involving the arrest of some Rainbow Folks, the law enforcement officers being surrounded by an Om Circle, and then the firing into the crowd by LEOs of some sort of projectiles while the LEOs exited the site.
This information was gathered from an Internet radio show called We The People Radio Network. The show can be found here:
http://mp3.wtprn.com/Kelton08.html
The show has a pair of co-hosts, one in the studio and one calling in from on site. The show is
broken up into two parts, Hour 1 and Hour 2.
12 minutes into Hour 1 you can hear Rob Savoye telling the studio co-host about a tasering
incident on the road when he actually gets the call that there is a "riot" going on at Kiddie
Village and he leaves the satellite phone.
The on site co-host seems to follow him to KV as the show moves to another topic for awhile. Later in Hour 1, they cut back to the on site co-host who is handing the phone off to witnesses of the event who tell what they experienced. Hour 2 has quite a few witnesses talking about what they saw.
The gist of the event seems to be that an arrest of between 3 and 5 people was happening near or in Kiddie Village just before dinner circle. Rainbow folks came and surrounded the arresting officers who began to feel threatened. More and more Rainbows arrived at the incident as word spread.
In an attempt to exit with their arrested people, they first began shooting into the ground with
what appeared to be machine guns (but were not). When people began putting themselves between the officers and where the kids were, and did not back down or disperse, the LEOs began shooting into the arms and chests of the Rainbows. They did this as they exited up the hill, and down a path off site.
It is not clear what, exactly, was being shot from those guns. It has been described as "pepper spray pellets" and also as "rubber bullets".
In the Forest Service press release, it is stated that Rainbows first began throwing rocks and
sticks at the officers. Their statement can be found here:
There was apparently lots of video taken of the incident and names and statements of witnesses are being collected.
16 comments:
So, the folks were shielding children instead of tossing rocks and sticks? Me thinks the truth lies somewhere inbetween...
Right.
Or both are the truth.
The July THIRD episode is the one with the witness accounts, just so that is clear.
It looks like the July 4th episode was recorded before the gathering took place.
If you are all about Peace and truth then why did the Pinedale PD admit to letting people go after arresting them on felony drug charges??? Yeap they are taking the drugs and letting the rainbows go because they say they don't have enough room to house everyone they would have to arrest so to me this is just a free ride for Youth to abuse drugs and it leaves parents like me to send our kids to rehab and no one to answer for encouraging this insane Bull shit
The use of crowd control tactics may require the development and implementation of LEO control tactics. (BTW, the First Amendment protects political expression - which this IS.)
It may be angering but we need to remeber to stay as peaceful as possible. If we forget that then gathering for peace is pointless.
^^^
I agree, The gatherings will not, and should not, exist if they are simply a place for people to party and say "FUCK THE POLICE".
I just got back, had a great time, but just wish more people were there to simply experience the magic of the gathering, as opposed to simply party.
War against the police will never end well.
But the police were out of line. Things are complicated.
ahhh not good how the media is portraying the ordeal. to the anonymous guy who thinks his kids will become crackheads if they go to a rainbow gathering there's a world of difference between what people classifiy as "hard" and "soft" drugs. As William S. Burroughs roughly said in his anti-hard drugs book "Naked Lunch": people create religions around Payote and Sacred Mushrooms. But there are no religions created around Junk.
I really wish that I could be there in Wyoming thanks for posting and updating on the gathering.
e
emilio,
There was LOTS of alcohol inside the center of the gathering this year. A drunk man was talking bad about rainbows during silence on july fourth.
Hearing lots of young people saying, "yo man, wanna drive to town and get some booze"
These incidents were nothing compared to the LOVE I felt all around me but, they were new experiences from my past gatherings.
I feel that the whole LEO incident created lots of negative energy in general this year in wyoming.
LOVE YOU ALL
We Love You in PA
Tune in to We the People Radio Network, the Rule of Law show with Deborah Stevens, http://www.wtprn.com/listen.shtml, this Thursday (7/10/08) at 8 p.m. CST. She will be discussing this incident and how they intend to proceed in bringing the LEO's to justice. Deborah was at the Rainbow Gathering so she has some very valuable insight into this incident. Tune in - it's a great show!
