The Reno Gazette Journal reports that Burning Man will be spending an additional $105,000 this year so that Washoe County can have more police officers on the road, looking to arrest protect Burners. There is no legal requirement for them to do this, but they have agreed to it on the request of the BLM.
Burning Man organizers have agreed to pay the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office up to $105,000 for the cost of increasing patrols in the northern reaches of the county during the week-long counterculture celebration in the Black Rock Desert.
The Washoe County Commission approved the contract Tuesday, which continues the voluntary commitment by Black Rock City, LLC to share the cost of the law enforcement demands created by more than 65,000 event participants.
Washoe deputies aren’t responsible for law enforcement activities at the event, which is held just across the county line in Pershing County and is jointly patrolled by the Bureau of Land Management and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office.
Image: RGJ
But the influx of 65,000 people to the sparsely populated corner of the county means more work conducting patrols and traffic control near Gerlach and on the roads leading to the event.
Under the contract, the sheriff’s office will use the money to pay for the salaries of additional deputies needed in the area, as well as their lodging, daily food expenses and vehicle cost reimbursements.
According to the contract, no state law or local ordinance requires the sheriff’s office to be reimbursed for the costs. But Burning Man as part of its agreement with the BLM agreed to help Washoe County with its law enforcement costs.
[Source: RGJ]
No word yet on if they get to eat the chocotacos, or if those are VIP wristband-only.
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The original idea of Burning Man was to go as far away from civilization as possible to one of the most inhospitable of places in the continent mainly to escape harassment by the law. But our government just can’t allow a group of people to go anywhere and have fun without intervening and extorting. Burning Man was doing fine handling things in a more humanistic way with it’s own Rangers. I wish Borg would fight this more, but I suspect they experience heavy pressure from the Feds in order to gain permission to hold the event each year.
I don’t drink or do hard drugs, but I don’t care if others do as long as they don’t get out of control, and that hardly ever happens. I hate and loathe all the government authorities at Burning Man with their undercover operations, open staring, and cop attitudes. It is the opposite of liberty when you feel so guarded against the guards, even when you aren’t doing anything wrong: it is an Orwellian horror show.
I’ve been randomly hounded so much by cops that I’m convinced all of them are brainwashed assholes who are taking part in something no less insidious than Hitler’s SS. This has been the main reason I have attended less in recent years. There’s nothing for law enforcement to be proud of here. This open-minded, welcoming, loving event poses no unstated danger to participants. The danger is from law itself. Burning Man is turning into a police state and being locked in a 5 mile circle with this level of scrutiny in and out is not freedom. It is not liberty. This is tyranny.
In a contradictory, exploitive country determined to drive everyone to depression and insanity, so many people hold hope for this temporary breath of acceptance and beauty…waiting all year for this one week to lift their spirits enough to stay alive for one more year. Meanwhile, government plots to remove that hope and ensure everyone feels the weight of persecution and prosecution for activities that do no harm to others.
Two independent facts that cause these problems:
1. Remember those bullies in HS? Ever wonder what their career path was? Yup. Phone videos and dash cams are making it harder for them, but they are still doing their thing. Just watch the news.
2. The BOrg has worn out their welcome in the Black Rock Desert – they are now considered an exploitable natural resource. If the BOrg would shop the event venue, like the Olympics does, they could use their economic benefit to find an inviting host community. But instead, the Larry LLC have made private investments in the BR Desert location, and gladly sacrifice the financial and freedom interests of the burners for private gain, convenience and, well, predictability.
Maybe it is inevitable that the NV burn turns into just another EDM festival, in a bizarre location. No re-creation, no re-birth, just a replay of last year.
What would be interesting is if the DMZ throws one or more parties at the same time as the Man burn. How many will stay in awestruck silence for 3 hours waiting for the legs to collapse, when they can hear action going on somewhere else…and see all the art cars leaving for it.
http://megagames.com/sites/default/files/game-content-images/world_of_warcraft_89.jpg
EXCELLENT idea! And following that same spirit, at the same time the DCZ (DeCommodification Zone) can have free tacos at the Taco Bell bus, free gameplay at the World of Warcraft bus, and free 4Glte wifi at the AT&T bus. Wonder which would get the biggest crowd. Oh, also the XBZ (Express Bus Zone) should be running with buses to RNO.
