Basically, last year they were considering a permit increase to near 70,000 over 5 years. In 2011 they got busted letting more people in than their permit allowed, and so last year’s permit was a temporary, one-time-only Special Use Permit. BMOrg behaved well, official population count was below the permit level, and the increased tickets got through.

In the meantime, Pershing County has been trying to muscle in on the Burning Man action. First, they’re trying to increase their fees, from around $140,000 to more like $800,000. Burning Man didn’t like this, so they sued them. Pershing fought back, Burning Man appealed, both sides claimed small victories along the way – with the most recent one going to Burning Man. BMOrg went to Washington and to the Nevada State assembly, and got the law changed in a way that (seemingly) would give BLM control. This seemed like it would be good for BMOrg, although we called the outcome as unpredictable when we covered it.

Well, a couple of clauses in the fine print of the permit suggest that this maybe wasn’t a great result for BMOrg at all. If anything, trying to go around Pershing County to the State and the Feds has only served to piss Pershing County off, and give them a tighter grip on the festival than they had before.

Yes, it seems, Pershing County might have us by the balls.

22. BRC shall complete formal agreements with all affected parties, including Pershing County Sheriff’s Department, Washoe County Sheriff’s Department, Nevada Department of Public Safety-Nevada Highway Patrol, and Nevada Department of Health and Human Safety, for the purpose of addressing concerns and impacts associated with social services (e.g., law enforcement and emergency medical services and physical infrastructure, transportation systems, and human waste disposal). 

 Written evidence of these agreements showing compliance with this stipulation must be provided to the BLM by BRC 15 days prior to the start of the event 

Right now, it is 33 days until the gates open. So Burning Man has basically 2 weeks to get an agreement – in writing – from the Pershing County Sheriff’s department (and the other 4 local agencies as well), saying they’re happy with everything.

Not only that, any co-ordination for people injured or killed has to go through Pershing as well. Which seems strange since the deaths in the past have been declared in Reno, most likely Washoe hospital.

28. In cooperation with emergency services providers and law enforcement agencies, BRC shall, within a reasonable time after learning of them, notify the BLM and appropriate agencies of all accidents related to the event that occur before, during, and after the event, that result in death or personal injury requiring hospitalization. Accident reports involving death or injury will be coordinated with the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office and the BLM. 

We hope that behind the scenes everyone is frantically working to patch things up with the locals. Because, as outsiders, the latest information we have is from June 2013:

ENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has signed into law a bill that streamlines the permitting process for the Burning Man festival and other events on federal land.

The new law gives counties the right to opt out of state permitting requirements for events held on federal land that already undergo a comprehensive federal permitting process.

Pershing County commissioners earlier passed a resolution exempting Burning Man from county permitting requirements.

Burning Man spokesman Ray Allen calls the new law “a huge victory” for the festival. He says it “ensures local permitting requirements won’t infringe upon the First Amendment rights of Burning Man participants.”

I’m not so sure that is the case. I guess it depends on how much pressure there is on the Pershing County Sheriff’s department to sign off in writing, no later than August 11. If they don’t sign, then our rights would be pretty freaking infringed.

Going back to what Pershing County is claiming in the courtroom,

Pershing County argues that despite the event being on federal land, the local jurisdiction has authority over policing and judicial actions and the county should be compensated for the resources expended.

So, the local jurisdiction cops are still in control – in fact now they are the primary go-to point if anything goes wrong. Even if someone dies or gets injured in another county, they have to be informed. And the judge is still in control, none of this affects him in any way. He will still be imposing “discouraging” sentences on any Burners brought before his court room. And he doesn’t like the event, remember:

…Commenting that Burning Man “purveys titillation,” he made the following additional statements:

a. “I’m very concerned about what the community standards are becoming in this 
community. When they first came, everyone was shocked. Now, we’ve 
accepted them and now we’re embracing them, because what? They bring 
money to the community? Something’s wrong with that.”

b. “This isn’t a place for young people under eighteen to be, under any 
circumstances. That’s my opinion.”

c. “You want to see what a lawless culture, built like 49ers and Deadheads and 
Cyber Punks leads to? National Magazine, I would say it in two words, ‘Penn 
State.’”

d. The laws of the state and the laws of this county apply to Burning Man as much 
as they do to the city limits of Lovelock, and what’s described in this article, if 
people were to do it here, they would be in jail, in prison.”

e. “[T]he idea that they can self-regulate and have their own policemen and carry 
out their own regulations is ludicrous. It is people here, county officials, who 
have absolute duty to enforce the laws. You took an oath, as did law 
enforcement, to uphold the laws and constitutions of this state. That includes 
lewdness around children and the other things that have occurred.

The BLM, of course, also still have us by the balls. But they seem much more inclined to gently caress said balls…provided they get their cut, that is. They want 25% up front – maybe $300,000 in cold hard cash – and the rest when the event is over. And they’re being quite clear, when they say “their cut”, they mean all the money. Ice sales, coffee sales, RV rentals, RV services. Donations and corporate sponsorships. “Other”, eg. movies and photo shoots. BLM get 3% of it all. That’s probably an extra half a million bucks to them over the next 4 years, over what they would have got anyway if the population had been frozen.

The BLM shall collect a commercial use fee from BRC for the use of public lands for the event. The fee, as set by regulation 43 C.F.R. § 2930, will be equal to 3% of the adjusted gross income derived from the use authorized under the SRP. Payment equal to at least 25% of the estimated commercial use fees (3% of estimated gross receipts) must be received by the BLM prior to the start of the event. 

Determination of gross income will be based on all payments received by BRC and its employees or agents for goods or services provided in connection with commercial activities authorized by the SRP. 

This includes, but is not limited to, ticket sales, coffee and ice sales, fees associated with outside services and private donations received by BRC for management of the event on public lands. 

One piece of good news is the BLM’s continued efforts to keep the indigenous Paiute people in the money loop, by encouraging them to run trash collection depots. Let’s turn a problem we make (trash), into a solution for them to a problem we didn’t make (economic hardship).

To reduce impacts to the Pyramid Lake Paiute reservation located along the access routes, BRC shall coordinate with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. BRC shall work with the Pyramid Lake Tribe in developing the applicant’s plan to increase public awareness and educational campaigns about Leave No Trace® on tribal land, including for example, signage on roads, Public Service Announcements on BMIR, blog-posts, etc. Also, BRC shall continue to support and promote tribal enterprises that are setup to collect participant trash and recycling for a fee, which also helps with economic benefits of the Region. 

Filed under: News Tagged: 2011, 2012, 2013, BLM, bmorg, city, commerce, complaints, cops, drugs, environment, event, festival, man, news, Party, press, rules, tickets

by Whatsblem the Pro

You goddamn kids, dancing on my lawn in your underpants! Why, in my day. . .

We didn’t always have the Internet, you know, and the world was a lot less openly, deliciously freakish before you could go online and discover millions of people happily indulging in every fetish you’ve ever even thought of. . . like it’s normal! Because it is normal.

People didn’t necessarily know it was normal then, especially teenagers. As recently as the ’70s, the ho-hum trivialities of 21st Century non-vanilla sexuality – like mere transvestitism – were considered way beyond the pale; even something as ordinary and normal to us today as flamboyantly gay culture was seen as completely outrageous, in every sense of the word. . . unimaginable, even: there’s a scene in the film Behind the Candelabra in which one character points out to another that the audience in a Vegas nightclub watching Liberace perform in all his decadent sartorial excess on a stage dripping with gay pride weren’t being accepting of the star’s homosexuality; they were simply unaware of it, completely and totally. The Stonewall Riots didn’t take place until 1969, after all, and that shot heard ’round the world was still in the process of being heard.

If you were young then, you probably witnessed a lot of social horrors among your mates at school; kids seem to be significantly less vicious with each other now than they were in those days. The Internet, decades of integration, and the greying of the ’60s generation seem to have done a good job of getting kids to be nicer to and more comfortable with each other. In the ’70s, the peer pressure was intense. If you were a little unsure of yourself back then, possibly a little nerdy, maybe not too confident in your own sexuality or in expressing it, you didn’t have many avenues or outlets available to you for empowerment and camaraderie, or even for more information; you mostly had to wonder and fret about what kind of freak you really were.

There were touchstones of culture that helped, that allowed kids to identify each other as friendlies on the same fringe. Some of them were as simple as quotes from Monty Python skits. If you joined in on the first round of “spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam” then you had communicated that yes, you too got bullied and beaten up and mockingly called Professor Einstein for your smartitude, and now were among your own people. If you were a punk rocker in 1978 and you saw another punk rocker, your clothes and hair told the tale and you were instant friends, because there were so few of you and you had so much in common. Being gay or lesbian or bi or what have you? That was mostly some kind of super-secret club that did a lot of hiding out. The unlucky kids never twigged to the signal, or lived in places where they really were truly alone.

Some touchstones were deeper than others; some were real lifesavers for a lot of kids.

In the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, midnight showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show around the country gave a wide variety of people with certain unusual inclinations in common a way to meet each other and do a little acting out in a way that was terribly nerdy and terribly sexy. . . and tremendously liberating and empowering, often to a life-changing degree. Not just a film; a powerful message: don’t dream it, be it. Sound familiar? It should, ’cause in 1975, the Rocky Horror Picture Show was a lot like Burning Man.

If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t watch it at home until you’ve seen it in the theater with a good crowd. It’s a theatrical experience, an audience participation experience, not a sit-on-your-ass piece of passive entertainment. Hit the nearest city and find a theater that shows it, dress in your most outlandish duds, and go. . . or, you could get your very first Rocky on (and maybe your rocks off) with the 2013 lineup of the Six-Minute Players at Camp Videogasm, a Burning Man theme camp located in Snowflake Village.

I got in touch with El Smith, the Six-Minute Players’ Coordinator/Director, and she was kind enough to write up the following brief history of Rocky Horror on the Playa for me in answer to my questions:

“RHPS on the playa was started by Tiki Bob in 2005 at Videogasm in Snowflake Village. I played Columbia that year and accidentally started an orgy onstage during the pool scene. . . but that’s another story. Someone at Videogasm called us “the Six Minute Players” because we had no rehearsal and didn’t meet up until six minutes before the show. We liked the name so we kept it. We put on a shadow show complete with a devirginizing ceremony, which changes every year.

Tiki Bob retired from RHPS at the end of the 2007 season and I took it over. At that time, and up until 2011, we had pretty much a new cast every year. With a new annual cast and no rehearsals, we were pretty much just a trannie free-for-all. Some people knew their roles well but for most people it was just an excuse to show off onstage while fucked up. . . which I didn’t have a problem with.

The Six Minute Players had a one-year hiatus in 2010 while I was recovering from a neurological disease that had paralyzed me twice, and I dropped the ball on temporarily handing over the reins. Videogasm still put on a shadow show that year but it wasn’t my cast and I didn’t have a hand in it so in my selfishness I don’t consider it one of the Six Minute Player shows.

I picked the show back up in 2011 and we’ve steadily taken it more and more seriously. I have a core cast now that will be returning for their third year with me, the costumes have gotten better, we have actual props now and there’s even a rehearsal! Of course we drink pretty much the entire rehearsal but we still do manage to get things done.

The show has just gotten better and better since 2011. We did experience a setback with our audience attendance last year due to our placement in Bumfuck, Egypt. We usually have an audience of at least two hundred people, and last year it looks like we only had about a hundred at most. I don’t care so much about attendance for myself; I don’t really do anything besides coordinate/direct the show and manage props, but I care for my actors. They put in a lot of work every year to make sure we only get better and being pissed on like that by placement is not cool. I don’t know, maybe one of the placement people used to be in the show and I told them they sucked and I didn’t want them back. Sounds like a reasonable explanation to me. Complete speculation of course.

Once again in their infinite wisdom, placement has decided for 2013 to once again marginalize the hard-working cast and crew of the Six Minute Players (not to mention the incredible audience-driven Videogasm) and has put us even further into Bumfuck, Egypt. We’ll be at 8:30 and E this year, and the ‘E’ does NOT stand for Esplanade. We were back in the middle of nowhere last year, too, but before that we were on the Esplanade for nearly fifteen years. . . which explains how we went from an audience of at least two hundred to less than a hundred last year.

The future of the Six Minute Players could very possibly be in jeopardy due to the increasingly poor decisions of the placement team. While there will always be a Rocky Horror Picture Show showing at Videogasm, regardless of the camp location, the Six Minute Players could very likely decide that the show is far too much work for so small an audience. We love and appreciate our audience and do it all for them, and would hate to have to close the curtain on our troupe. . . that would mean the terrorists, aka BMOrg, win.

I would like to do an actual live stage production of the Rocky Horror Show but until I can afford the equipment for that to be possible it will remain a pipe dream. I’m not interested in doing a Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or other crowdfunding thing.

I have no plans to hand over the reins or end the show unless I’m paralyzed and stuck in the hospital again. Otherwise, we’ll keep on dancing in our fishnets and stilettos.”

