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Title: Federal team arrives to police massive Rainbows gathering (Gestapo U.S.A.)
Source:
www.casperstartribune.net
URL Source: http://www.casperstartribune.net/ar ... 285d8608a68725747000006b71.txt
Published: Jun 25, 2008
Author: CHRIS MERRILL
Post Date: 2008-06-25 01:49:52 by Ferret Mike
Keywords: None
Views: 2478
Comments: 39
RIVERTON -- They come from every region of the United States. They drive or fly in -- just as they have to this central Wyoming city -- about 40 of them toting dogs, guns, cuffs and federal badges. Their job from now to the first half of July will be to follow and police a massive group of counterculture campers who advocate peace and love for the planet earth, and who assemble annually on federal lands -- somewhere. Just like the officers, the campers also come from all over America. This year, as it has done for the past 11 years, the federal government has assembled a highly specialized force under the generic title, "Incident Management Team," to patrol the Rainbow Family of Living Light. The Rainbow Family has assembled on public lands every year, somewhere in the United States, since 1972, and the events occasionally draw up to 25,000 participants. The family has no official leadership structure, and all decisions regarding the gathering and its location are always made spontaneously by a consensus of influential participants. While those participants claim a constitutional right to assemble for "peaceable" purposes on federal lands with or without a permit, officials with the U.S. Forest Service cite a legal obligation to protect the natural and cultural resources under their care. Up until this year, the team has generally approached the get-together as a technically illegal event. This year, however, as the Rainbows start to gather near Big Sandy in the Wind River Mountains, the federal government is trying what USDA Undersecretary Mark Rey described as an "experiment." The Forest Service is attempting to work collaboratively with the Rainbow Family, under an operating plan, in recognition of the agency's inability to stop the event -- but also in an attempt to better protect the forest from the impact of tens of thousands of people, their vehicles, movements and waste. The gathering will be in full swing in the Bridger-Teton National Forest July 1-7, although possibly more than 1,000 participants have already arrived and begun setting up camps, rest room facilities and water delivery systems. Incident Commander Gene Smithson, a senior special agent with the Forest Service, has worked on the federal management team for Rainbow gatherings for the past four years. A good portion of his year-round job since he took over command has been to track Rainbow get-togethers, advise and consult with local authorities for smaller, regional gatherings that take place sporadically, and coordinate efforts to minimize the impacts of the assemblies whenever and wherever they happen, he said. The Rainbow Family is a loosely affiliated jamboree of craft-trading, music-playing, dancing, juggling, often pot-smoking and sometimes semi-clad folks, many of whom reject some of the federal and state laws the officers are sworn to uphold. Especially those laws that criminalize the possession and illicit use of controlled substances. "There's a lot of drug use," Smithson said. "Marijuana, LSD, methamphetamines, mushrooms, cocaine, prescription pain meds. Just about everything." Because of the sheer size of the gathering, and because the Family has no real membership structure, the gatherings inevitably draw not only those who subscribe to the basic tenets of the Rainbow philosophy -- which are centered on peace and a gentle existence -- but also draw known criminals, as well as violent and troubled individuals. During last year's Arkansas gathering, officers arrested about 100 participants for a wide variety of offenses, including disorderly conduct and crimes related to alcohol abuse, Smithson said. Federal authorities also often must respond to outbreaks of communicable diseases and maladies, such as tuberculosis, scabies and even dangerous bacterial infections, Smithson said. The Rainbows operate their own medical treatment center at the camp site, he said, but they can't handle all types of medical ailments and emergencies. At a recent Rainbow gathering, there was an outbreak of potentially deadly meningitis, Smithson said. Local health authorities had to scramble to treat dozens of participants. The Forest Service is attempting to work as collaboratively as possible with the Rainbow Family, Smithson said, in order to better protect not only the forest but the people in and around the event. Environment reporter Chris Merrill can be reached at chris.merrill@trib.com or at (307) 267-6722.
Poster Comment: The bottom line folks is your right to assemble is extremely scary and inconvenient for the powers that be. Without these twig pigs all that would happen is people would gather peacefully in the woods then go home. What is intimidating and unhealthy is not people exercising Constitutional Rights in a way that does not consume and buy event infrastructure services and insurance, but pigs intimidating unarmed people with automatic rifles, tasers, pepper spray, field court room set-ups to adjudicate harassment tickets on the spot to try to intimidate people into leaving. I know people who have been beat up and arrested for merely going out to the woods with friends once a year. The gathering peaks on July 4th, let's see what happens with it for all this garbage bullshit they have repackaged to try to sell this as kinder, gentler fascism we all need to protect ourselves from ourselves.