Regardless, if I was there, I would be at the Man, ecstatic for the flypaper to draw away the false burners. Much, much better burn crowd for the Man.
http://www.gamecrate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/GameofWarHeader.jpg
I hear Kate Upton will make a personal appearance at the Game of War bus! She will be whipping some lucky burner. 🙂
At last year’s Burning Man, they debuted their “ironic” real estate timeshare play. The zones were in the unused Playa, away from the Man.
Now the (ironic?) DMZ is out in that unused real estate too.
Why not have a commercial zone, over on the 12-2 side closer to the oldies and kiddies?
Kucinich for Mayor!
The sign was from 2008….
https://wfziaa-sn3302.files.1drv.com/y3p8Po7QTx7Gn_L_166pQr6mrs54KZI8j54hTJuhjEf4z55W6Zo_85VvDGCbWd92IQlySjTK7vxcxR03oPFZRJ3VtmZJX5KgI8dI7sUM0UjPFJpEYs6-NkdJ5pcXVtuMa0r-SiRGTpnu7E_vsF2E48HDmQdTWF5AJ2ruz6woKwN3go/IMG_2492+%242008%24.JPG
Hard to turn your back on that…
http://kingoftheflatscreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/01.jpg
Game of Wooooooaaaaaarrrrr!
There was a timeshare sales sign much earlier – think it was 07 or 08. But we have already established that the DMZ is a commercial zone: DJ’s gifting their default world thing. It’s already there. I just think Kate should be able to gift her gifts, too.
http://static.thesuperficial.com/uploads/2015/06/12094137/kate-upton-game-of-war.jpg
I have it on good authority they are planning the man this year so he falls in a reasonable time.
https://www.colourbox.com/preview/7246061-time-concept-five-to-twelve-young-beautiful-woman-with-big-clock.jpg
(Gotta love search engines….)
It’s about Time…. 😉
There’s nothing wrong with establishing a good working relationship with local authorities. As for those idiots who still insist on driving drunk, high or too tired – they deserve to be arrested. It makes the roads safer for the rest of us.
You have a point, but is the need to be protected something that is getting worse, since this is “MORE” payment to LE? I question if this need is not indeed a problem, hand-in-hand with the sellout and the virgins, moopers and others coming to be entertained rather than to participate and give.
Maybe I am a cheap skate, but just how the hell does that costs $105,000 for probably 2 weeks tops that two extra officers and cars are needed? They probably already have some extras for the build out and tear down that would not create much more traffic than in past years.
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With all those moths fluttering around on their way to the flame, why not pick a few more off along their way? There’s so much more money that can be made off these pilgrims, more agencies should share in the feast.
That’s pretty standard with any event. I did events for years and the organizers always paid for extra law enforcement as well as fire and EMS.
Just what “problem” does this solve? Is more LE needed proportional to the tickets sold, or has it gotten disproportionately worse?
Or, does the BOrg just want to rent the Washoe County Sheriff? If so, what is their agenda? Maybe security guards for the BOrg privileged? Will there be a separate set of radios?
Hope someone is listening in. 😉
What “problem” are you talking about. It’s simple… “Burning Man as part of its agreement with the BLM agreed to help Washoe County with its law enforcement costs.”
Not everything is a conspiracy.
I think leaving no trace should include any financial impact on local communities.
Every time I drive to/from Burning man I see several close calls on the road. Cars driving off the road and near head-on accidents. I also see a wreck or two where people were not so lucky.
I can imagine what it must be like for local people who have to drive that road every day. I also know how worried I would be if my elderly mother attempted to drive during burning man to get to her doctor, or to visit her grandson.
If I were a local, I would want every officer possible help keep people safe during that week. I’d also be pretty upset if I had to pay for it. I think its pretty cool that Burning Man pays for that… just like I think its cool we pay to pick up the trash & debris that gets littered on the road back to Reno.
Sure, the police also try to find drugs (because, well… the law). That sucks but I somehow don’t think the local residents really care that much about your drugs, so they choose to send more police out.
On the other hand, when we pay for more policing WITHIN Burning Man, I want to be very sure that the community/environment is actually being helped by that additional policing. So far I’ve not seen any statistics to show we need the policing we have, but I sure would love to see that talked about.