This is the Six-Minute Players’ cast and crew list for 2013; core cast members are marked with an asterisk:

CAST

Frank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alyssa Smith*

Janet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristen Craig*

Brad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Charles Douglas Reed

Riff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sam Fish

Magenta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MarZ Attack

Columbia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Heather Bewsee

Dr. Scott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hal Wrigley

Rocky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . Geordie Van Der Bosch*

Eddie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .Ranger Genius*

Crim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .AntiM*

Trixie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . Heather Tyler Harrell

Emcee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . Nick Fedoroff

CREW

Backstage/Prop/Lighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Heather Tyler Harrell, Howard Clayton, Nick Fedoroff, Nathan Goulette

Photography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wendi Corbin Goulette

Hosting Camp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Videogasm @ Snowflake Village

Coordinator/Direction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .El Smith

(Jan Dirk Roggenkamp is also a core member who plays Brad, but is not able to make it to the playa this year due to the birth of his sons last week)

Behind the scenes on the film’s set, with interviews

Filed under: Alternatives to Burning Man, Art, Burner Stories, Dark Path - Complaints Department, General, Light Path - Positive Thinking, Ideas Tagged: 2013, alternatives, art, arts, black, bmorg, burn, burning, cinema, city, complaints, curry, drugs, environment, event, fashion, festival, horror, man, movie, movies, music, news, Party, picture, plans, play, playa, RHPS, rock, rocky, rocky horror, rocky horror picture show, show, stories, tim, videos

by Whatsblem the Pro

NO BICYCLE FOR YOU

Back in March, we gave you a rundown of options for obtaining a playa-suitable bicycle. Topping that list was Reno’s Kiwanis Bike Program; unfortunately, information has come to light that prompts us to withdraw our recommendation of that organization in favor of the other options listed in our March article.

We’re sorry to report that you should also be warned away from Rat’s Bikes, a service frequently promoted in the Jack Rabbit Speaks newsletter put out by the Burning Man Org.

We don’t have any negative reports from people using Kiwanis’ playa bike program, so you might be safe giving them your money for that (if they even have any left); we have confirmed, however, that they are not trustworthy enough to do business with on a verbal contract basis; instead of fulfilling their end of the bargain, they seem to do nearly as much back-pedaling as pedaling. Caveat emptor!

When Kiwanis recently moved to a new space and needed the old place cleaned up so they could get their deposit back, a three-way deal was struck to get their old space thoroughly cleaned in exchange for a dozen or more bicycles, to be donated to a community center for community use. Volunteers showed up and did the job, and Kiwanis got their deposit back. They made every visible sign of being happy with the work performed, to the point of gushing all over everyone concerned about it. . . but when it came time to collect the bicycles, they suddenly decided to change the deal and act as though nobody should be surprised by that. The community center that was supposed to get a dozen or more bikes got one instead. Stay classy, Kiwanis Bike Program.

Rat’s Bikes, meanwhile, a one-man operation that may be connected with the Kiwanis Bike Program, has simply vanished into thin air after collecting funds from more than a few burners. We don’t know where Rat is or what’s going on, and it’s possible that he’s in some kind of truly dire straits that makes this excusable. . . but in any case, Rat should no longer be considered a reliable resource for burners seeking bikes. We hope Rat’s OK, even though him being OK would mean that he’s some kind of thief, and that some kind of thief has been enjoying free promotion from the Burning Man Org.

As always, do your due diligence before forking over your hard-earned cash, no matter what you’re buying; this is particularly important when you’re buying tickets from someone other than the Org themselves, at any price. You don’t want to end up on the playa with no bicycle after paying for one, and you sure don’t want to show up at Gate with a ticket bearing an invalidated serial number.

Ride tough!

by Whatsblem the Pro

Photo: Earth Guardians Blog / earthguardians.net

There are a lot of concerns involved with the constant upward growth of the yearly Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, and not least among those concerns is the well-being of burner culture. Burning Man isn’t just an annual festival, it’s a way of life, all year long, and if the ability of burners to transmit their culture is overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of new people, the culture will be shoved aside to fade away, or be replaced by some lesser, diluted version of itself.

Today, the Org released information on a new volunteer team that you can join – the Leave No Trace Outreach Team – if you want to do your part and make your mark, and you care about things like the environment, or securing BLM permits for the future of Burning Man. The outreach program is intended to spread both the concept and the techniques of “Leave No Trace” and take some of the burden off the Playa Restoration Team, who stay on-playa an extra month to pick up every cigarette butt, every bit of paper and styrofoam and fabric, every feather, every discarded cup, can, and glowstick, every playa poop and every pee puddle.

It’s always tempting to say that maybe the Org should think about throwing money at a problem instead of relying too much on volunteers, and there is an argument to be made that the Playa Restoration Team in particular might be a good place to sink some fresh cash. On the other hand, there’s something to be said for the caliber of volunteerism that Resto draws and tempers, for the kind of burner pride and character building it offers, for the camaraderie it breeds, and even for the groundscore opportunities it sometimes affords. As the population increases, though, the Resto team may need to grow quite a bit, and/or transition away from volunteerism toward more dedicated crew being paid reasonable wages.

Should the Org rely on paid hands to clean up our messes? Maybe, maybe not.

No matter how critical of the Org you are, you just can’t have it both ways: if it’s burners who make the party (and not the Org), then burners should get the credit (not the Org), and burners (not the Org) should clean it up, no matter what objections to unrelated profit motives we might have. Hopefully, there would be a Resto crew even if there was no Org at all.

Let’s not forget, too, that “Leave No Trace” was a Suicide Club/Cacophony Society value before it became one of Burning Man’s guiding principles. Those of us who lean toward the Cacophonist streams of burner culture should strive to be doin’ it right in the aftermath of our shenanigans, or at least, to support other people doin’ it right if we happen to be well-occupied with other things, like more shenanigans.

We’ve already got the Earth Guardians, of course, with lots of experience at doing outreach on the subject of LNT and playa preservation/restoration. They do outreach before, during and after Burning Man, have special teams to handle different aspects of LNT and playa stewardship, and even patrol the nearby hot springs. Are they not handling it, or is this the Guardians moving to the next level with a new campaign? Why is this LNT Outreach Team being touted as such a new thing? Is this a cooperative expansion of the Guardians’ own outreach efforts, meant to cope with the influx of new burners. . . or is it the Org shouldering the Guardians out of the way? We don’t know, but maybe our readers can tell us more in the comments.

Here is the scoop on the new LNT Outreach Team, straight from the Org:

The Leave No Trace Outreach Team is a newly formed team and they’re ready to recruit!

WHAT: Join the LNT Outreach Team
WHERE: Burning Man, Black Rock City
WHEN: 9am – 1pm shifts during Burning Man event. Sign up now!
HOW: Follow instructions at the end of this announce to sign up for a shift
CONTACT: audrey.whaling (at) burningman (dot) com. Include “LNTOUTREACH” in your subject line

We are launching a new volunteer program for environmentally minded folks:

The LNT Outreach Team – Leave No Trace on the Playa
Interested in protecting the playa surface? Want to teach BRC citizens how to do so? This year BRC is launching a new initiative to raise the bar on protecting the playa surface DURING the event. We’re looking for a few experienced, outgoing, morning volunteers to ride along with BLM scientists and talk to citizens about protecting the playa surface from “problems” such as burn scars, leaky fluids from vehicles and RVs, and improper waste removal. Change the world, one briny shrimp at a time, and feel good while doing it.

*Mission:* LNT Outreach Team will work with BLM scientists to assess and document playa problems and then teach participants HOW to fix them. We will not FIX problems for participants (ahem, radical self-reliance), but we will teach them HOW to FIX it for THEMSELVES. For instance, we might suggest they get a shovel and a bucket to scoop up their RV leaks, or point out where they could find some carpet or cardboard to put under their oil-dripping car. Outreach Emissaries will be trained in how to “fix” typical “problems” before going out into the field.

*Follow Through:* Each team will take pictures with fancy GPS for our long terms records (so we can show what we fix). Each afternoon, the data we collect will be passed along to Rangers and ESD/Fire Safety –who will make sure participants fix the problems that we can’t resolve during our morning shifts. After the event, Playa Restoration will visit all of our GPS records to make sure that we Leave No Trace. The idea is that by working together, we will protect the playa from inadvertent and additional surface damage that happens during the event.

*Logistics*

· Monday- Saturday of the Event

· 9 AM -1:00 PM

· Everyday (9:00-9:30 will be prep meeting at Earth Guardians in Center Camp- then we will travel 9:30-1:00 PM)

· 7 teams each day – need back-ups on each day.- have 9 slots available each day.

· Lunch afterwards, pogs for all participants.

· Request that volunteers sign up for 2 shifts (you can do more), but contact us if you are interested and can only do one shift.

· We require a 2-hour Outreach Team Training on Saturday, pre-event, or Tuesday, during the event (1-3 PM), in order to participate.

· Veteran or experienced Burning Man volunteers are preferred.

*To sign up*

- If you haven’t yet created a Burner Profile or have not submitted a new Volunteer Questionnaire:
* click on Register to create a Burner Profile http://profiles.burningman.com/participate/
* click on Volunteer Questionnaire to fill out and submit the form. Check Earth Guardians on the form to get access to Shiftboard.
* sign in to Shiftboard and look for Earth Guardians, “Outreach Team”, pick a shift.

- If you are already on shiftboard, look up “Earth Guardians”, and see if you can join our group directly. “Rosalie” is the Manager’s name. “Outreach Team” is the name of the shift.

- If all else fails, simply email audrey.whaling@burningman.com using “LNTOUTREACH” in your subject line. Include your full name, interest and experience. We will add you to our shiftboard team where you will be able to sign up for a shift.

by Whatsblem the Pro
[With apologies to James 'Kibo' Parry]

WELCOME TO BURNING MAN!

We’ve written before about the increasingly cultish aspects of Burning Man. Recently, a good deal of controversy has begun flying in the Burning Man group on Facebook over “plug ‘n’ play” camping, a scheme in which a Burning Man attendee pays to have a nice RV with all the amenities waiting for him or her when they arrive on the playa, parked in a fully-equipped theme camp that may even have paid hirelings to attend to their needs.

*      *      *      *      *

Albert Einstein showed up for his very first visit to Black Rock City, all ready for his hard-earned week’s vacation from the mathematics factory where he rolled fat numbers for corporate fatcats all day. “Home,” Einstein intoned nostalgically to the empty air as the grinning Gate people snap-tightened their filthy latex gloves and pulled him out of his car by his famous hair.

MOUSTACHE RIDES, FIVE CENTS

Later, having found his camp, Einstein settled into his plug-n-play RV to do some real math, for fun, like he always did on vacation. Last year he had flown down to Puerto Vallarta to relax by the seaside, and ended up inventing nuclear math candy. The year before, he’d gone to Banff to ski, and came home with plans for a new kind of television that would allow viewers to sense what was on the screen as a powerful burning sensation on the skin, so they could watch TV with their eyes closed (for a few seconds). He poured himself a big ice-cold glass of Krug, slathered a bagel with caviar and whipped cream, and settled in to think about times tables and other math things.

Just as he was about to come up with a Unified Field Theory of Bacon, Einstein heard a pounding on his RV door. “COME OUT OF THERE AND BE SELF-RELIANT,” boomed a voice through the layers of laminated plasticized chipboard that made up the wall of the behemoth luxury vehicle. The shock drove the lovely, elegant equations right out of Einstein’s head. Just as the final wisp of his Unified Field Theory of Bacon leaked out his ears, the door of the RV burst inward and disappeared in a hazy cloud of plasticized splinters, and a phalanx of bullhorn-carrying, angry-looking young people with terrible sunburns and cups attached to their belt loops on carabiners came barging in like they owned the place.

“WE ARE THE SELF-RELIANCE POLICE,” said the one who was obviously in charge to Einstein. Through his bullhorn. From a quarter of an inch away. Eleven times. “DEATH TO PLUG ‘N’ PLAY HERETICS!” screamed another, filth-caked fist held high. She was wearing a sandwich board sign with the Ten Principles written on it, and nothing else. “WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR FUDGY THE WHALE BLEACHED?” inquired a third, proffering a large mixing bowl full of what was apparently ass bleach. A fourth, grinning nastily, brandished what looked like a branding iron in the shape of a Burning Man logo.

Einstein was tongue-tied as they seized him, bound his wrists to his ankles (not with his tongue, thank god), and carried him outside to watch the group rummage through his stuff and set his RV on fire. As the flames rose and roared into the sky, they danced around the burning recreational vehicle, chanting “HO-LY, HO-LY, HO-LY FIRE! UNBELIEVER’S FUNERAL PYRE! HO-LY, HO-LY, HO-LY FIRE!”

“YOU SEE,” explained their leader to Einstein through his bullhorn as he wolfed down the great scientist’s entire week’s supply of bacon, “YOU HAVE TO BE SELF-RELIANT OUT HERE, OR YOU’RE NOT BEING A BURNER. WE CAN’T HAVE THAT; BURNING MAN IS A PLACE TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, SO IF YOU COME OUT HERE THINKING YOU CAN JUST DO SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD, WE HAVE TO CORRECT YOU.” At that point, his bullhorn became too clogged with bacon to continue functioning, so he put it down and began putting the delicious strips of cured pork directly into his mouth instead.

