Image: Buzzfeed
Jenny Kane at the Reno Gazette-Journal brings us news of this year’s arrests by the Pershing County Sheriff’s office.
The highlights:
- 46 arrests (up 12.2% from 41 last year) – this is 6 times the number of arrests in 2014
- 37 drug-related – marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, and acid (in that order)
- 1 attempted murder (second degree)
- 1 battery with a deadly weapon
Yes, yes, I know…there are no weapons at Burning Man.
This is the highest number of arrests ever at Burning Man. Two thirds of those arrested were Californians. International Burners from Spain, Italy, and Mexico were locked up.
Some of the drug arrests were for possession, some were for trafficking. No information has been released on how many citations for drug possession were issued in lieu of arrests; last year there were more than 600.
Jenny’s report gave credence to the theory I’ve been hearing privately from some various sources, that the White Ocean sabotage attack was a hoax. Nobody ever released any photos, and now we find out that there was not actually a police report filed as White Ocean had claimed.
Without an official report, which the camp leads never made, Allen could not investigate the criminal ransacking.
“It is important to remember that there must be a victim or an outcry from someone for us to initiate an investigation into possible criminal activity, otherwise it would be considered an unlawful or unconstitutional intrusion by an agent of the government,” Allen said.
Here’s the original White Ocean post:
There was a report on Facebook that a grown man was caught trying to kidnap a 10 year-old girl boy.
The Sheriff did not mention that, and did not answer questions about the other False Amber Alert that Imprisoned Thousands:
Neither the sheriffs nor the BLM had anything to say about the three-hour shutdown of the only road out of Black Rock City when a 17-year-old girl went missing during exodus. Exodus is the peak exit period of Burners at the end of the week of Burning Man. Officials located the girl safe within the city perimeter.
The BLM did not make any arrests last year, and won’t say if they did this year.
Read the full story at the RGJ
The cops were a lot more relaxed back in 2014 (in the Distrikt DJ booth)