I was there with my 11 year old son. We just got home
after evacuating the site because the forest service set a
fire to try and make a "mandatory evacuation from the
site, but the fire got put out by Rainbows before it could
become a catastrophe like in Waco Texas but on a much
larger scale.
I saw the entire incident in Kid Village this year on the 3rd.
many Rainbows (maybe 200) of Rainbow gatherers rushed up to
Kid Village did so because because the call for "Shanti
Sena" (Peace Keepers) went out loudly from Kid Village to
Main Dinner Circle. There was not even 200 Rainbows at
the site of this incident. They rushed in with video
cameras and there is good footage showing what really
happened (which should be on YouTube soon) and that is,
that none of the officers where touched nor physically
accosted in any way before they opened fire with rubber
bullets and pepper balls.
There were 6 Federal LEO's.
Each had a riot weapon and was wearing bullet proof
vests. These are not Smokey the Bear rangers. These are
military trained and Department of Justice funded
stormtroopers whose agenda and directive is to harass
and menace the Rainbow Gatherings with illegal
roadblocks, searches and detainments and even cash extortions, year after year and
at every oppurtunity.
The real issue is that the feds want to shut down the
annual Rainbow Gatherings because we are upholding our
First Amendment Rights to "Peaceably assemble on public
lands." We are not only protecting these rights for us, but
for all of America (USA). The Forest Service military
trained, Anti-Rainbow Task Force will go to desperate
ends to shut down the gatherings.
This incident in Kid Village is a case of them going way
over board and in a panic (or maybe even conspiracy)
they opened fire on American citizenry who where
practicing and protecting their First Amendment Rights!
The LEO's opened fire with out any violent provocation
whatsoever. One of the LEO's was yelling "If you try and
surround us I will shoot you! Get Back!" Then he shot
warning shots in to the ground. The mothers and parents
scrambled to get all the children out of harms way.
Then the yell went out "shots fired in kid village," which
down at main meadow many only heard as "fire in Kid
Village" so many started grabbing buckets of water and
others shovels, and running up to assist in a fire
extinguishing effort, only to be shot by Rogue Law
Enforcement Officers who clearly discriminate against
Rainbows and Gatherings at any chance, and who clearly
stepped over the line by shooting 50-60 pepper ball
rounds at gatherers who where trapped and could not get
away because of the rapid accumulation of witnesses
behind them. One Brother was trying to hold people back
and calm them down when he was shot six times in the
back (no wounds in the front!) one shot went through his
arm entering his bare tricep and exiting his bicep leaving
two holes with blood pouring out the entrance wound in
the back and the exit would in the front requiring on site
medical and bandaging. The Feddies opened fire on
peaceful citizens who posed no physical threat of
violence but who had an instictive parent protecting thier children reaction. The LEO's where confronted suddenly by about
200 attendees who were rushing into the scene as
observers and witnesses only.
The Rainbows needed local
sheriffs to be on site to protect them from the blatant
aggression of the LEO's in Wyoming.
All Gatherings, for the 20 years I have attended, are
peaceful and self governed perfectly. The love and goodness are abundant. The Feddies won't allow that. The New York Times story that broke saying
"400 Rainbows surround and attack Forest Service Agents"
is just a huge media spin to prejudice the masses of
citizenry in the US against the Rainbow movement, which
is peaceful and spiritual, and 100% constitutionally legal!
The LEO's opened fire unjustly them, then immediate
spun a story out of the incident for the mass media. They
lied! Do not trust them. Come to a regional or National
Gathering for yourselves as 100's of thousands have since
1972, from around the world. The LEO's had high tech
cameras mounted on their weapons and they where man
hunting in the parking lots, arresting every person they
could find who got shot. This is a cheap and dirty trick to
keep themselves from being incriminated for extremely
abusive behavior. But I heard that the ACLU is now
involved and that there is likely a class action lawsuit in
the works already. I hope I can be a witness in court to
bring these badge wearing hoodlums (terrorists!) to
justice, asap!
