2007 gathering news articles here.

so heres the first one i found..

it says there are already 2000 people on the land?? sounds like a high estimate to me..

http://www.4029tv.com/news/13548358/detail.html

 

Thanks for posting the link HHB.

yeah, 2000 sounds high...I read 300 in one e-mail, 1500 in another... I'm not even sure how these people do their guess-timations

 

Not that I think this article's worthy, but isn't this the kind of thing that should be saved to the Group page? Maybe we can find some articles from previous Gatherings?

 

"Police called the group "unconventional" and said they are preparing businesses and residents for any possible criminal element that might accompany such a large gathering. "

that whole part pissed me off

 

Yeah, I was trying to figure out how the article feature worked in the group but it was confusing...it listed articles from all over HipForums. & I'm still having a bug issue with the 'links' feature. Could someone else check the top welcomehome link & see if it goes to welcomehome? I put the bottom link in as a substitute until the bug gets worked out but maybe it's a bug in my browser or something.

Any volunteers to dig up last years articles? cuz building an article archive from what was posted last year (and other years) would be too cool.

 

Here's a link to a bunch of articles from last year:

http://www.hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169364

If anyone sees news articles about this year, then please post the article or at least a link.

 

that group shit is useless, i said it when the discussion started about it.. but now yall got it,, a useless pain in the ass page linked to here..
have fun tryin to do what ya wanna do with it.. as for me,, ill keep postin my shit here..

love n light

 

Maybe it is useless. But Hippies are like a pack of Monkeys. Throw a Strange Thing in among a pack of Monkeys, and they'll poke it with sticks, and throw feces at it, and yell at it, and if the Strange Thing refuses to go away, then one of them will pick it up and start to play with it, then another of them will try to steal it, and there will be a big ol' fight, and after much chaos and confusion, then they decide if it's useful, or dangerous, or worthless.

 

lol I mostly like the photo group gallery feature...it'll be cool if folks upload their pics to share, won't have to search down several galleries that way....but I still come to the forum page first to find out what's happening. The calender could be useful if someone can figure out how to work it; the link page too...

Hey anyone know if the waterin'hole is still up? It was nice finding their posts on agr cuz they have links to many articles once the media starts nawing on the Family

By the way, the Fort Smith news announced the Gathering last night.

 

http://www.4029tv.com/video/13556070/index.html

 

i love the "the members are scheduled to be in the woods till mid july" closing..

so what time do we all take a shit???

 

420 sychronized shitting its gonna be an olympic event someday
biggest pile wins

 

Is that from Soaring Eagle's link?

 

yep thats the one...

 

<sigh> the dial-up makes it too hard to watch video. HHB do y'all ever save the video stuff you've seen about Rainbow? (I've been having one of those weird one thing leads to another months & last week I was told that me'n'JuJu were 'heir' to some old Rainbow pics which a brother we were very close to took & this morning, another bro mentioned that he had some archival info from TX'88 & so do we...which led to the Rainbow archives in Sante Fe. Plus there was the wonderful scan of the '87 Howdy Folks that a sis posted in her gallery...just riding the universal wave, I guess )

 

the rainbow tribe is an "environmental group"? that is what it says in the article. i was under the impression that it was for a more all encompasing world peace and harmony, which would include the environment, i suppose. am I wrong here (sorry, new) or are they?

p.s. am very sad i cannot go, but there is no way i can go to arkansas.:sniff1: i'll send good thoughts, though!

 

Little sis, some folks think we're an environmental group, and some people think we're a protest group, and some folks think we're a spiritual group, and I don't think we're too sure ourselves, sometimes. Is a Swiss Army Knife a corkscrew or a pair of pliers?

 

Harrison Daily Times

http://www.zwire.com/site/?brd=1815&pag=461&dept_id=516928&newsid=18507834&rfi=15

Rainbow Family gathers
By JAMES L. WHITE, Times Staff jamesw@commpub.com
06/22/2007




Staff Photo/James L. White
Ed "Dogman" Slook of Taos, N.M., is a member of the Rainbow Family who had arrived at Fallsville earlier this week.


