spoke to myself.
Individuals 1 and 2 described the movement of a group of ten to
twelve Forest Service Leo's thru the encampment in the dark. The
officers followed a footpath to several different campfires where
people were sitting and shone bright flashlights into all the peoples
faces and eyes. When asked why this was being done sometimes the
answer was "Shut up!" and once one of they officers said they were
looking for someone. When they were asked "Who?" an officer replied,
"It's none of your business." When someone came over to them to ask
what was going on that person had weapons (pepper guns) aimed at them
and was commanded to back off. People were terrified but everyone
just put up with it. These were the same type pepper guns used at Kid
Village last July 3rd.
Individual 3 described a group of about 10 FS Leo's moving thru the
drop off area where there were many vehicles and people, loading and
unloading gear. As they came by one large white bus which was parked
there, one of the officers said he smelled marijuana. He and other FS
Leo's went into the bus. No one was on the bus, the bus owners
weren't there. They searched the whole bus. They found no contraband.
They left the bus.
Individual 4 described watching two FS Leo vehicles speed (est 45mph)
down the crowded section of FS 70 near the drop off with their lights
twirling. They stopped along the road below a small camp. They got
out of their vehicles and moved quickly up the hill to the camp.
Family came to see what was happening. The officers were telling the
people there that their camp was 'dirty' and to clean it up right
away. The people there were frightened and began rolling and folding
some material (bedding? tarp? clothes?) and the officers left. No one
still knows what that was about, except that the exact same thing
happened at welcome home/front gate, in Wyoming 2008.
Individual 5 described being stopped at a checkpoint along FS 69
three times. Once in the middle of the afternoon, he was told he was
driving without his lights on. The next time he was told he was
speeding and the next time he was told he had run a stop sign --
where there wasn't one. He never received any tickets, nor written
warning. He said he was undetered and had just taken to driving the
road with his license, registration and insurance card in his lap.
Individual 6 described being stopped at the same checkpoint and
seeing several other vehicles also stopped there. One vehicle was
stopped for failing to use their turn signal. That car was being
searched. One car was stopped - they were told - because they had a
'dirty license plate.' The officers ran dogs around the cars and said
they had positive hits for drugs. They searched the vehicles. In one
of the four vehicles there they found a small amount of marijuana and
issued a ticket for that.
I witnessed two people stopped at the checkpoint whose vehicle had
been searched. It appeared that the couple was not being issued a ticket.
These are just a few of a much larger number incidences that have
already occurred. I heard about many more, but I report here only
those where I spoke with an eyewitness participant.
People are frightened that some fool will do something foolish and we
end up with terrible results. Most people onsite think these Leo's
are just anxious for that to happen so a calamity can be precipitated
to spoil the event.
The Sandoval County Sheriffs drive by, walkabout and so do the State
Patrol. But with them it's "Hey how are you doing?" "How's your
Gathering?" "Keeping dry?" A wave and a smile and they are talking
with people who are parking volunteers, radio volunteers, C.A.L.M
(medical) volunteers, etc. getting to know these people so that if
there is some real emergency or security issue we can work together.
The FS Leo's have made no working connections with the emergency
Rainbow crews.
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