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 6.
#3. To: Ferret Mike (#0)
During last year's Arkansas gathering, officers arrested about 100 participants for a wide variety of offenses, including disorderly conduct and crimes related to alcohol abuse, Smithson said. Federal authorities also often must respond to outbreaks of communicable diseases and maladies, such as tuberculosis, scabies and even dangerous bacterial infections, Smithson said. omg, they're really reaching there.
Excellent footage of Rainbow hippies overpowering the cops' attempt at a roadblock. Hilarious. Taken at this year's gathering north of Steamboat Springs in Colorado. Check this out. It will give you an idea of what Bush's America really wants to do with people who dare to enjoy constitutional rights. They would of just loved to kill and imprison these people, make no mistake about it.
i believe it, but it's evident also that those cops were terrified of these people standing up to them. i liked when the one guy said to the gestapo, "i'd like to hang every one of you MF'ers."
#7. To: christine (#6)
Officially I was charged with "Impeding a Forest Officer". In other words for getting in their way. Only I was aprox. Twenty Feet from where the arrest was taking place. The four gentlemen in this video where being detained and harassed over the suspicion they were smoking pot. (Although of the four only one was found in possession [of paraphernalia]) All four were handcuffed and un-consentingly searched. When I arrived "on the scene", I hit record and in only a few seconds Officer Willet, the arresting officer, yelled for me to get away. I stood ground momentarily, but as he began to come toward me and threaten me with arrest, I started to back up but continue to record. Officer Willet then reached out while advancing and took, then dropped my camera to the ground. In the background you hear Sidd asking how they can do this. I asked for him to take my camera and the officer said "no, it's mine". He then kept the camera and I had to either pay the 325 dollars for the ticket, or I could fight it and be forced to return to Florida as many times as it took to fight it. I paid the fine, wishing I lived closer. I also had to have a friend in Florida pick up the camera (from the NFS office)once I had paid off the ticket. And now I have this video and my camera. Surprisingly they did not delete the memory card.... As you can see, I was not impeding, I did not disrupt the scene, and I was only spectating which is perfectly legal. They are good at inspiring anger in Rainbow Gatherings. When pigs come through, the cry goes up, "GUNS IN THE CHURCH!" This is a religious as well as a lawful congregation of people meeting to socialize and associate freely as is our right to under the U.S. Constitution. The Gathering is used to focus human consciousness on the concept of world peace. Truly, when dealing with 'subversive internal dissidents' like these, they are loathe to not ultimately win by their terms. Therein lies the problem. And another a great example of many existing reasons to return to Constitutional law and get rid of the tyranny being built up around us.
Dressed in flak jackets and armed with handguns and several semi-automatic rifles, Rio Arriba County sheriff's deputies and Forest Service Law Enforcement officers raid a regional Rainbow Family gathering because the group's size dictates the needs for a special permit.
also known as Jessicas video.. Was taken at this years rainbow gathering in Colorado.. This video was taken prior to the other one on youtube that was uploaded that showed the rainbows making a circle around the LEOS.. These unlawful roadblocks were occurring all the time and this is the only video to survive... Pass it out. These Freddies are an interesting bunch. They have special training with foreign and domestic police agencies. Forest Activists who have dealt with them call them "Super Freddies." They can be particularly dangerous and vicious.
Legal Stuff section of this site
maybe we should have started a long time ago. Shenandoah Trail of Tears
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latestbut also draw known criminals, as well as violent and troubled individuals.
#5. To: wudidiz, christine (#3)
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#6. To: Ferret Mike (#5)
They would of just loved to kill and imprison these people, make no mistake about it.
Replies to Comment # 6. --
#8. To: christine (#6)
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#9. To: christine (#6)
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#11. To: christine (#6)
Rainbow Family of Living Light Unofficial Home Page
#15. To: christine (#6)
i liked when the one guy said to the gestapo, "i'd like to hang every one of you MF'ers."
End Trace Mode for Comment # 6.