When the fire had burned down to embers and they had consumed all his food and water and booze, the invaders stripped Einstein naked, shaved off all his hair, pointed him toward the open desert, and slapped him smartly on his ass (which now sported a cute, pink, clean-looking Fudgy the Whale, and a painfully fresh brand on one cheek). Einstein yelped and trotted out onto the vast, flat, talcum-covered expanse. “I guess I’d better get busy digging a well, or growing some food, or something,” thought the freshly-shaven genius glumly.

Just then, a massive, solid-gold, diamond-encrusted recreational vehicle to end all recreational vehicles pulled up right in front of him. The door swung open with a BANG! and a tall, spectrally-pale man in a really nice Stetson hat stepped down onto the playa, crushing an entire family of fairy shrimp with one stylish Tony Lama cowboy boot. He looked like the product of an unspeakable menage-a-deux between Marshall Applewhite and Boo Berry, the General Mills cereal ghost.

“Hi, Einstein!” said the man around his enormous Havana cigar. “I’m Larry Harvey! Welcome to Burning Man! Glad to see you’re being so self-reliant.”

An unspeakable menage-a-deux

Harvey snapped his fingers, and a large spider-like creature wearing a double-breasted suit and power tie on its ungainly arachnoid body scuttled out of the RV behind him, a folded piece of paper clenched in its terrifying mandibles. A smile seemed to cross the thing’s. . . face? as it thrust the paper rudely at Einstein, who grasped it gingerly between two fingers as though it might also bite. As the malevolent-looking horror retreated once more into the air-conditioned shade of the RV, Einstein clumsily unfolded the document in his hands while trying not to actually touch it.

A subpoena?

“Sorry about the lawsuit, Einstein, but we just can’t have people going around infringing on our intellectual property like that,” frowned the soft-spoken cult leader as he disapprovingly eyed the fresh brand on Einstein’s ass. “Oh, by the way,” added Harvey, his eyebrows raised in sudden afterthought, “have you done any good math lately? If you’ll read the back of your ticket, you’ll see that we actually own that, too. Don’t forget to register any Unified Field Theories of Bacon you happen to run across with the Math Mecca people!” And with that, Harvey gave a jaunty wave and vanished into thin air. The diamond-encrusted solid-gold RV chuffed disdainfully as its air brakes were released, and rolled off into the shimmering superheated distance.

Einstein stared dumbly at the subpoena, then at the brand of the Man on his ass, then at the subpoena again. He couldn’t do any relaxing vacation math without Larry Harvey and his friends taking ownership of it away from him, and his ass already belonged to them! Burning Man was ruined!

Or was it?

On the verge of tears over his sad plight, Einstein almost failed to notice the discarded bullhorn at his feet. Wonderingly, he picked it up, held it to his lips, and pushed the TALK button. His words came booming out of the bell, amplified into a stentorian command voice that sounded like it would brook no insolence from anyone: “YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG.” Einstein lowered the bullhorn from his mouth and gazed at it, deep in thought, then looked up toward the horizon, where he could see a group of people erecting a giant wooden statue of Josef Stalin sporting an enormous hard-on. He looked again at the bullhorn in his hands, and again at the statue-erectors, and a grim, purposeful grimace stretched his ancient face across his skull. He knew what he must do. Burning Man was saved!

Do you like the Mission? Do you like Glowy Shit? How do you feel about parties? Like, 75-person only, international jet-set tech meets top DJs in an orgy of blinky lights parties?

White Ocean is one of the new major stages coming to Burning Man this year, they’re gonna be at 10:00 & D on the outer sound wall.

White Ocean is a new art & sound camp at Burning Man 2013. Comprised of key members from London, New York, LA and San Francisco- creative, musical and artistic visions are coming together to wash over you in a certain desert very soon ….

It seems like they are flying the Cargotecture Cult flag with a few containers. Nice work.

They’re also bring a pretty impressive DJ lineup, including Paul Oakenfold, Hernan Cattaneo, Simon Patterson and Nervo.

This Saturday they are throwing a rave to begin the rave of all raves…a pre-party fundraiser for their Burn. Come on down, and test out your LED ensemble – do you have it covered? Or will you be darktard of the century?

A pre-Burning Man party for members of the White Ocean camp and all our friends.

The theme is Glowy Shit. GlowyShit.com will be having its official launch at the party and will be providing a glowing atmosphere. Please also bring your own glowy shit to the party.

There will be multiple parties going on at 20Mission on the night of the event, including the epic glowy sendoff of 20Mission resident & Greek pimp Adonis (https://www.facebook.com/events/425131840939726/). We’re going to have a DJ spinning in the courtyard.

If you haven’t been before, 20Mission is a tech-oriented co-living space in the center of the mission. About 35 people live there. It’s going to be epic chaos.

RSVP (not mandatory, but helps us prepare for you better): https://whiteocean.eventbrite.com/

Rules:
- The door at the front lock itself when it closes. This is intentional. If you’re with White Ocean, hit up one of the hosts to get in. And help keep the door closed so the bars don’t empty out into our party.
-The courtyard is at the center of the house, but it has a limited capacity of 75 people. Respect this and party in the hallways when it gets semi-packed.
-BYOB/glowy shit

Contact for more info:
-Me (Ben) or any of the other hosts

Unfortunately for me, I don’t like glowy shit in any way. LOL just kidding I’m a raver dude! BRING IT! This sounds like the kind of party where the cops come and take away the sound system and everyone’s laptops and smart phones, and the neighbors never talk to you again. But it was worth it for most of the town to think you’re a legend!

“it could’ve just been any random person in the street doing it, it happens all the time”

White Ocean are also throwing an after party at Burner haven Public Works with Opulent Temple and Digital Apex on September 6. Great for those of us who still feel the bass thumping in their skull, a week after Burning Man…some of the best DJ’s you’re ever gonna hear on this line up:

Opulent Temple, White Ocean & Digital Apex present : DUST OFF ! You’re still swooning from the playa or maybe you missed it and want to hear the stories, either way – actual or virtual dusty dance floor communion beckons and a number of camps are here for you! Featuring (fresh off the playa, naturally), house legend DJ DAN (In Stereo Recordings) + Special Guest SYDNEY BLU (sydneyblu.com) + assorted playa homies Syd Gris (Opulent Temple) Matt Kramer (DISTRIKT) Dulce Vita Dex Stakker (Digital Apex) Silas Lang (White Ocean) & many more tba. 9:30-3:30 $10 pre-sale on sale soon Hair of the Dusty Dog ! Public Works 161 Erie St @ Mission 

White Ocean…the stealth OT

The Opulent Temple’s legendary dance parties have taken place at Burning Man Music and Arts Festival for the last 10 years but you can enjoy our events year-round at our hometown and regional fundraisers all over the world in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Reno, New York, Idaho, Portland, Seattle and even all the way in London.

Filed under: News Tagged: 2013, alternatives, art projects, complaints, cops, festival, music, Party, playa love, regionals, scandal, videos

The crew from Burner Service Announcements have released a fresh one. It’s not as funny or musically enjoyable as the “you all belong with us” one we reported about earlier in the week. But, some useful information here for Burgins wondering what the deal is with the Black Rock Rangers (hint: they’re not cops, and they’re not your Mom!)

This is a guest post from Burner Jill Marlene, picking up on some of our previous posts about the ever-growing divide between Burning Man (the Organization) and the artists who create the 1000+ theme camps, hundreds of art installations, and 600+ art cars every year. This year there were 326 applications for funding for Burning Man art grants. BMOrg distributed $850,000 to 63 projects. This was conveniently rounded up to $900,000 in the Chronicle with Burning Man’s own special style of accounting, but here at Burners.Me we like to call a spade a spade, and we like to call 850 grand, 850 grand. The official sales numbers are 61,000 tickets (out of a potential 68,000 population max), the remaining 7,000 are either handed out free to VIPs, sold in “off the books” transactions, or just not used at all. The official gate total this year is $23, 230, 000 – so the amount of your ticket dollars that go into supporting art at Burning Man is 3.6%, or about $13.68 of your $380 ticket.

Although this $850,000 of grants was a new record,  it means an average of $13,492 per chosen project – barely enough to get the artists, build crews and artworks out to the Playa. This year there are 372 registered art works, so 309 of them have nothing to do with BMOrg and are entirely Burner-funded – and even the 63 winning projects are still mostly funded by Burners, not BMOrg.

We’re all getting excited to go to Burning Man, we want it to be one big happy love fest of course. When you look around and see all this amazing art, and hear this amazing music, think about who’s paying for it – and before you hate on the people in the nice RVs, ask yourself how much have you yourself contributed to these art projects? Does the fact that someone gave more, somehow make their contribution worth less? That’s as nonsensical as “people in RVs aren’t self reliant”. Funding art projects is participation. And, quite often, self-expression.

Our position is that BMOrg should encourage artists as much as possible. Help them make money, rather than chase them down for “copyright violations” – while BMOrg exploits the art and cashes in (over and above their $23 million at the gate) with photo shoots,  movie royalties, and YouTube revenues. Sure, Burning Man is a successful event, they deserve to make money, they’re entitled to. Good for them. But do they really need to be the ONLY ones making money? Burning Man is made by we Burners, and the Burners should get help, not hatred. If a Burner artist makes money away from the Playa, this is not taking money out of BMOrg’s pocket. A rising tide lifts all boats, and a thriving sub-community of artists+musicians, fashion designers and makers is only going to be a good thing for the party going forward.

Art and bureaucracy don’t mix. But art and money can, and have since time immemorial.

Some of the comments to this post suggest that an artist was commissioned for a design, worked on it for 15 months, and didn’t get paid a cent, a Bitcoin, a peso, a free ticket, some chocolate, nothing. That is just wrong – lift your game BMOrg, or at least have the cojones to come here and defend your actions (rather than the usual “<crickets>” or ad hominem/straw man attacks that we cop from your anonymous Kool Aid-drinking cyber-drones).

_____________________________

Fuck your Function.  Erosion of Hard Art and the Disneyfication of Burning Man.

By;  Jill Marlene,  w/ Lewis Zaumeyer and Brian Smith In honor of the disenfranchised artists and contributors of ManBase.

Cargo Cult Man Base design, Lewis Zaumeyer

The principles of Burning Man vie for supremacy in a dialectic battle. This gives rise to conflict that is deeply philosophically rooted.  Radical expression, inclusiveness and self- reliance dance around and with one another- at any point juxtaposed so as to appear as incongruent or even ‘opposite  to’ one another:.  As is the case with all seemingly contradictory values, there is a tension.  When that tension is treated as a possible catalyst of evolution, the symbiosis of polarities is revealed and a new form is born.  That is hard art.

Burning Man’s explicit values have set it apart as festivals go.  These principles insinuate a way of life: A set of ideas, which can be transformative when applied.   As a result of the challenging nature of values that appear to be contradictory, people respond to them in different ways.  Some are more drawn to the radical inclusiveness, others to the expression and others are most drawn to decommodification and the way that encourages us to value things based on their meaning to us in the context rather than their dollar value.  Decommodification brings the exchange of gifts into the interaction. The impact of such a philosophy is that it attempts to liberate us and art from the lowest common denominator; it’s assessed monetary value.

Art at burning man has been inclusive of danger.  For many who have evolved with burning man, it is the element of ‘danger’ or pushing the envelope, socially, physically and philosophically that makes Burning Man the safest place for Hard art.  Architect Lew Zaumeyer has been an integral part of creating some of  the festival’s most iconic art .  He and Campmate and Co Creator Brian Smith have participated in the inception, design and erection of the Man base for several years.  According to what I have been able to gather in listening to conversations amongst the man base crew, the question, in creating a Man Base, appropriate to such a gathering, has not been  “what is easy?”  or “what is safe?” but, “What is POSSIBLE?”  This year, the organization has decided to choose the easy way.  Plans were submitted for a stunning, complex,  yet achievable design, but the powers that be- in their insulated circle- opted for the safe and politically expedient way.

At an organizational level, a participant such as myself may be thought to have no real understanding of the machinations of the behemoth that Burning Man as an organization has become.  In speaking with Lew and Brian, however, and with what I have witnessed in my short ten years as a member of the community, there is a growing concern for the erosion of the social and artistic function of burning man. This erosion represents a massive violation of the basic principles of BM.

Smith calls it “Disneyfication”.  He recalls it beginning about the time when Burning Man began to become a commodity itself.  He remembers a time when ‘copyright’ was not on the lips of folks at every organizational meeting and when friendship, history, artistic vision and participation were rewarded with influence and commitment to discovering a shared goal.  This community valued members who were pushing the envelope.  It is understandable that the rejection of basic and beloved, even “sacred” principles by those who are in control  at a bureaucratic level does not reflect the original intentions of Burning Man.

According to Mr. Zaumeyer, “The founders should realize that, as they hand over the reins of their legacy to some managers who have not endeavored to create Art as their vocation, those managers will not have the capacity to effectively manage those who are dedicated to artistic integrity.”  He continues,  “There are two focus areas of the event, infrastructure and the creation of Art. The infrastructure can be managed by a particular style that produces efficiency. But if the Artists become increasingly frustrated and demeaned by bureaucratic blocking they will stop participating. The result is the event will become little more than a KOA costume party, devoid of any important or exhilarating experiences. Fear based behavior never leads anyone to freedom and freedom of expression is the essential attraction to Burning Man.”

