Tag Archives: police

Sep 6 2013

SAY YOU LOVE SANTA: A Cautionary Tale

Image: AFP

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

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!

Aug 24 2013

Keep Calm and Know What You’re Up Against

by Whatsblem the Pro

keep-calm-and-know-your-enemy

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

Aug 22 2013

Busting Man: RIOT Calls for General Strike at Burning Man

by Whatsblem the Pro

The Critical Snitch Parade? -- PHOTO: Getty Images

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!