7-18-17 Camp Meeting Minutes & Safety Update

SAFETY AND CONSENT AND ALL THINGS NICE

General Law Enforcement

1. Playa is patrolled by: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Pershing County Sherriff, Nevada State Health Division and the Washoe County Health Department.
2. The roads leading to and from the event are patrolled by: Nevada Highway Patrol, Washoe County Sheriff, Pershing County Sheriff, Nevada Department of Transportation and the Pyramid Paiute Tribe.
3. The Nevada State Health Division protects the health of our citizens and prevents foodborne epidemics. They regulate our kitchen and our food sources.

Substance use

1. Its illegal. All of it. Medical marijuana cards are not recognized by the federal government, but they are not prosecuting generally. State of Nevada has recreational marijuana, BUT, there are a lot of restrictions (such as not being allowed to smoke in public, limits on amount, etc). In addition, remember, we are on federal land so it is the federal laws that apply. Unclear always how it will actually be, so try and be as safe and careful as possible.
2. Keep any prescription meds including weed, in the bottle or package that they came in. A baggie full of pills is a lot harder to explain.
3. Be careful, there is a lot of bad stuff on market. Check out Dancesafe, try and test what you can, never take anything from someone who you do not trust 10000%
4. Handle your shit and don't be a burden. Really. A passed out, blacked out, sloppy burner is nothing but a burden on everyone around them.
5. Don’t ask for it, don’t give anyone who asks. You are not a burner if you are openly asking for drugs (this applies to NY parties too)
6. Discretion goes a long way. Really. It save you and your entire pod and camp.
7. General etiquette - don’t text. You aren’t smart or cute. Don’t talk about these things on facebook messages. Don’t speak on the phone. None of your codes are actually smart
8. Don’t talk about it or refer anyone to campers if they ask your if you know who has something (again, refers to NY parties too)
9. The possession of any illegal drug with intent to distribute is a more serious felony offence. The possession of large quantities or a variety of drugs may be interpreted as evidence of intent to distribute. Giving illegal substances to someone else could be considered drug trafficking. All of this can make life much worse for you.
10. Drug paraphernalia is a crime (Possession of drug paraphernalia with the intent to use it to ingest a controlled substance is a violation of the law.)
11. ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS NEED WARRANT TO ENTER TENT OR RV. NEVER LET THEM IN. NEVER OPEN DOOR TO THEM (except for when they have probable cause, and when the crime is happening in plain view. Sight and scent count)
12. The more steps you take to make your vehicle or tent private, the more expectation of privacy you will have against an unwarranted search. On the other hand, if your tent has no walls, or your vehicle doors are always open, then your right to privacy may be diminished.
13. If you are arrested, the police do not need your consent to search you and the area “close by,” which usually means just the room you are in. In this case, the police may not use the arrest as an excuse to search adjacent tents or RVs where there is no evidence of criminal activity
14. If there is reasonable suspicion, they can pat you down but you do not have to consent to anything more.
15. Lawyersforburners.com - fine schedule and plea deals to littering offences for high dollar amounts

HOW TO ACT WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

1. Guide online: (https://burners.me/2016/08/27/2016-how-to-deal-with-cops-at-burning-man/)
2. You must reveal your name to law enforcement.
3. You do not have to answer anything else, but can be taken into custody if you refuse to answer things and they have probable cause to continue to investigate or make an arrest.
4. Almost all the time, Law Enforcement Officer (“LEO”) will issue a citation or a warning and nothing more. LEO must be able to verify your identity. SS number is generally enough to verify that, so usually ok to give that to them. LEO can never force you to go back to your camp to retrieve a government issued ID. If you do allow an officer to take you back to your camp, you may risk having your tent or RV searched.
5. Keep a copy of your license on you so that you have ID but do not have to lose your real license. May want to put name, camp, emergency contact and critical health info on it as well.
6. If you are stopped for questioning - ask if you are under arrest or free to go. If you are informed you are free to go, leave. If you are under arrest, you have a right to ask what you did.
7. Don’t bad-mouth the officer or run away. Even if you believe law enforcement is acting unreasonably, confronting an officer or running away could lead to your arrest.
8. Do not volunteer any information that may incriminate you. Remaining silent is your constitutional right. Do not believe a police officer who says they will simply “let you go” if you hand over any controlled substances or contraband.
9. If you observe an incident - do not get involved. Call others over if that makes sense. Take notes of officer’s names and badge numbers and what agency they are from. Note what they did and what happened. File a report ASAP at the nearest ranger station.

DUI

1. This is a very serious crime (as if you need to be told this)
2. This applies to art car driving as well.
3. Art cars (and any other vehicles) - booze must be in a compartment separate from driver and out of the reach of the driver.