House of Cards, Lew Zaumeyer [click for more funny literal images]

Brian elucidated that the individuals who “started copyrighting things are now the ones running it”.  As a result, the kettle is tainted. The sense of risk and radical expression is being eroded by monied interest and bureaucracy.  Artistic voices are silenced when the bureaucracy determines the artistic direction of Burning Man.

When something beautiful becomes co-opted by something selfish and short sighted, and it is used, usurped and claimed, it is painful to watch for those who fought for the integrity of the vision. Its evolution as a pluralistic movement rather than a “show” put on by a few who have found a formula that festival goers seem to want to “buy” is key to its integrity.   While there are no direct corporate sponsors visible on the ground in BRC, the commodification is there.  Burning man has become its own brand.  It has fallen into the trap of becoming beholden to form and forgetting the function.  Art has the capacity to do many things for the human condition.  We are manipulated.  We are inspired. We are moved, our affect is changed and and we can see old things in new ways.  Without artists transcending the bureaucracy, this diminishes.  When the schema of burning man and its icons no longer challenge the observer, it is no longer functional as transformative, “dangerous” art… it is commodity.

Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a UFO? Is it a skydiver?

Most likely, these days, it’s a drone.

From the Atlantic:

Just one week to go until Burning Man 2013, the massive annual arts festival in the Nevada desert, and the community’s organizers have thought of everything. In 2013, “everything” includes unmanned aerial vehicles.

Following complaints that a few UAVs were buzzing around Burning Man 2012, disturbing people’s experience and, when equipped with cameras, invading their privacy, Burning Man organizers convened the first ever Black Rock City Drone Summit. Some 40 people attended the summit in person, with another 100 teleconferencing in. Over the past few weeks, they worked to draft “best practices” for UAVs at Burning Man, and they recently released guidelines modeled on those adopted by the Academy of Model Aeronautics. The highlights, which organizers posted on the Burning Man blog, are as follows (full list here):

• All UAVs carrying cameras will register with Media Mecca and each UAV will carry a unique registration number on a small decal on the vehicle.
• Operators will avoid flying over crowds and populated areas.
• Operators will avoid flying during the Temple burn.
• No flying near the Black Rock City airport or helipads.
• No flying near the Man any time Saturday the day of the burn.

Boing Boing has some more details:

1. Be safe! Avoid flying over large crowds or densely populated areas. If you crash into a crowd you can seriously injure people. Follow the AMA safety code when flying any RC device. If you injure someone, you are responsible.

2. If your RC/UAV has a camera and you will record video/still photos from it, you need be aware of the video and photography guidelines in Black Rock City. Additionally, all RC/UAV with cameras need to register with Media Mecca*.

3. Don’t fly near the airport. The airport is located at 5:00 and the trash fence. (See map)

4. Don’t fly near the emergency helipad – Located near Point 1, and another by the airport, usually set up quickly (for emergencies, duh) so stay away from that whole area.

5. On the day of the Man burn (Saturday, September 1, 2013), RC/UAV, helicopters (be they full sized or models) or any other aircraft shall not be flown within the borders of the Great Circle (around the Man) from 7 AM until after the conclusion of the show.

i. The primary reasoning for this is that the pyrotechnics can be set off by static electricity which is caused by any aircraft, therefore creating a very hazardous environment for the pyrotechnics crew working on, in, and around the structure.

ii. Secondarily the possibility of loss of control of the aircraft could cause damage to the structure, Man Base, or harm the working personnel in the area.

Burning Man’s “drone summit” had 40 people live and 100 people teleconferencing in. Interest in drones is high, and growing. From the official Burning Man blog:

Participants flying unmanned aerial vehicles(aka drones, RC airplanes, etc.) have developed a set of best practices for flying at Black Rock City this year.

The best practices came out of a July 17“Drone Summit” at Burning Man headquarters that had 40 in attendance and an estimated 100 on a teleconference. Burning Man organizers arranged the summit following participant complaints from BM2012 that included UAVs flying over crowds at the Man burn, one UAV flying at the Temple burn, and a concern that UAVs with cameras were invading peoples’ privacy.

The best practices developed by participants were modeled on safety guidelines adopted by the Academy of Model Aeronautics and updated to address the unique environment of Black Rock City. The entire list of guidelines is here, 

Drone pilots, be careful of skydivers!

As a skydiver jumping at Burning Man I can’t help but post to this regarding drone use. One thing I’d like to add that I wish were on these guidelines is that skydiving operations will be going on Wed – Sat. We mostly land at 5 o’clock of the inner circle and at the airport. If you are going to be in those areas please be aware of skydiving operations! The last thing we want is a skydiver/drone entanglement at 400 feet.

by Whatsblem the Pro

The Critical Snitch Parade? — PHOTO: Getty Images

In the wake of what seems to be the beginning of a serious police crackdown on Burning Man, rumors of a general strike have been quietly spreading among the workers and volunteers out in the Black Rock desert early to build the festival’s infrastructure. Whatsblem the Pro interviews a cabal of DPW workers who wish to remain anonymous, other than to identify themselves as members of a group known as Reform In Our Time (RIOT):

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: Tell me about your group. Why is it called RIOT?

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: Not because we’re trying to start a riot, if that’s what you’re wondering. RIOT is a quiet organization of people who feel that there are certain issues at Burning Man that need to be addressed. The name is meant to convey our sense of outrage and urgency; when there’s a problem that doesn’t really need to be solved right away, you can work within the system. When you need change immediately, you might have to kick harder than that! You can’t wait for it, you have to make it happen, right now.

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: “In Our Time?”

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: Yes. Some things are just not acceptable, and if we believe in what we’re doing, we shouldn’t just continue to let those things happen. . . we shouldn’t take it, and we shouldn’t walk away from it. We should demand change, and if our demands are not taken seriously, we should enforce change.

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: You want change? What changes are you looking for?

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: Our demands are simple: We want law enforcement excluded.

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: You want to kick the police out of Burning Man?

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: People at Burning Man have each other to rely on, and they have Black Rock Rangers. We don’t need outside law enforcement, and we can call them in if we do.

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: I’m not sure the various agencies involved would be willing to give up the annual infusions of cash they get from Burning Man without a struggle.

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: You’re right, it’s all about money in the end. We could find a different way to pay the powers that be, though. A way that doesn’t involve filling our city with police officers from other cities when there’s no emergency.

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: Would the basic deal with local law enforcement need to change at all, if they stayed just outside Black Rock City and only entered when called in for a specific purpose?

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: That would work. The problem is a huge growth in outside law enforcement officers invading the playa, not the money it costs. We would really appreciate them if they stayed outside and only came in when we really wanted them to.

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: What about radical inclusion?

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: Of cops? (laughs)
If the cops would leave their badges and guns at home and just be burners like everyone else in BRC, we’d welcome them just like we welcome anyone else. We’d even build them a Donut Camp!  We’re not against cops necessarily, we just don’t want outsiders doing law enforcement in our city. We have everything we need to take care of it ourselves without any outside help!

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: You said something earlier about also wanting DPW to be paid. You want them to have a union?

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: We want DPW to have a union if DPW wants to have a union. It’s hard to say how much support there might be for that. It isn’t a new idea and it may not be the direction we want to go in. Paying DPW volunteers would be a step in the right direction, though.

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: A lot of people seem to think that volunteerism is sort of part of it all. . . and of course, some DPW people do get paid.

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: They should all be paid. Even if it’s just minimum wage, they should all be paid. DPW workers volunteer to work long hard hours under very harsh conditions, and many of them turn their backs on perfectly good jobs to go to BRC and do that. They have to spend money just to get to Burning Man. That’s enough volunteerism all by itself. Making them work for free on top of what it costs them to drop everything and come to the desert is just unreasonable, especially when paying them a modest wage would still make them the most cost-effective work force on Earth! Making them work for free and then turning an army of cops loose on the playa to harass and bully them? That has to be addressed, as soon as humanly possible!
Really, the main problem we see right now is law enforcement, and everything else takes a backseat to that. We believe the Org has the economic leverage to deal with the current situation, so we want to see our concerns regarding law enforcement taken seriously, and we want something done. If we can’t get that. . .

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: That’s my next question. . . if you can’t get the Org to pay attention, how does RIOT intend to make them?

RIOT SPOKESPERSON: To start, as a show of strength and solidarity, we intend to stage a general strike, to prove that we mean business. On the Friday of the event, at dusk, those of us not doing jobs that are absolutely critical to safety will stop working, lay down our tools, and refuse to continue until the police leave the city. We call on all our sisters and brothers to spread the word and honor the strike. Friday at dusk, without violence, we take our city back!

WHATSBLEM THE PRO: Good luck!

by Whatsblem the Pro

Expect delays on I-80 through Truckee – PHOTO: Samuel Gonzalez/KCRA

Caltrans reports that a sinkhole has developed in the center median on Interstate 80 in the Truckee area, near Donner Pass Road.

The sinkhole, which was first reported this morning, is said to be approximately three feet wide and has forced the closure of two lanes, affecting both eastbound and westbound traffic. Travelers should expect delays, as the number one lanes in both directions are closed until further notice.

Workers have been on the scene for much of the day, assessing the severity of the sinkhole and planning for repair work. The cause of the sinkhole is not yet known, but the problem became evident during paving undertaken by Caltrans early this morning.

Other potential hazards on the road to Burning Man include numerous large fires, nearly twenty miles of washed-out shoulder on NV-447, and a reported massive increase in law enforcement activity both on the highways and on the playa. The Pyramid Lake Paiute tribe’s reservation, for instance, includes a stretch of highway with a lower-than-usual speed limit; the tribe is said to be enforcing that limit strictly, using at least two brand-new pursuit vehicles that some speculate were purchased specifically for this year’s Burning Man season.

With heavy construction on alternate routes to the Black Rock Desert, there may simply be no getting around the various closures, hazardous road conditions, fires, speed traps, and law enforcement shakedowns. Be careful out there; make sure your vehicle is road-legal, your license is in order, and your knowledge of your rights and how to stand up for them are brushed-up. We want to see you on the playa with a smile on your face, not standing by the side of the road with all your belongings being tossed by uniformed thugs with dogs. . . or upside-down and on fire in a ditch.

by Whatsblem the Pro

The missing truck bears this design, #107 in U-Haul’s “Venture Across America” series

Kentucky Fried Camp, a group of mostly Kentuckians and San Franciscans originally from Kentucky, is a breakfast camp on the 3:00 Plaza whose gingham-clad crew of sixty souls serves fried baloney sandwiches with shots of bourbon, accompanied by compliments delivered via megaphone. KFC also holds an annual race in high heels known as the Whoreshoe Derby, and is planning a cotillion this year featuring Southern belles in electrically-illuminated hoop skirts.

Early this morning, their packed U-Haul truck was stolen, depriving the entire camp of critical gear for their stay on the playa.

“There has been an incredible outpouring of community support,” says Guy Shochat, a representative of the camp. “We already have a free loan of a Mutant Vehicle trailer, which we’ll need, since ours was attached when the truck was stolen. We’re very happy that the art car itself wasn’t on it at the time. We’ve been given a dome, some shade, tents, serving tables, and the equipment we’ll need to run our baloney kitchen. Cool Neon has kindly offered us EL wire at-cost, and a few burners have volunteered cash donations. We are hemorrhaging money buying new shade, water containers, and other necessary supplies. Sadly, our epic outhouse shower is gone, and we still need bicycles, air mattresses, costumes — waaaahh, lost costumes! — and hugs.”

Kentucky Fried Camp hasn’t just been deprived of the things they’ll need to take care of themselves on the playa, continues Shochat. “We give away ridiculous amounts of food and booze every year, without any fundraising. It all comes out of our pockets as internal contributions. This is the first time we’ve ever felt any need to ask for any kind of outside help at all. . . and I must say, the burners are coming through big for us so far. We are being kept very busy with the emergency purchase of things we need, as the money becomes available. Simple contributions like bikes and costumes delivered on playa will really help, and we will return them to you happily after the burn. We are picking up our custom smoked baloney now and breakfast will still happen!”

Shochat goes on to say that the response of the burner community so far has renewed his faith in humanity in general. “I went today from despondent to realizing that there are many more good people out there than bad,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.

The truck, which was parked in the East Bay area near San Francisco before it was apparently hot-wired and stolen, is a 17-foot U-Haul with an auto-transport trailer attached. The design on the side of the truck is U-Haul’s “Venture Across America” #107, which is based on Mississippi wildlife and features a picture of a Mississippi Sandhill Crane, a long-billed bird with a bright red head and white neck feathers. The truck bears Arizona license plate AB-89694.

“We’re struggling right now,” says Mick Jeffries, a compatriot of Shochat’s. “But people are rising to the occasion. Our biggest camp ever, over sixty people coming from both Kentucky and California, has lost everything. Any help spreading the word is most gratefully appreciated.”

If you spot the stolen truck, do not attempt to confront the occupants; assume they are armed and dangerous. Contact local law enforcement! If you tweet, you can also hashtag #KFCtheft to let the Kentucky Fried crew know that you’re on the case.