I have been roadblocked, searched, and even had money
extorted from me by LEO's and corrupt local cops at
several National Rainbow gatherings over the years. These
scoundrels, pretending to be "peace officers," need to be
brought to accountability for their misdeeds and illegal
pursuits and actions against masses of gatherers who just
want to gather in the woods and collectively pray for
world peace each July 4th.
Come to a gathering yourself. I guarantee you will love it
and it will enrich your life no matter what path you are on
and you will get to see first hand the persecution we
suffer at the hands of a to well funded clandestine
military arm of the US Forest Service. Here is a link to a
video of Rainbows in Colorado using direct, non violence
action to dissolve an illegal roadblock by the LEOs who
where intimidating and searching cars as they approached
the entrance to the gathering (notice the military
weaponry ready for deployment against US citizens just
for exercising and protecting your First amendment) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hAx5G0I9mU&NR=1 .
and here is another from immediately after the Kid Village
incident this year :
http://youtube.com/watch?v=S1SL58BHBSc and here is
one of a Rainbow being illegally detained for yelling "six
up" to warn unarmed gatherers that guns and badges are
headed into camp :
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YLWfj3qd7zQ his freedom
of speech rights are violated. Ironically the detaining
officer in this video was at the kid village incident.
Believe it or not it is a female officer. I personally
witnessed her walk five feet to a brother who yelled "six
up" and poke him in the forehead, stating loudly in his
face "don't yell in my ear again!" She battered him for
exercising his freedom of speech right. He swiped her
hand off of his forehead and said "don't touch me!" then
she started reaching for her belt when I intervened,
saying forcefully, " hey, I saw you just batter him and I
am willing to testify in court on his behalf." I am a
conservative and I look it too so I think I saved him from
an illegal arrest, but at the risk of myself being illegally
arrested for "interfering."
After these rogue agents shot up kid village apparently
they went to A-Camp, where the only alcohol is allowed
and which is out of the main gathering site, as no guns,
alcohol, violence or exchange of currency is permitted on
a gathering site, and they shot up the whole camp with
their riot weapons, sending drunks and vets scattering
into the woods for safety!.
The LEO's are testing the limits of how far they can go
and get away with it. Next year, I pray that they don't use
lethal force as a last resort to try and shut down the
Rainbow Gatherings and the excercising of constitutional
rights we represent. In Michigan the Governor had to
intervene, commanding the LEO's to cease and desist all
actions against the Rainbows!
You should come and support your rights and be a
witness to their atrocities against us with your own eyes
and not through the eyes of the corrupt mass media like
the New York Times! One last link, to a video of the 4th of
July celebration that the Feds are trying to stop at any
means and cost:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dDj64IaiVdQ Pray for your
brethren and sisters. We need your help and protection
from the military armed solders in green!
I love you all!
Peace
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cV9s7rT1-iY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dDj64IaiVdQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dvpADMyjDfU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AWvmVQ8Y0KI
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-rtvFaoDYvg
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=rainbow+gathering+2008&search_type=&aq=f
We Love you
We were held back by a police roadblock the night of the 3rd and didn't get into the Gathering until midnight or so. I spent a good deal of my time there talking to people who were there and breifly with a lady who had been shot with a rubber bullet. Rubber bullets are deemed less-lethal not non-lethal weapons and firing them and pepperspray around little kids is criminal. As far as throwing rocks and sticks I doubt that happened but if it did it could have started with government agent provaceteurs much like the Seattle WTO protests. Never ever believe our government or the lickspittle lapdogs the corperate media. Remember the Iraq War!
Oh, pshaw. The government would not hire black bloc anarchist tools, have them illegally occupy a downtown building with media coverage, only to let them wreak havoc burning buildings, thus providing the excuse to shut down all other forms of protest. No, they wouldn't do that.
i was there. i saw it all. we getting ready to eat at main circle. we heard people yelling FIRE!.we thought the woods were on fire but it was the officers firing at the people in kiddie village. thats when everyone rushed over. not before. they hated us. we were on there land. people in wyoming are touchy about there land. law enforcement even more
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