OTHER LEGAL ISSUES

1. Urination and defecation on the playa is a violation of federal regulations. You may be issued a ticket that will cost you hundreds of dollars.
2. Driving on playa is a crime in violation of the rules of BM
3. LEO are watching to ticket anyone that drives across playa during the event (includes Sunday and possibly Monday after temple burn). They will also harass and search you.
4. ANY CRIME CAN RESULT IN A SEARCH AND LOTS OF HASSLE.

In Camp Safety

1. WRISTBANDS - NO STRANGERS IN CAMP. SPEAK UP, ASK IF YOU CAN HELP THEM, ETC
2. Your guests are YOUR responsibility. Anyone that comes into your space should be trusted by you, and should be watched.
3. Guests are not camp members just because you are fucking them.
4. LOCK AND SECURE YOUR SHIT (especially during man burn)

CONSENT IS SEXY - DON’T BE TOO TRUSTING

1. Marianna and Ema are the point of contact for any concerns about consent. They will be giving a workshop at the next meeting to help everyone understand how to navigate this issue and provide some practical tools in this area.
2. Consent goes beyond sex or sexual activities. It relates to every interaction you have. If someone says “No” or looks uncomfortable in any way, you need to respect that. This applies even to things that you may think of as innocent, amusing, a joke, a hug hello etc. A boundary set must ALWAYS be respected in every way.
3. A lot of people in our community may have different backgrounds, history, and views on consent and consent culture. We tend to think that all burners are on the same page. However, this is very much not the case. One of the things that surprised me most when speaking with the rangers is how much the basic norms and behavioral expectations differ among the different regions of the Burnerverse. What is ok in Dallas may not be ok in California, and vice-versa. Therefore, when we all come together at a place like Burning Man, it is always wise to act less and communicate and think more. It is our job to ensure that we live up to the highest standards of safety.
4. It is important to remember that not everyone is poly, not everyone views sexuality, nudity, etc the same way. Many people in this camp are also part of the sex, fetish, kink, poly whatever scene. However, we are not a sex camp. Please make sure that you are respecting other people’s beliefs and other people’s relationship choices - just as you want them to respect yours.
5. There will be no tolerance in our camp. If someone makes you unsafe (no matter who it is), please come forward to the leadership.
6. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SAFE SPACE. Violations have happened in EVERY arena, parties, BM, regional burns, house parties, etc. Always assume that no space is safe for you to just let your guard down and be unaware of any danger etc.
7. Stay aware and alert and trust nobody
8. Speak up on your behalf and on behalf of others. We all tend to err on the side of radical inclusion and on the side of apologizing for people’s behavior (they were too drunk, too high, misread signs etc). That is nice and all, but misplaced compassion is cruelty. If you are making space for someone to hurt someone else, you are part of the problem and being cruel to the victims.
9. Protect each other - if you are unsure, ask the person who may be in trouble.
10. No means no, until THEY approach YOU and indicate a change of mind. Pressuring or continued asking is NOT OK.
11. You need to ask. And you need to get a yes. Not a maybe, not silence. A real Yes. IF THERE IS ANY DOUBT, DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE THAT THE OTHER PARTY IS IN A STATE OF MIND WHERE THEY CAN MAKE PROPER DECISIONS, STOP AND WAIT AND COMMUNICATE CLEARLY AT A LATER DATE WHEN THEY ARE MORE AWARE. SERIOUSLY.
12. Always be aware of your relationship with someone, your previous conversations and arrangements, and their level of sobriety. If you just met someone, or have never been sexual with them before, you need a very high level of clear consent and sobriety. Better to err on the side of safety and compassion, and not engage with a situation where judgement and awareness may be impaired, than to possibly put someone in a position of having an experience they are not comfortable with.

Underage drinking

1. Be aware of undercover agents looking to bust camps for this
2. This results in very large fines for you AND for the camp

Trip to and from

1. Speeding will cost. Accidents kill and maim. The roads to BM are very dangerous, and filled with large vehicles driven by people who are not used to them. Do not pass people.
2. On request, show police officers your driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance.
3. Same search requirements apply (probable cause or ask for consent from you, and ask if you are being detained etc)
4. If you're given a ticket, you should sign it; otherwise you can be arrested. You can fight the ticket in court later.
5. Nevada law allows an officer to use reasonable force to obtain fluid/breath samples to test for DUI. So give the sample if asked for it.
6. Gate Road - there has been a shift lately away from raiding camps, and more towards stopping people on the way in. Lately there has been a huge gauntlet of LEO pulling people over as much as possible for any reason. DONT GIVE THEM ANY REASON. CHECK ALL VEHICLE LEGAL DETAILS, LICENSE PLATE NOT BLOCKED BY BIKES, THINGS TIED PROPERLY, ETC. NO OPEN CONTAINERS.
7. Erratic Driving is grounds to be pulled over
8. GATE ROAD IS STILL A ROAD, NOT BM. NO DRINKING OR OPEN BEVERAGES.
9. Make sure nobody in your car has something which can be detected or which can cause you problems (remember that paraphernalia is a crime)