You can donate to the camp’s relief and make sure they’re out there serving up baloney and booze by sending your PayPal contribution to the KFC general fund at skhendel@gmail.com.

Welcome to our new post-PRISM world of high tech, syncrhonized, integrated LEOs.

The word coming from the Playa is that the cops are cracking down hard on Burning Man this year – so hard that some of the volunteer workers building the city are grumbling about a General Strike as a protest.

The Reno-Gazette Journal sheds some light on what is going on. “The Man did not abide by the county’s fee“, said NBC earlier this year. Burning Man tried to both defeat and go around Pershing County, objecting to increased fees with a lawsuit and political lobbying in the Nevada State legislature. Pershing County hit back, claiming a huge defeat over Burning Man. It seems they then approached the Feds with the argument that the only way they could effectively police Burning Man, was to join forces, and put State and Federal agents together in each car. A new boss for the BLM, a Chief of the Office of Professional Responsibility on-site at the command center (perhaps with a hotline to the judge for warrants). 2 cops from different agencies to witness what goes on; linked with sniffer dogs, night vision goggles, and other brand spanking new high tech equipment to their central command post near to the Black Rock Ranger Station. I guess the Federal Government trumps the State Government, even in the Wild West…

An estimated 68,000 people are anticipated to stream into the Black Rock Desert near Gerlach, Nev. for Burning Man beginning Sunday, and federal and state law enforcement agencies for the event said this year they are implementing a new integration to ensure the public’s safety.

“We have integrated resources and manpower out of need and because the population has grown,” Pershing County Sheriff Richard Machado said. “The population is to the point now that it’s imperative that we work together to manage this event.”

In previous years, each sector of law enforcement covered thier own agency jurisdictions and relied on the resources they brought out for the event. In addition to sharing resources this year, there will be one law enforcement command post in Black Rock City stationed near Burning Man’s Black Rock Ranger’s station and each vehicle will have a state officer and a federal officer to ensure they can respond to any incident at the event.

“We knew that we needed to take an internal look at this operation and we knew that integration was a key component of that,” the Bureau of Land Management Special Agent-In-Charge Dan Love said.

Love said they will staff 102 officers total for the event between the PCSO and the BLM. He said for every shift, 64 officers will be on duty on the playa and will rotate in overlapping shifts every 12 hours. Overall, he said, it’s a ratio of 1 officer to every 1,000 participants.

There will be 102 agents at Burning Man – not counting the snitches informants working in undercover stings. Underage drinking, underage sex, prostitution, drugs, serving food without a health permit…these are just some of the citatable offenses they are looking to trap Burners into, and then financially penalize them. For every shift there will be 64 officers on duty, equivalent to 1 per 1000 Burners. Pershing County was seeking an increase in fees to provide 1 agent for every 500 Burners, and now that they’ve integrated with the Federal Bureau of Land Management their overall ratio is about 1 per 600. We wonder if that means they will no longer be seeking increased money from Burning Man – or if the Feds are cutting them in for a share of their 3%. In 2012 Burning Man paid $2,483,836 to the Federal and local agencies.

Good news though Burners – the cops promise they won’t be performing any unwarranted searches. Yay! The Pershing County sheriff’s office said last year there was not a single illegal search and seizure (a violation of the Consitutional Fourth Amendment right, which protects United States Citizens, but may not apply to Burners travelling from other countries). They assure us that there won’t be any this year either – only those where there is “probable cause”. What is probable cause? That’s something decided by the LEOs on the spot, backed up by their department, and if you don’t like it, you can take it before the outspokenly anti-Burning Man local judge:

In 2012, there were about 350 arrests and citations during the event which included drug violations. Love said that they will use a variety of techniques to police the event and ensure compliance which includes K-9 canines and some searches where merited.

When it comes to searches of persons or vehicles conducted on the playa, Machado said that they are bound by certain laws and search and seizure limitations with what officers can and cannot do. He said they are not going to step out of the scope of that.

…“The Fourth Amendment, and all constitutional rights of the participants, is something that federal law enforcement, in conjunction with Pershing County, takes very seriously,” Love said. “Our Chief of Office of Professional Responsibility sits at the command post and reviews all reported participant incidents that could, or are, be reported as violations. I am unaware of any open cases deriving out of 2012 that have been met with merits or that are left open and pending an investigation.”

Both the BLM and PCSO work with Burning Man organizers to address participant complaints and issues that come up on a daily basis, and they hold a joint law enforcement meeting with BRC’s security representative. Love said that they address all the feedback that they receive from participants.

“It may be the perception that illegal searches are occurring during the event,” Love said. “From the law enforcement standpoint, the reality is that it’s an unfounded allegation that there are illegal searches taking place.”

Last year we had 22 arrests, 230 citations, and 441 verbal warnings. 102 cops, for 22 arrests. The arrest rate is 0.39 per 1000, or including citations 4.4 per 1000. So each cop has to issue 1 citation every 2 days, to maintain the standard of community policing provided in the past.

NBC Bay Area reports that the number of “pre-Burn” coppers has increased from 4 to 20, and the first stop for Burning Man visitors this year is a speed trap:

Many burners arriving to Black Rock City, NV were being greeted by law enforcement officers with sirens blaring.

Here are some reasons why burners say police pulled them over: 

• Driving one mile over the posted 10 mph speed limit
• Not using a blinker
• License plate blocked by bike rack
• License plate not illuminated

“In 18 years on the playa, I’ve never seen a more aggressive police presence than what’s been going down today,” read an Instagram post by Aaron Muszalski, aka SFSlim.

Muszalski, was the first to alert fellow burners to be aware when he posted a story showing one of the DPW vehicles, called El Couchino because it is an El Camino with a couch in the back, getting pulled over for a registration violation.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“One DPW member was issued a $275 ticket for urinating on the playa, and threatened with being forced to register as a convicted sex offender,” Muszalski said.

There are always a lot of police from a number of different agencies visibly patrolling Black Rock City, but citations for lesser infractions appears to be new.

Some are speculating it has something to do with the fact that Burning Man has filed a lawsuit against Pershing County, Nevada over local government’s new fees for the event, from $180,000 in 2011 to over $600,000 in 2013.

Participants complaining about rampant law enforcement is nothing new at Burning Man, but this does seem to be a worse start to the event than anyone can remember in terms of likelihood of getting pulled over.

For many years, only four BLM officers were at the event in the week before it opened, and they enjoyed the event and came every year.  This year, because of the ramping number of people who arrive early, the initial number of early officers was to be 20, but that number may have gone down a little, according to someone with intimate knowledge of policing Burning Man, but who wanted to remain anonymous.

While the gates to Burning Man don’t officially open until 6 p.m. Sunday night, each year thousands of people get Early Arrival passes to come in to set up art, camps or to volunteer with the organization.

Wednesday night, as lightning struck the hills around Black Rock City, BLM officers waited at the T-junction after the Greeter’s Stations and pulled over numerous cars for any and all reasons.

Chances are, if you didn’t get pulled over, it was because the officers were busy with someone else.

This year, for the first time, BLM (Bureau of Land Management, a Federal agency that, according to their webpage “administers 264 million acres of public lands, located primarily in the 12 Western” and has Federal jurisdiction over the Black Rock Desert) officers will ride side-by-side with Pershing County Sheriffs, granting any and all jurisdictional rights in a stop.

On Friday, Burning Man posted a “Law Enforcement in Black Rock City” entry to their Burning Blog saying, “While Black Rock City is certainly a remote and freewheeling place, it’s also a functioning metropolis. And just like in any other city, law enforcement patrols BRC day and night to keep the city safe and compliant with the laws that allow us to have the event in the first place. So yes, any illegal action on your part can lead to a citation (more common) or your arrest (rare).”

Former special agent in charge for the BLM, Mark Pirtle, oversaw Burning Man for years but he recently retired so some are thinking the new regime may be a part of this new aggressive enforcement policy.

“It is often like this at the beginning, then it calms down once the gates open because there are just too many of us,” said one longtime burner artist who wanted to remain anonymous.

I wouldn’t put too much stock in “anonymous Burners” telling you “it’s often like this”. It’s never been like this before. The guy who used to run this for the BLM has retired. The new guy is looking to make his mark. There are all kinds of lawsuits going on between Burning Man, Burners, and the Nevada authorities. Burning Man tried to get the law changed, and this is the result. Pershing County is running the show. As far as I know, we’ve never remotely been in this situation before.

Is driving 1 MPH over the speed limit probable cause for a search of your vehicle? Or having a license plate that is not illuminated, or is blocked by a bike? Well, it certainly is if you consent to the search. Consent, and you waive your rights.

It seems that Pershing County is determined to get its money come hell or high water. They see a $23 million cake being baked on their lands, and they want a slice of it. If the cake gets bigger, they want their slice to get bigger. If they can’t get their money from the swollen coffers of BMOrg, then they will get it from the hurting pockets of individual Burners who have already spent thousands or more to get to the Playa. Mota Bota shares some personal stories about the kind of fines being given for these citations, and the way the police can exploit the “kid-friendly” nature of this extremely adult event to easily cash in:

What you must know is that Burning Man is a VERY SOPHISTICATED POLICE STATE, EXTENSIVELY PATROLLED and MONITORED by State and Federal Officers. They literally motor by your camp every twenty minutes looking for someone ‘anyone’ to bust.  Not to mention Camp Spies in costume and Special Operations sporting night vision goggles and underage shills.  And their interest is simple – they’re dying to give you a citation.  They could care less about what you’re doing, what they’re keen about is the ‘enormous’ amount of money generated by these citations, more citations = more money for State and Federal coffers.  If you go, check out their equipment, it will all be brand new and state of the art.  And who do you think pays for all of that personnel and equipment?  Ding! Ding! Ding! You guessed it, the ‘Burners’. And remember, neither Nevada nor the Federal Government will recognize your medical marijuana card.

Now fast forward to my last Burn in 2009.  In my camp alone a gentleman was busted for marijuana while driving within the Burning Man compound (the most dangerous place to drive).  He had a faulty taillight on his trailer and a pot tin on his dash.  The officers could’ve cared less about the taillight, but eagerly sighted him for the pot.  That citation was $675., to be paid within 45 days, and if not, a warrant would be issued, the infraction amount increased, and the citation would be part of his permanent record. My lovely neighbors across the street, a young working couple of 40 with toddlers at home, offered (like scads of others) a free bar.  They were visited by an under age shill from Special Operations and busted.  That citation was $1,500., to be paid in full within 45 days, with the same scenario as above.

Pershing County aren’t hogging all the action; Washoe County and the Nevada State Highway Patrol still have their own revenue streams jurisdictions too:

While regulating laws within BRC’s parameters are the responsibility of the BLM and PCSO, highways and roads leading to and from Burning Man are overseen by the Nevada Highway Patrol and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

According to WCSO Public Information Officer Bob Harmon, WCSO staffs a minimum of 10 deputies and one sergeant for the event and their primary mission is to protect the safety of the public along the main roads leading into the event within Washoe County’s jurisdiction, including the towns of Gerlach and Empire.

“When heading out to the event, take your time and exercise patience,” Harmon said. “Don’t try to pass a long string of vehicles. A lot of motor vehicle accidents have happened because people were in a hurry to get to Black Rock City or get home. Make sure you are well rested. Never drive tired, drunk, or drugged and always obey posted speed limits.”

We also here that the Paiute Indians have dropped their speed limits ultra-low, so that their brand new pursuit vehicles can see some action.

Mota Bota has some good advice for all Burners. Let’s be careful out there!

So What Do You Do? 

1.  Make sure your vehicle is currently registered and all the lights are working properly.

2.  Never ‘ever’ go over the speed limit ‘anywhere’ (especially inside the BM compound).

3.  Don’t ‘at any time’ ride on top or outside of your car, and wear your seat-belt at all times accordingly.  The art cars will be excepted once they’re sanctioned.

4.  No open alcohol containers in your vehicle at any time, period.

5.  Never smoke pot in a public place – the world’s easiest bust via odor.

6.  Never smoke pot in your car – even when parked, keep it in the tent.

 7.  If you’re going to do a free bar, ‘check IDs’ if you’re the ‘least’ bit suspicious of an underage drinker.

 8.  Know your rights, they still need probable cause to search your vehicle.

 9.  Never offer drugs to strangers – especially those two cute chicks, they’re narcs!

 10.  Keep any drugs concealed in route to BM – party when you get there.

11.  Use common sense and trust your gut, if someone seems cool, they probably are;  if they seem flaky, they probably are.  The neighbors you camp with will be the most trustworthy.

 12.  REMEMBER, BURNING MAN IS THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE TO DO OR SHARE DRUGS IN THE USA.

 13.  And lastly, go to ‘jackrabbitspeaks’ – this is the official e-mail site of Burning Man – and type ‘law enforcement’ in the subject column.  You can also check out ‘citations’ and ‘arrests’.  Read what Will Chase and the Burners have to say about law enforcement, because I’m sure I’ve missed a few things.

