> The following document, written by the press crew, was presented at
> the 2008 New Mexico Thanksgiving Council by two wonderful elders; it
> received positive response. It's been slightly modified. Please scroll
> to the bottom to see jobs to be filled for this year. They'll be done
> by many people to prevent burnout.

> Rainbow press crew: Goals for the Future and What’s Up

> What is the Rainbow press crew?

> The Rainbow press crew is a group of passionate volunteers who have
> committed time and energy to keeping our family safe in a new way. Its
> goal is to eliminate police harassment at peaceful Rainbow gatherings
> by getting mainstream media cameras there before the harassment and
> attacks occur. It is hoped that the presence of these types of cameras
> will deter the police from behaving inappropriately. When the next
> incident happens, we need the world to see it. This harassment needs
> to be prevented by entering reports of these attacks into the court of
> public opinion once and for all.

> The press crew started because the tactic of increased and persistent
> police harassment succeeds to completely squelch events. An example is
> the New York Critical Mass Bike Ride. Like Rainbow, it's a recurring
> nonviolent event that focuses on exercising our right to peaceably
> assemble on public land. In 2004, upwards of 5,000 were in attendance.
> Then a steady police harassment campaign began which deterred people's
> interests in coming out, and in three years, by 2007, attendance
> dropped to mere dozens. Some think this may also happen to Rainbow
> being that we're 3/4ths down in numbers.

> The press crew was launched after the tasering of Family members at
> gatherings followed by the FS's recent purchase of 700 Tasers ( http://www.docuticker.com/?p=18223) and their subsequent poor training
> ( http://www.fs.fed.us/im/directives/fsm/5300/5380.doc) ( http://www.fs.fed.us/im/directives/fsh/5309.11/5309.11_50.doc) on the use of
> these deadly weapons. Just last year the FS informed the Family that
> they would be outfitted with them at the WY Gathering.

> What we do at gathering time

> •On site volunteers jot down a report/summary of the day’s events,
> type it up and print 7 copies
> •Info sends signed up after-dinner runners to pick up the copies,
> bring them to the road and divvy them out into cars already leaving
> the gathering
> •Copies sent to town are called in to the voice mail of an off site
> volunteer that night
> •Off site volunteers transform this report into a good press release
> and send it to media contacts
> •Off site volunteers make follow up calls to media outlets (a common
> practice expected by the media), stressing that the most accurate
> story is “at the gathering” and “we can't speak for Rainbow”
> •At the gathering a media check-in/parking area is established and
> tours of the site are offered at noon each day. Tour guides are
> entertaining and inform gatherers that cameras are coming into the
> area. These media escorts also have radios to be notified as to when
> to bring the cameras to an incident

> We'd like the media to see all the great stuff going on at the
> gathering. We want them to see the beautiful children, hear the
> singing, smell the smells of the kitchens, and feel the good
> intentions.

> What we did

> We collected videos, documents, quotes, etc. for the press. We
> manifested a list of 163 media outlets (both mainstream and
> alternative) and a website. We set up a phone line and got a printer
> and driver DVDs on site. We sent out press releases and followed up
> with phone calls to all of the TV stations on the list. Reports came
> in from folks who'd left the gathering, and more press releases went
> out.

> We were mentioned ( http://www.pinedaleroundup.com/
> V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=&story_id=719 ) in a Pinedale, WY
> newspaper. Dr. Niman (who wrote the book, People of the Rainbow)
> referenced ( http://artvoice.com/issues/v7n29/getting_a_grip) and
> linked to one of our press releases in an article he wrote about the
> Kid Village incident which was published in Artvoice, a Buffalo, NY
> newspaper. And a Denver, CO cable TV program ( http://blip.tv/search?
> q=Rainbow+press+crew&x=0&y=0 ) called Common Sense did a show
> interviewing Rainbow guests that aired over a dozen times to an
> audience of over 60,000.

> Many folks committed to volunteering with the press crew. Those who
> followed through did a great job, and many are back on board (we're
> still waiting to hear back from some) to help protect the New Mexico
> ('09) national from attack. Those who didn't follow through consisted
> of on site volunteers.

