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"One of the most peaceful and long running festivals in the country". If you don't count rape. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-pinto/burning-man-rape_b_1

by glibgil 13y ago

"One of the most peaceful and long running festivals in the country". If you don't count rape. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-pinto/burning-man-rape_b_1897689.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-pinto/burning-man-rape...

IvyMike 13y ago
Exactly which festivals do better?
- spiritplumber 13y ago
  Wacken Open Air, I'd guess. Been twice, never a problem. The second time a friend of mine who made his way there independently and who would come back home with me said that the police even returned his weed when he said he was going to WOA. Then again I guess Germans got over authoritarianism around sixty years ago.
  - lostlogin 13y ago
    By the easterly folk might have been over it, but weren't rid of them for a few more decades.
  - hnha 13y ago
    guess why Germany has such strong privacy laws :)
kemayo 13y ago
Given the lack of information in that article beyond a single anecdote, we have no idea how common rape is at Burning Man. However, rapes occurring wouldn't preclude it from being "one of the most peaceful .. festivals"; it merely has to be better than most of the others for that to be true. (I have no idea whether it is true. Never been.)
- larrys 13y ago
  Agree. Anytime you have large groups of people (in certain circumstances) things are going to happen. As you noted w/o statistics it's hard to draw a conclusion as far as the risk. Similar to when you hear about things happening on cruise ships. They do but statistically chance is extremely small. Also things like this: "Reno. Joseph Pred, Burning Man's Emergency Services Operations Chief confirmed, "Rape kits do not exist in Black Rock City. Forensic exams are incredibly complex issues that have to do with the court system and are not something that is really easily taken on. In Northern Nevada, there is only one facility that does that type of exam." I found this curious, so I contacted a hospital in Northern Nevada and asked if rape kits were only done in specific facilities. A charge nurse in the ER said that when a person is brought in for rape, they are instructed by law enforcement to conduct a special exam and it can be done in any hospital in Northern Nevada." So we have one person saying one thing and another person saying another thing. At least the person making the first comment is named. The 2nd is just "charge nurse in the ER".
- chinpokomon 13y ago
  I'm a BRC Ranger. I can't comment on anything that happens on Playa, but the thing to keep in mind is that BRC is a city. If it happens in your home town, it happens there too. We take incidents such as rape very seriously. Any sexual assault, domestic violence, or unwanted assault, we will work with law enforcement and contact the appropriate authorities. Participants should feel safe. If a participant wants to feel danger, there are plenty of ways that can legally happen too, if that is the desire of the participant. Sexual assault is not a gray area though. It is something the event absolutely goes out of the way to protect the victim. If you feel that you are the victim of sexual assault, please find a BRC Ranger and let one of us know.
- chinpokomon 13y ago
  I'm a BRC Ranger. I can't comment on anything that happens on Playa, but the thing to keep in mind is that BRC is a city. If it happens in your home town, it happens there too. We take incidents such as rape very seriously. Any sexual assault, domestic violence, or unwanted assault, we will work with law enforcement and contact the appropriate authorities. Participants should feel safe. If a participant wants to feel danger, there are plenty of ways that can legally happen too, if that is the desire of the participant. Sexual assault is not a gray area though. It is something the event absolutely goes out of the way to protect the victim. If you feel that you are the victim of sexual assault, please find a BRC Ranger and let one of us know.

by glibgil 13y ago

IvyMike 13y ago

Exactly which festivals do better?

spiritplumber 13y ago
Wacken Open Air, I'd guess. Been twice, never a problem. The second time a friend of mine who made his way there independently and who would come back home with me said that the police even returned his weed when he said he was going to WOA. Then again I guess Germans got over authoritarianism around sixty years ago.
- lostlogin 13y ago
  By the easterly folk might have been over it, but weren't rid of them for a few more decades.
- hnha 13y ago
  guess why Germany has such strong privacy laws :)

kemayo 13y ago

Given the lack of information in that article beyond a single anecdote, we have no idea how common rape is at Burning Man. However, rapes occurring wouldn't preclude it from being "one of the most peaceful .. festivals"; it merely has to be better than most of the others for that to be true. (I have no idea whether it is true. Never been.)

larrys 13y ago
Agree. Anytime you have large groups of people (in certain circumstances) things are going to happen. As you noted w/o statistics it's hard to draw a conclusion as far as the risk. Similar to when you hear about things happening on cruise ships. They do but statistically chance is extremely small. Also things like this: "Reno. Joseph Pred, Burning Man's Emergency Services Operations Chief confirmed, "Rape kits do not exist in Black Rock City. Forensic exams are incredibly complex issues that have to do with the court system and are not something that is really easily taken on. In Northern Nevada, there is only one facility that does that type of exam." I found this curious, so I contacted a hospital in Northern Nevada and asked if rape kits were only done in specific facilities. A charge nurse in the ER said that when a person is brought in for rape, they are instructed by law enforcement to conduct a special exam and it can be done in any hospital in Northern Nevada." So we have one person saying one thing and another person saying another thing. At least the person making the first comment is named. The 2nd is just "charge nurse in the ER".
chinpokomon 13y ago
I'm a BRC Ranger. I can't comment on anything that happens on Playa, but the thing to keep in mind is that BRC is a city. If it happens in your home town, it happens there too. We take incidents such as rape very seriously. Any sexual assault, domestic violence, or unwanted assault, we will work with law enforcement and contact the appropriate authorities. Participants should feel safe. If a participant wants to feel danger, there are plenty of ways that can legally happen too, if that is the desire of the participant. Sexual assault is not a gray area though. It is something the event absolutely goes out of the way to protect the victim. If you feel that you are the victim of sexual assault, please find a BRC Ranger and let one of us know.
chinpokomon 13y ago
I'm a BRC Ranger. I can't comment on anything that happens on Playa, but the thing to keep in mind is that BRC is a city. If it happens in your home town, it happens there too. We take incidents such as rape very seriously. Any sexual assault, domestic violence, or unwanted assault, we will work with law enforcement and contact the appropriate authorities. Participants should feel safe. If a participant wants to feel danger, there are plenty of ways that can legally happen too, if that is the desire of the participant. Sexual assault is not a gray area though. It is something the event absolutely goes out of the way to protect the victim. If you feel that you are the victim of sexual assault, please find a BRC Ranger and let one of us know.