Our recommendation is, let’s kill this with kindness. Be nice and loving and friendly and happy to all the LEOs you encounter, smile and thank them, let all the new ones warm to us. They’re just doing their jobs, trying to make a living like many Burners do. They’ll realize once the party starts that everyone’s just there to have a good time…and if there are some seriously nasty hardened criminal types there, let’s all hope they get ‘em.

by Whatsblem the Pro

They say that knowledge is power, and that you should keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. For your empowerment, Burners.me presents the specific rules in use on the playa by law enforcement officers for dealing with YOU, burner. Take a good look, and if you’re at all worried about police encounters in Black Rock City, print a copy off so you can refer to it when the other Man tries to overstep his boundaries. . . but as always, school yourself on what to say — and what not to say — when you’re stopped, and never insist on your rights to the point of combativeness; if they violate yours, document everything and settle it later, with Internal Affairs, or in court.

A Notice by the Land Management Bureau on 07/25/2013

Publication Date:

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Agencies:

Department of the Interior

Bureau of Land Management

Dates:

The temporary closure and temporary restrictions will be in effect from August 12, 2013 to September 16, 2013.

Effective Date:

08/12/2013

Entry Type:

Notice

Action:

Notice.

Document Citation:

78 FR 44965

Page:

44965 -44969 (5 pages)

Agency/Docket Numbers:

LLNVW03000.L51050000.EA0000. LVRCF1302280 241A

MO# 4500051988

13-08807

TAS: 14X5017

Document Number:

2013-17844

Shorter URL:

https://federalregister.gov/a/2013-17844 

ACTION

Notice.

SUMMARY

Notice is hereby given that under the authority of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Winnemucca District, Black Rock Field Office, will implement and enforce a temporary closure and temporary restrictions to protect public safety and resources on public lands within and adjacent to the Burning Man event on the Black Rock Desert playa. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DATES:
• FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
• SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
• Mount Diablo Meridian
• I. Temporary Restrictions
• A. Aircraft Landing
• B. Alcohol
• C. Drug Paraphernalia
• D. Disorderly Conduct
• E. Eviction of Persons
• F. Fires
• G. Fireworks
• H. Motor Vehicles
• I. Public Camping
• J. Public Use
• K. Waste Water Discharge
• L. Weapons

DATES:

The temporary closure and temporary restrictions will be in effect from August 12, 2013 to September 16, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gene Seidlitz, BLM District Manager, Winnemucca District, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445-2921, telephone: 775-623-1500, email: gseidlitz@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The temporary closure and temporary restrictions affect public lands within and adjacent to the Burning Man event permitted on the Black Rock Desert playa within the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area in Pershing County, Nevada. The legal description of the affected public lands in the temporary public closure area is:

Mount Diablo Meridian

T. 33 N., R. 24 E., unsurveyed,

Sec. 1, that portion lying northwesterly of East Playa Road;

Sec. 2, that portion lying northwesterly of East Playa Road;

Sec. 3;

Sec. 4, that portion lying southeasterly of Washoe County Road 34;

Sec. 5;

Sec. 8, NE1/4;

Sec. 9, N1/2;

Sec. 10, N1/2;

Sec. 11, that portion of the N1/2lying northwesterly of East Playa Road.

T. 331/2N., R. 24 E., unsurveyed,

Secs. 25, 26, and 27;

Sec. 28, that portion lying easterly of Washoe County Road 34;

Sec. 33, that portion lying easterly of Washoe County Road 34;

Secs. 34, 35, and 36.

T. 34 N., R. 24 E., partly unsurveyed,

Sec. 23, S1/2;

Sec. 24, S1/2;

Secs. 25 and 26;

Sec. 27, E1/2NE1/4, E1/2SW1/4, SE1/4;

Sec. 33, NE1/4NE1/4, S1/2NE1/4, that portion of the SW1/4lying northeasterly of Washoe County Road 34, SE1/4;

Secs. 34, 35, and 36.

T. 33 N., R. 25 E.,

Sec. 4, that portion lying northwesterly of East Playa Road.

T. 34 N., R. 25 E., unsurveyed,

Sec. 16, S1/2;

Sec. 21;

Sec. 22, W1/2NW1/4, SW1/4;

Sec. 27, W1/2;

Sec. 28;

Sec. 33, that portion lying northwesterly of East Playa Road;

Sec. 34, that portion of the W1/2lying northwesterly of East Playa Road.

The temporary closure area comprises 14,153 acres, more or less, in Pershing County, Nevada.

The public closure is necessary for the period of time from August 12, 2013, through September 16, 2013, because of the Burning Man event activities in the area, starting with fencing the site perimeter, final setup, the actual event (August 25 through September 2), initial phases of cleanup, and concluding with final site cleanup.

The public closure area comprises about 13 percent of the Black Rock Desert playa. Public access to other areas of the playa will remain open and the other 87 percent of the playa outside the temporary closure area will remain open to dispersed casual use.

The event area is contained within the temporary closure area. The event area is defined as the portion of the temporary closure area (1) entirely contained within the event perimeter fence, including 50 feet from the outside of the event perimeter fence; and (2) within 25 feet from the outside edge of the event access road; and includes the entirety of the aircraft parking area outside the event perimeter fence.

The temporary closure and temporary restrictions are necessary to provide a safe environment for the participants of the Burning Man event and to members of the public visiting the Black Rock Desert, and to protect public land resources by addressing law enforcement and public safety concerns associated with the event. The event is expected to attract approximately 68,000 participants to a remote rural area, more than 90 miles from urban infrastructure and support, including law enforcement, public safety, transportation, and communication services. During the event, Black Rock City, the temporary city associated with the event, becomes the tenth-largest population area in Nevada. This event is authorized on public land under Special Recreation Permit #NVW03500-13-01.

While a majority of Burning Man event participants do not violate event rules or BLM rules and regulations, a few participants at previous events have caused law enforcement and public safety incidents similar to those observed in urban areas of similar-size populations. Incidents that have required BLM law enforcement action in prior years include: Aircraft crashes; motor vehicle accidents with injuries both within and outside the event perimeter; fights; sexual assault; assault on law enforcement officers; reckless or threatening behavior; crimes against property; crowd control issues; possession and unlawful use of alcoholic beverages; endangerment of themselves or others; possession, use, and distribution of controlled substances; and increased use of public lands outside the event perimeter.

The Burning Man event takes place within Pershing County, a rural county with a small population and a small Sheriff’s Department. Pershing County has limited ability to provide law enforcement officers to work at the event. The temporary closure and temporary restrictions are necessary to enable BLM law enforcement personnel to provide for public safety and to protect the environment on public lands, as well as to support State and local law enforcement agencies with enforcement of existing laws.

Use of the Black Rock playa by up to 68,000 participants creates potential impacts to public resources associated with disposal of wastes and litter. Implementation of the temporary restrictions will increase interaction with and education of users by BLM law enforcement and educational staff which will indirectly increase appreciation and protection of the public resources.

A temporary closure and temporary restrictions order, under the authority of 43 CFR 8364.1, is appropriate for a single event. A temporary closure and temporary restrictions order is specifically tailored to the timeframe that is necessary to provide a safe environment for the public and for participants at the Burning Man event, and to protect public land resources while avoiding imposing restrictions that may not be necessary in the area during the remainder of the year.

The BLM will post information signs and maps about the temporary closure and temporary restrictions at main entry points around the playa, at the BLM Winnemucca District Office, at the Nevada State Office, and at the Black Rock Visitor Center and on the BLM’s Web site: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/wfo.html.

Under the authority of Section 303(a) of FLPMA, 43 CFR 8360.0-7, and43 CFR 8364.1, the BLM will enforce a temporary public closure and the following temporary restrictions within and adjacent to the Burning Man event on the Black Rock Desert playa:

I. Temporary Restrictions

A. Aircraft Landing

The public closure area is closed to aircraft landing, taking off, and taxiing. Aircraft is defined in Title 18, U.S.C., section 31 (a)(1) and includes lighter-than-air craft and ultra-light craft. The following exceptions apply:

1. All aircraft operations, including ultra-light and helicopter landings and takeoffs will occur at the designated 88NV Black Rock City Airport landing strips and areas defined by airport management. All takeoffs and landings will occur only during the hours of operation of the airport as described in the Burning Man Operating Plan. All pilots that use the Black Rock City Airport must agree to and abide by the published airport rules and regulations.

2. Only helicopters providing emergency medical services may land at the designated Emergency Medical Services helicopter pad or at other locations when required for medical incidents. The BLM authorizing officer or his delegated representative may approve other helicopter landings and takeoffs when deemed necessary for the benefit of the law enforcement operation.

3. Landings or takeoffs of lighter-than-air craft previously approved by the BLM authorized officer.

B. Alcohol

1. Possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage by the driver or operator of any motorized vehicle, whether or not the vehicle is in motion, is prohibited.

2. Possession of alcohol by minors

(a) The following are prohibited:

(1) Consumption or possession of any alcoholic beverage by a person under 21 years of age on public lands.

(2) Selling, offering to sell, or otherwise furnishing or supplying any alcoholic beverage to a person under 21 years of age on public lands.

3. Operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence

(a) Title 43 CFR 8341.1(f)3 prohibits the operation of an off-road motor vehicle on public land while under the influence of alcohol, narcotics, or dangerous drugs.

(b) In addition to the prohibition found in subsection (f)3, it is prohibited for any person to operate or be in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while:

(1) The operator is under the combined influence of alcohol, a drug, or drugs to a degree that renders the operator incapable of safe operation of that vehicle; or

(2) The alcohol concentration in the operator’s blood or breath is 0.08 grams or more of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood or 0.08 grams or more of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.

(3) It is unlawful for any person to drive or be in actual physical control of a vehicle on a highway or on premises to which the public has access with an amount of a prohibited substance in his or her urine or blood that is equal to or greater than the following nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml):

(a) Amphetamine: urine, 500 ng/ml; blood, 100 ng/ml

(b) Cocaine: urine, 150 ng/ml; blood, 50 ng/ml

(c) Cocaine metabolite: urine, 150 ng/ml; blood, 50 ng/ml

(d) Heroin: urine, 2,000 ng/ml; blood, 50 ng/ml

(e) Heroin metabolite:

(1) Morphine: urine, 2,000 ng/ml; blood, 50 ng/ml

(2) 6-monoacetyl morphine: urine, 10 ng/ml; blood, 10 ng/ml

(f) Lysergic acid diethylamide: urine, 25 ng/ml; blood, 10 ng/ml

(g) Marijuana: urine, 10 ng/ml; blood, 2 ng/ml

(h) Marijuana metabolite: urine, 15 ng/ml; blood, 5 ng/ml

(i) Methamphetamine: urine, 500 ng/ml; blood, 100 ng/ml

(j) Phencyclidine: urine, 25 ng/ml; blood, 10 ng/ml

(c) Tests:

(1) At the request or direction of any law enforcement officer authorized by the Department of the Interior to enforce this closure and restriction order, who has probable cause to believe that an operator of a motor vehicle has violated a provision of paragraph (a) or (b) of this section, the operator shall submit to one or more tests of the blood, breath, saliva, or urine for the purpose of determining blood alcohol and drug content.

(2) Refusal by an operator to submit to a test is prohibited and proof of refusal may be admissible in any related judicial proceeding.

(3) Any test or tests for the presence of alcohol and drugs shall be determined by and administered at the direction of an authorized law enforcement officer.

(4) Any test shall be conducted by using accepted scientific methods and equipment of proven accuracy and reliability operated by personnel certified in its use.

(d) Presumptive levels

(1) The results of chemical or other quantitative tests are intended to supplement the elements of probable cause used as the basis for the arrest of an operator charged with a violation of paragraph (a) of this section. If the alcohol concentration in the operator’s blood or breath at the time of testing is less than alcohol concentrations specified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, this fact does not give rise to any presumption that the operator is or is not under the influence of alcohol.

(2) The provisions of paragraph (d)(1) of this section are not intended to limit the introduction of any other competent evidence bearing upon the question of whether the operator, at the time of the alleged violation, was under the influence of alcohol, a drug or multiple drugs, or any combination thereof.

4. Definitions:

(a) Open container: Any bottle, can, or other container which contains an alcoholic beverage, if that container does not have a closed top or lid for which the seal has not been broken. If the container has been opened one or more times, and the lid or top has been replaced, that container is an open container.

(b) Possession of an open container includes any open container that is physically possessed by the driver or operator, or is adjacent to and reachable by that driver or operator. This includes but is not limited to containers in a cup holder or rack adjacent to the driver or operator, containers on a vehicle floor next to the driver or operator, and containers on a seat or console area next to a driver or operator.

C. Drug Paraphernalia

1. The possession of drug paraphernalia is prohibited.

2. Definition: Drug paraphernalia means all equipment, products and materials of any kind which are used, intended for use, or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, concealing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance in violation of any state or Federal law, or regulation issued pursuant to law.

D. Disorderly Conduct

1. Disorderly conduct is prohibited.

2. Definition: Disorderly conduct means that an individual, with the intent of recklessly causing public alarm, nuisance, jeopardy, or violence; or recklessly creating a risk thereof:

(a) Engages in fighting or violent behavior.