> What didn't happen

> At the WY Gathering last year there was no media check-in area and
> reports didn’t go out from the land, even though there was cell
> service on site behind front gate. No calls were made to the waiting,
> off site volunteers until bad stuff happened. By then it was too late
> to get the mainstream cameras in to help protect the Family. Some
> folks didn't take it seriously. One opinion about sending reports out
> before an attack was, “making daily phone calls when little is
> happening is useless.”

> This inaction was mostly due to folks plugging in the way they usually
> do to ensure the survival of that particular gathering. That same
> 'ole, same ole' is proving detrimental to our mere existence. How are
> we investing so that future gatherings will still happen and will be
> safe two years from now?

> What we need to happen

> There is a parking crew, there is a water crew and now there is a
> press crew. The off site crew is established. The media list keeps
> growing.

> The Family needs on site volunteers, now more than ever, if for no
> other reason than to prevent the following quote from becoming a
> reality next month in NM. Regarding the Kid Village Incident at the WY
> Gathering, top LEO John Twiss said, “When you're throwing a rock at
> somebody's head, you're potentially looking at hurting somebody
> seriously or killing them. Our officers certainly could have been
> looking at using deadly force, but they didn't.” -Billings Gazette,
> July 8, 2008. ( http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/07/08/
> news/wyoming/31-rainbowfamily.txt ) This statement is outright spooky,
> but it's also a chilling example of how the FS sends lies to the press
> about our behavior, so it makes sense for us to send reports to the
> press about their behavior.

> Also, a court document ( http://www.free-assembly.org/gather/
> courtstorms/ar07-ozark/us-v-wirtshafter/hrg-transcript-5jy07/view )
> was sent to the press crew which transcribes the head of the ICT Gene
> Smithson who swore under oath when questioned that “Every year we are
> – we are going to be recertified in it (crowd control),” and added,
> “every officer on the team had” received re-certifying training
> credits in crowd control dispersal while they were at the Arkansas '07
> Gathering. Therefore they probably believe that training on us is just
> one of their job duties so it must be totally OK to do.

> Should we take it to court? Been there. Even when we win, the FS keeps
> doing whatever it wants. And we only have three lawyers, and they
> already work year round on helping the Family.

> Finally, our own cameras are not enough. Last May, a Philly cop riot
> ( http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/05/97248.shtml) captured by TV
> news cameras resulted in the immediate firing of at least five
> officers within two weeks of the incident. That's instant
> accountability vs. stagnant YouTube videos and pending court cases.

> The only cog left to turn this machine is finding on site volunteers
> who'll do their part so that the off site volunteers may provide the
> press with consistent, enticing, credible and professional press
> releases to balance out what the FS is feeding them. Be a small part
> of our big crew!

> AWESOME ONSITE PRESS CREW POSITIONS TO BE FILLED

> * Gatherers of On Site Volunteers via signs, announcements at dinner,
> etc.

> * Coordinators of After-Dinner Runners via sign-up sheet kept by Info
> workers

> * Many After-Dinner Runners to take turns finding responsible drivers/
> callers on the road heading out (a good job for folks new to Rainbow)

> * Accurate Info Collectors and Daily Summary Writers

> * Typists and Printer-outers of 7 copies a day

> *Tour Guides/TV Camera Media Escorts...borrow radios until we can buy
> them for you!

> *Road campers excited to have part of their camp serve as the Media
> Check-In/Parking Area

> If you are considering helping and can commit, please contact
> <rpcrew09 at gmail.com>

> The salary is good karma. Here's our first call out from last year and
> some FAQs ( http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Alt/
> alt.gathering.rainbow/2008-07/msg00005.html ). And here's a website
> ( http://mobilebroadcastnews.ning.com/profile/presscrew) of sorts,
> mostly for press to view old press releases from (it's being migrated
> over to a new site soon and eventually with a new graphic); hear one
> of our favorite songs there!

> Please forward