(b) Uses language, an utterance or gesture, or engages in a display or act that is physically threatening or menacing, or done in a manner that is likely to inflict injury or incite an immediate breach of the peace.

(c) Obstructs, resists, or attempts to elude a law enforcement officer, or fails to follow their orders or directions.

E. Eviction of Persons

1. The public closure area is closed to any person who:

(a) Has been evicted from the event by the permit holder, Black Rock City LLC, (BRC LLC) whether or not the eviction was requested by the BLM.

(b) Has been ordered by a BLM law enforcement officer to leave the area of the permitted event.

2. Any person evicted from the event forfeits all privileges to be present within the perimeter fence or anywhere else within the public closure area even if they possess a ticket to attend the event.

F. Fires

The ignition of fires on the surface of the Black Rock playa without a burn blanket or burn pan is prohibited.

G. Fireworks

The use, sale or possession of personal fireworks is prohibited except for uses of fireworks approved by BRC LLC and used as part of a Burning Man sanctioned art burn event.

H. Motor Vehicles

1. Must comply with the following requirements:

(a) The operator of a motor vehicle must possess a valid driver’s license.

(b) Motor vehicles and trailers must possess evidence of valid registration, except for mutant vehicles, vehicles used by disabled drivers and displaying disabled driver license plates or placards, or other vehicles registered with the BRC LLC organizers and operated within the scope of that registration.

(c) Motor vehicles and trailers must possess evidence of valid insurance, except for mutant vehicles, vehicles used by disabled drivers and displaying disabled driver license plates or placards, or other vehicles registered with the BRC LLC organizers and operated within the scope of that registration.

(d) Motor vehicles and trailers must not block a street used for vehicular travel or a pedestrian pathway.

(e) Motor vehicles must not exceed the posted speed limit.

(f) No person shall occupy a trailer while the motor vehicle is in transit upon a roadway, except for mutant vehicles, vehicles used by disabled drivers and displaying disabled driver license plates or placards, or other vehicles registered with the BRC LLC organizers and operated within the scope of that registration.

(g) Motor vehicles, other than a motorcycle or golf cart, must be equipped with at least two working headlamps, except for mutant vehicles, vehicles used by disabled drivers and displaying disabled driver license plates or placards, or other vehicles registered with the BRC LLC organizers and operated within the scope of that registration—so long as they are adequately lit according to Black Rock City, LLC Department of Mutant Vehicle requirements.

(h) Motor vehicles, other than a motorcycle or golf cart, and trailers must be equipped with at least two functioning tail lamps, except for mutant vehicles, vehicles used by disabled drivers and displaying disabled driver license plates or placards, or other vehicles registered with the BRC LLC organizers and operated within the scope of that registration—so long as they are adequately lit according to Black Rock City, LLC Department of Mutant Vehicle requirements.

(i) Motor vehicles, other than a motorcycle or golf cart, and trailers must be equipped with at least two functioning brake lights.

(j) Motor vehicles and trailers must display an unobstructed rear license plate, except for mutant vehicles, vehicles used by disabled drivers and displaying disabled driver license plates or placards, or other vehicles registered with the BRC LLC organizers and operated within the scope of that registration.

(k) Motor vehicles and trailers must be equipped with a mounted lamp to illuminate the rear license plate, except for mutant vehicles, vehicles used by disabled drivers and displaying disabled driver license plates or placards, or other vehicles registered with the BRC LLC organizers and operated within the scope of that registration.

2. The public closure area is closed to motor vehicle use, except as provided below.

Motor vehicles may be operated within the public closure area under the circumstances listed below:

(a) Participant arrival and departure on designated routes;

(b) BLM, medical, law enforcement, and firefighting vehicles are authorized at all times;

(c) Vehicles operated by BRC LLC staff or contractors and service providers on behalf of BRC LLC. During the event, from 6:00 p.m. Sunday, August 25, 2013, through 6:00 p.m. Monday, September 2, 2013, these vehicles must display evidence of event registration at all times in such manner that it is visible to the rear of the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion;

(d) Mutant vehicles, art cars, vehicles used by disabled drivers and displaying disabled driver license plates or placards, or other vehicles registered with the BRC LLC organizers and operated within the scope of that registration. During the event, from 6:00 p.m. Sunday, August 25, 2013, through 6:00 p.m. Monday, September 2, 2013, such vehicles must display evidence of registration at all times in such manner that it is visible to the rear of the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion;

(e) Motorized skateboards, electric assist bicycles, or Go-Peds with or without handlebars;

(f) Participant drop off of approved burnables and wood to the Burn Garden/Wood Reclamation Stations (located on open playa at 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 Promenades and the Man base) from 9:00 a.m. Sunday, September 1, 2013 through the end of day Tuesday, September 3, 2013, post event; and

(g) Passage through, without stopping, the public closure area on the west or east playa roads.

3. Definitions:

(a) A motor vehicle is any device designed for and capable of travel over land and which is self-propelled by a motor, but does not include any vehicle operated on rails or any motorized wheelchair.

(b) Motorized wheelchair means a self-propelled wheeled device, designed solely for and used by a mobility-impaired person for locomotion.

(c) A trailer is any instrument designed to be hauled by a motor vehicle.

I. Public Camping

The public closure area is closed to public camping with the following exception: Burning Man event ticket holders who are camped in designated event areas provided by BRC LLC, and ticket holders who are camped in the authorized pilot camp. BRC LLC authorized staff, contractors, and BLM authorized event management related camps are exempt from this closure.

J. Public Use

The public closure area is closed to use by members of the public unless that person: is traveling through, without stopping, the public closure area on the west or east playa roads; possesses a valid ticket to attend the event; is an employee or authorized volunteer with the BLM, a law enforcement officer, emergency medical service provider, fire protection provider, or another public agency employee working at the event and the individuals are assigned to the event; is a person working at or attending theevent on behalf of BRC LLC; or is authorized by BRC LLC to be onsite prior to the commencement of the event for the primary purpose of constructing, creating, designing or installing art, displays, buildings, facilities or other items and structures in connection with the event; or is a commercial operation to provide services to the event organizers and/or participants authorized by BRC LLC through a contract or agreement and authorized by BLM through a Special Recreation Permit.

K. Waste Water Discharge

The dumping or discharge to the ground of gray water is prohibited. Gray water is water that has been used for cooking, washing, dishwashing, or bathing and contains soap, detergent, food scraps, or food residue.

L. Weapons

1. The possession of any weapon is prohibited except weapons within motor vehicles passing, without stopping, through the public closure area, on the west or east playa roads.

2. The discharge of any weapon is prohibited.

3. The prohibitions above shall not apply to county, state, tribal, and Federal law enforcement personnel, or any person authorized by Federal law to possess a weapon. “Art projects” that include weapons and are sanctioned by BRC LLC will be permitted after obtaining authorization from the BLM authorized officer.

4. Definitions:

(a) Weapon means a firearm, compressed gas or spring powered pistol or rifle, bow and arrow, cross bow, blowgun, spear gun, hand-thrown spear, sling shot, irritant gas device, electric stunning or immobilization device, explosive device, any implement designed to expel a projectile, switch-blade knife, any blade which is greater than 10 inches in length from the tip of the blade to the edge of the hilt or finger guard nearest the blade (e.g., swords, dirks, daggers, machetes), or any other weapon the possession of which is prohibited by state law. Exception: This rule does not apply in a kitchen or cooking environment or where an event worker is wearing or utilizing a construction knife for their duties at the event.

(b) Firearm means any pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, or other device which is designed to, or may be readily converted to expel a projectile by the ignition of a propellant.

(c) Discharge means the expelling of a projectile from a weapon.

Any person who violates the above rules and restrictions may be tried before a United States Magistrate and fined no more than $1,000, imprisoned for no more than 12 months, or both. Such violations may also be subject to the enhanced fines provided for at 18 U.S.C. 3571.

AUTHORITY:

43 CFR 8364.1

Our compendium of Cargo Cult cyberspace coverage begins with this gem from Bloomberg – who seem to be having a bit of a love affair with Burning Man at the moment. Maybe last year’s Burn Wall Street really did help get Wall Street’s attention?

“We’re airlifting in the challah again,” said Steven Gluckstern, as he stood chatting recently with a few people. “Enough for 2,500 people,” he added casually, taking a sip of his cocktail.

A siege on the Upper West Side?

Burning Man, actually. It was to be the fifth year at the festival in the Nevada desert for Gluckstern, a venture capitalist and chairman of Mortgage Resolution Partners, and his wife, Judy. Every August, about 40,000 people pay $380 to attend the weeklong celebration of countercultural art, music, sexuality and lifestyles. The festival operates on a barter system, and each camp is expected to offer entertainment, food or some other service. The Glucksterns’ camp, now numbering a little more than 90 people, offers French toast. Hence the challah.

…Reached for further comment a few days later at his house in San Francisco, Gluckstern, 62, explains how he came to be an impassioned ringmaster for what the Burning Man crowd calls French Toast Thursdays. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the line to the Glucksterns’ tent is long enough that it can be seen from space. Last year, a satellite photograph of the festival showed a thousand people lined up for breakfast. 

When they say “seen from space”, I’m pretty sure they’re talking about high resolution satellite imagery, not an astronaut peering out the window of the Space Station…or my former guest Sir Richard Branson (White Kinght Too, Space Ship 2, Eve)’s or Burner Elon Musk (Grasshopper and Dragon) ‘s latest Spaceships . From space these days, they can probably see exactly what strain of weed that is you’re smoking while you wait in the massive line.

1000 people in line for French Toast? What is this, England? Mecca? Miami? In San Francisco, you can’t even get 1000 homeless to line up for the soup kitchen. At least in Vegas, you can comp your way past the line. I mean, I love French Toast, but I’m not standing in line behind 1000 people for anything at Burning Man. Well, except maybe the gate. This year Camp Hot Mayo threw an Irish Car Bomb party at 4:20 (location: 9:15 & Holy), it was well attended and had deep lines for the cocktails. Too much for me and my neighboring Fucken Prawn Distrikt 9 camp-mates, who preferred to help themselves to cold beers from the fridge and watch the line from air-conditioned comfort (Burner-than-thous, let the bashing commence!)
Anyway, we’re small time. Air conditioning and refrigerated beers, woo. We obviously can’t be Burners. But what about these guys?

The couple’s involvement began four and a half years ago, when they were invited by their daughter to take part in her honeymoon, which was held at Burning Man. “We rolled in that first year with a camp of about 20 people,” says Gluckstern. “We decided we would purchase a simple set of things to make a misting tent, which wasn’t very successful.”

OK, so, weddings at Burning Man, I kinda get it. Like, for Rockstar Librarian, that’s dope. If I were ever to get married, it’s about the only way I could think of where I could get most of my Burner friends in a single hyper-focused place at one time, and also most of my family and last remaining hold-out friends and Juno Reactor and Jamé Forbes and Subsqwad to be there at Burning Man at the same time.

But, isn’t a honeymoon supposed to be a romantic one on one with the newlyweds? Not, Orgy Camp and Comfort and Joy and Critical Tits? To each their own. For this particular VC, his daughter’s honeymoon, inspired him to take the SACRED PRINCIPLE OF GIFTING to another level. French Toast? How can that be Commodification? It’s just feeding the hipsters… (BTW, of all Larry’s 2004 “ten principles to rule them all”, Gifting has been the least popular in our Burner poll, neck and neck to be Biggest Loser with Civic Reponsibility…)

As he wandered the festival, Gluckstern noticed lots of camps serving pancakes. The old analytic skills kicked in. “That was too easy,” he recalls. “It’s a mix, and you add water.” Sensing an opportunity, Gluckstern decided to raise the stakes. “It would be much more of a challenge to do French toast,” he says. “You need fresh milk, fresh half and half, fresh eggs… “

A challenge it was. “The first thing is you have to find 100 loaves of challah,” he says. “We have to commission to have them made from a place in Berkeley. One of our colleagues has his own small private plane, so we organized a challah airlift.”

Then, as they say, if you want to feed a hipster, you have to pre-break a few eggs. “Two thousand pieces of French toast is around 1,000 eggs,” Gluckstern says. “How are you going to bring in 1,000 eggs without breaking them?” He spoke to a friend in the catering business, who recommended that he buy the eggs pre-broken, and managed to find a dairy in Reno that would sell him 72 quarts of pre- broken eggs and 32 quarts of half and half.

“Then we also figured, ‘Well, hey. We’d better use real maple syrup, too,” says Gluckstern. “So we had our airlift pilot track down five-gallon buckets of grade A maple syrup.” Other ingredients, like cinnamon and butter, don’t need to be purchased on such a massive scale. 

Using private planes to fly in maple syrup? Now that’s extravagant. Extravagant enough to get Bloomberg to cover your VC firm, using Burning Man as the hook to differentiate you from the thousands of other VC firms out there – some of whom also have representatives at Burning Man looking to cut deals (I know this for a fact including having watched a $15 million one go down right outside my RV a couple of years ago, as well as having met others of these Burner VCs).

The quality of these privately-airlifted French Toast ingredients is so amazing, that everyone will line up? Or maybe Burners are just hungry and can’t be fucked cooking.

Perhaps this is the reason for thousands of people to wait in line:

“The reason everyone says this is the best French toast they ever had is that for most of the people who’ve come in, they’ve generally eaten no dairy and no sugar by the end of the week. Their bodies just condition themselves to granola,” he says. “Then all of a sudden you’ve got a piece of French toast and it’s hot and it’s full of butter and eggs and your body releases endorphins. People literally become ecstatic.”

It seems that French toast is the new drug recycling. Expensive food logistics for them, greater bang for the buck for Burners.

Gluckerstern sounds interested in other French techniques beyond the toasting…

he likes the challenge, yes. And he likes the change of scene.

“We have five doctors in our camp, four of whom are ER doctors and the other’s a psychiatrist,” Gluckstern says. “As a coincidence, they all happen to be extremely handsome young gay men. Hanging out with these people is not what a 60-year-old businessman gets to do every day.”

“Now we’re making a separate foray into the world of ice cream. We’re building a vehicle … one of my responsibilities is the electrical system on it,” Gluckstern says, with the relish one might take in plotting a bond trade. “Last year we went out into the desert with ice cream sandwiches. They were incredibly successful but they ran out quickly. What we needed to do was have a much larger system, so we essentially built a covered wagon with freezers built in.”

So, who is this guy, winning over the hearts and minds of Burners with exotic breakfast foods, desserts, and handsome gay doctors?

Oh, no-one special, just another Burner: albeit one accused of having a bad reputation, who likes to hang out with young San Francisco hipsters in the Mission, and is using the controversial “Eminent Domain” laws to underwrite struggling cities to seize peoples’ homes for real estate developers.

“The broad category of property that we are taking about here is intangible property, and there has never been any question that intangible property can be taken,” Hockett explains. He cites examples of eminent domain being used to seize railroad stock and municipal revenue bonds. Of course, cities must demonstrate that taking private property accomplishes a public good, and the benefits of seizing underwater mortgages are somewhat speculative. But so was the public benefit of seizing homes in New London, Connecticut, to make way for a Pfizer research facility—a use of eminent domain that the Supreme Court approved in its controversial 2005 Kelo v. New London ruling.

According to the Chronicle, these people are protesting in support of Gluckstern’s plan  (photo: SF Chronicle)

Gluckstern wants to win so much, to him it’s war. Just like beating pancakes with French Toast.

We are not going to stop fighting. In a real war you get killed, but in this war, my partners and I believe this is the right thing for people and we will fight to the finish, whatever that means.”

His war sees him taking on the Rockefellers, the Mellons, and PIMCO, the world’s largest bond fund:

Trustees Pacific Investment Management, known as Pimco, BlackRock and Bank of New York Mellon are seeking a court order blocking Richmond and Mortgage Resolution Partners of San Francisco from using eminent domain to purchase mortgages of homeowners whose properties are underwater.

The city’s plan is unconstitutional, according to complaints filed by mortgage-bond trustees in federal court in San Francisco. The trustees, including Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank, were directed to take the action by investors in the debt, said John Ertman, a partner at Ropes & Gray.

“Mortgage Resolution Partners is threatening to seriously harm average Americans, including public pension members, other retirees and individual savers, through a brazen scheme to abuse government powers for its own profit,”

Former SF Mayor and current California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, believed to be a Burner and known to be a champion of the homeless and disadvantaged, is not a fan:

“I know what threats are. I know what bullying looks like. And I didn’t like it coming from the folks that I helped bail out,” Newsom tells me at the Balboa Café, his white tablecloth restaurant in San Francisco’s Marina District. He goes on to convey his feelings towards Wall Street with an expletive, adding, “You can quote me on that.” Then he changes his mind and asks that I not. He ribs his press aide for not reining him in. “But I feel that way,” he adds. “I have a visceral reaction.”

When you’re chomping down on that ecstatic French Toast, standing in line admiring the hunky gay doctors on call to prescribe whatever pharmaceuticals are needed to accompany your Playa pancakes…think about all that went into that. To pay private planes to fly around getting maple syrup for you.

Image: AFP

by Whatsblem the Pro

We all know there was more of a police presence than ever at Burning Man 2013, along with several alarming law enforcement innovations, like the partnering of officers from different agencies for the duration of the event. Vehicle searches, often with K-9 units in on the fun, were eyebrow-raisingly common right up until well after the event was over. Numerous reports have been bandied about of aggressive traffic stops for trivial infractions like driving seven MPH in a five MPH zone; there was even an incident in which a DPW worker was reportedly threatened with sex offender status for peeing on the playa, and handled like a potentially dangerous perp who might need to be gunned down because he had a knife on his belt.

None of this is acceptable. It’s not fair, however, to be one-sided about it and simply blame the police as the sole responsible entity in creating and perpetuating the problem. The police certainly should be held to high standards and made to answer for any and all abuses they commit; the Org, too, should be questioned and pressured to find a way to keep local, State, and Federal agencies nearby but at arm’s length during the burn. As self-reliant burners, though, shouldn’t we be looking to our own responsibilities and setting our own bar high as well?

As individuals, we’re never powerless against the police, unless individual officers choose to abandon lawfulness themselves and behave like jackbooted thugs. Even then, our power is not diminished; it is simply not manifest until we can communicate with higher authorities like Watch Commanders, Internal Affairs personnel, and judges. . . which is why it’s so important to write down things like time and date, badge numbers, etc. Just remember: cops can be pretty tricky without breaking the law, and most of your rights may as well not exist at all if you don’t know what they are.

With all this in mind, I decided to use the power of shenanigans to test a random sampling of burners on their ability to handle a police encounter properly.

*       *       *       *       *

It’s shortly after dawn on the morning after Gate and the weather is perfect. The playa is burgeoning with new people; long lines snail-track their way through the checkpoints and into Black Rock City. Heavily-laden vehicles creep through every neighborhood, seeking their friends or just an open spot to set up camp.

I’ve been burning all night, and in the cool of the early morning I’m still comfortable wearing the full Santa suit I’ve been sporting. I’ve run into my friends the Mag Aoidhs, and they’ve invited me to a tea ceremony at their camp, featuring some very fine teas the likes of which I have not tasted since I returned from my long trip to China.

We’ve been talking about the troubling stories of encounters with over-zealous law enforcement that have been circulating, and in a lighter moment my friend points to a device mounted on the back of his bicycle. “I have a siren,” he says with child-like joy. His finger jabs at the button, and my own inner seven-year-old thrills at the impressively realistic sound and sheer volume of the thing.

A light bulb goes off over my head.

“I have an idea. . . follow my lead,” I tell him as I step out into the road. A car is approaching, and I get right in front of it and start rolling my hand in an authoritative circle at the driver: keep on coming. As the car inches toward me, Sean hits the siren, and I show the driver my open palm in the universal signal to stop.

The driver rolls down his window, puzzled, as I come around to the side of the vehicle. I nail him with a steely gaze and tell him that I’m going to need to see his license and registration. For a moment he seems taken in; then he turns to his passenger and they exchange significant looks. “No way,” they say, laughing, and I grin too. “Welcome back!”

After a similar experience with the next vehicle that happens by, I begin to think that people just don’t respect Santa Claus the way they respect other authority figures. . . but the third vehicle changes my mind. It’s a small Mutant Vehicle driven by a countercultural-looking fellow in his middle 40s; when I ask for his license and registration, he admits uncomfortably that he lacks both.

“I haven’t had time to register it yet.” His tone of voice is both apologetic and tinged with anxiety. I shake my head slowly, tsking ominously, one fist on my hip in a bossy pose.

“You know what’s going to happen now, right?” I am staring daggers into his eyes.

Just as I’m about to ask him for permission to search his vehicle, he blurts out hopefully that taking the seat off would render his vehicle perfectly legal, and I have to agree that this is the case. He has the necessary tools in his hand when I tell him it’s just a joke.

“Ha! Thanks,” he laughs good-naturedly. “I half suspected you were just messing with me, and I actually do know what you’re supposed to say to cops, but I didn’t want to take the chance.” He looks sheepish and shrugs. “You’re pretty believable.”

“As what?” I ask. “I haven’t identified myself as a police officer; I haven’t shown a badge; I’m not wearing a gun. I didn’t impersonate a policeman, I impersonated Santa Claus. . . and you bent your knee to Santa and did what you were told.”

“I guess that’s true,” he replies. “I’d better work on that.” He hugs me and we part friends.

By this time I’ve got spectators, and I’m hitting my stride with the role. I actually manage to look bored and slightly irritated as I step in front of a big white van and stop it in the name of love.

The driver and his passenger are 20-something males, and something tells me they’re first-timers. When I tell them I’m going to need to see the driver’s license and registration, they ask me if it’s a joke. I laserbeam the kid at the wheel with my eyes. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, sir. . . now shut that off and give me your license and registration.”

Incredibly, he shuts off the engine. A moment later he’s pushing his vehicle registration into my hands. He digs out a large trifold wallet and opens it, pulls a card with the words NEW YORK across the top out of an inner pocket. He’s got two more in there just like it, and when I demand to know why, he starts falling to pieces with nervousness.

“No no, it’s cool,” he assures me breathlessly. “This one is my learner’s permit, this one is my motorcycle endorsement, and this is my license.” His hands are shaking visibly as he pulls the other two cards out of their little leather pockets and hands them to me as well. I furrow my brow and pull a suspicious look as I scrutinize the cards, looking back and forth between the pictures and his face.

“Alright, this looks legit,” I say at last, and hand him back the learner’s permit and the motorcycle endorsement card. “but whose name is this on your vehicle registration?”

“It’s my mother’s,” he says, and I know he’s lying.

“Your mother’s?” I ask with eyebrows up.

“Well, my stepmother’s.”

“Oh? Then why does she have a different last name than you? She’s married to your father, right?”

The kid starts coming unraveled right before my eyes. “OK, OK,” he babbles desperately. “She’s just a friend of my family, but she told me to say that!”

I signal my friend to come over, and hand him the kid’s license and registration. “Frank, I think you’d better run these.” My friend, whose name is not Frank, nods alertly and disappears into his tent. We don’t even have a vehicle, just a Santa suit and a tent. . . but the kid in the van and his passenger both reek of fear.

I take it to the next level, leaning in and drilling straight through the driver’s head with my eyes. “You boys got any drugs in the vehicle?”

They are horrified. Four hands go up in protest; two heads shake frantically ‘no.’

“Look, you can give me your drugs now and I can go easy on you, or I can call the dogs in and find them anyway. You know what’s going to happen if I have to call the dogs in, right?”

“I swear we don’t have anything,” fibs the driver, perspiring freely in the cool morning air.

I decide to press my luck. “You mind if I look in the back?” I ask through a nasty smile.

He freezes for a moment and then his ashen face crumples. “Okay,” he says in a voice laden with utter defeat.

Image: King Diamond / Worth 1000

As I go around to the side of the van with the big door on it, the passenger suddenly grows a brain and half a ball. “Hey,” he protests, “what’s your probable cause?”

I level a rigid index finger at his nose. “The driver of this vehicle just gave me permission to search it,” I bite off quietly but angrily. “I suggest you keep your mouth shut, sir.” My patsies exchange a hurt, broken glance with each other and bite their own lips.

I open the sliding door of the van and discover two of their friends inside, hiding from me. They cower openly, prepared for the worst. Just then ‘Frank’ comes out of the tent with the paperwork. “Hey,” he calls to me, “it looks like this guy has a warrant for failure to appear.”

The driver loses it completely and wails “No, no, I swear, I got that cleared up!” He’s brown-towning himself with terror, and his friends are keying up right behind him.

“Well boys,” I cluck, “you know what happens now. . . WELCOME TO BLACK ROCK CITY!”

The tension thus released is like a taut steel cable snapping. The front-seat passenger holds his head and screams incoherently; the driver climbs, monkey-like, out the window of his van without opening the door, straight up onto the roof. His entire body spasms and quakes in silence for a moment until he gets enough of a grip on himself to cry out at the top of his lungs: “SANTA IS A FUCKER!”

When relative calm returns and he’s back on terra firma, I put an avuncular hand on the driver’s still-shaking shoulder. “Listen,” I say, “the ACLU has a monkey hut over at 5:20 and F; go there any day between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM, and they’ll give you a necklace with a pamphlet on it that tells you how to talk to the police. . . because you suck at this!”

How many of us suck at talking to cops? Considering the legal backup we are gifted with in Black Rock City, we are protected like nowhere else when we are on the playa. The ACLU is there during the burn; after the burn, Lawyers for Burners is there to lend you a helping hand in court. The Org itself is interested in collecting your anecdotes regarding contact with the police, though what good that might do you is anyone’s guess, as they don’t much seem to care how many cops invade our city to brush aside our hard-working Black Rock Rangers and conduct constant unwanted and unnecessary surveillance on our population.

The point is, we’re all responsible for some part of the problem, and we all have to do our part. We all need to put pressure on the Org to keep the police outside the city waiting to be called in, and not roaming around in it, looking for trouble. We all need to go through the proper channels and steps to hold individual cops responsible when they overstep the bounds of their authority. We all must see to it that without resisting or being confrontational, we politely and appropriately assert our rights.

Be self-reliant. Educate yourself, burner!