FALLSVILLE - If you have a bellybutton you could be a member of the Rainbow Family.
Members of the group are camped in the Ozark National Forest near Fallsville for their annual gathering and they say all people are welcome in the Family.
Although rumors abound in Newton County about habits of drug and alcohol use and abuse, civil disobedience and public nudity, an unofficial spokesman for the group said most members of the Family have only one goal: peace.
And almost no one will disagree with that
But not everyone agrees either.
'Warriors of the Rainbow'
The Rainbow Family has a Web site, www.welcomehome.org, but it's called "unofficial."
"It is longstanding Rainbow Family consensus that nobody has ever, or ever will represent the Rainbow Family," the site says.
The site continues by saying the Rainbow Family is the "largest non-organization of non-members in the world," and that members are "into intentional community building, non-violence, and alternative lifestyles."
Many of their traditions are based on Native American traditions and members have committed themselves to caring for the planet.
"We also believe that peace and love are a great thing, and there isn't enough of that in this world," the Web site proclaims.
The Family gathers annually in a national forest to pray for peace, the site says, but it also quotes a Native American prophecy that states:
"When the earth is ravaged and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, and who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. They will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow."
'They're just doing routine stops'
Rainbow Family members began arriving in the Ozark National Forest within the last few days. Wednesday, a Daily Times reporter went to where they were camped.
Numerous law enforcement officials stood by on Highway 16/21 outside Fallsville and for miles in either direction to make sure everything was going well, officials said.
Denise Ottaviano, U.S. Forest Service information officer out of Albuquerque, N.M., spoke to the Daily Times from Fort Smith where she is stationed during the Rainbow gathering.
She said Rainbow events often attract as many as 10,000 to 25,000 members from all parts of the country.
Those members can have "a large impact" on the forest and surrounding communities, she said. So, the Forest Service developed the National Incident Management Team (NIMT) to "manage the impacts of Rainbow Family national gatherings," a press release said.
Ottaviano said officers come from all over the country to follow Rainbow Family gatherings.
Drivers in the area are stopped often, especially ones who drive on or off the Forest Service road that leads the two miles to the main camping area.
Drivers who ask why they were stopped are told that officers are making sure everything is all right and to make sure law enforcement officers aren't under surveillance themselves.
"They're just doing routine stops," Ottaviano said, adding that officers are making sure all attendees are safe and for general public safety.
Some officers have dogs trained to search for drugs, she said.
Wednesday, at the beginning of the road to the campsite, a young man sat on the side of the highway while a Forest Service officer talked to him and another videotaped the scene.
Just ahead, three other young people stood beside a vehicle with New Jersey license plates talking with two more officers and a third officer searched baggage apparently pulled from the car.
An officer on the scene Wednesday afternoon said one reason for such tight security is because the "Rainbows" hadn't secured a permit from the government to hold a large gathering of people on public land.
Ottaviano confirmed that, saying groups of 75 or more are required to secure a permit for a gathering of any kind so Forestry officials can help them find a proper campsite while not disturbing "archaeological sites."
But the Rainbows, "as is customary," haven't gotten such a permit, Ottaviano said, although Forestry officials are still trying to work with them on locations.
But it might be too late.
'It's a workshop'
Rain had been falling at Fallsville for a couple of days and more than a hundred Rainbows were already setting up camp this week struggling through mud and standing water.
Pitching tents and warming food over campfires, most of the Rainbows declined to be photographed due to the mud and muck. One man named Val said the pictures wouldn't translate well.
But Val was willing to talk about the Family.
For one thing, Val explained that the Family isn't just one large group. He said members of like-minded groups comprise what is collectively known as the Rainbow Family.
What they share in common is being outcasts in the cities, as well as a love of nature, acting as "stewards of the woods," he said.
They come from all walks of life. Some are addicts coming to get away from the temptations that might cause them to use. Some are seeking spirituality.
Val, who also studies sociology and is a woodworker, said, "I don't know why most of them come."
But he continued by explaining the main purpose is to pray for peace. The actual gathering is July 1-7, with the main day of prayer set for July 4. On that morning, he said, the entire camp will be silent as members pray.
The remainder of the time will be spent studying nature. They will have a chance to use woodland experts to explain what is growing in the woods can and can't be eaten. There will be other people studying spirituality and any other matters that surround such a topic.
"It's a lesson," Val said. "It's a workshop."
Some people have estimated as many as 25,000 Rainbows might attend. Val calls that unrealistic and puts the estimate closer to 7,000 at most, 5,000 at least.
Val said some people think the Family is gathering to relive the flower power days of the 1960s, but that's not the case.
He pointed out that many of those attending were young, born in the late '70s or early '80s, and were bringing their children with them.
Some of the men have long hair and beards, while others are clean shaven and have short hair. Dread locks are popular among both men and women. Many carry guitars, violins or musical instruments of other kinds.
But not all of them are young.
Ed "Dogman" Slook of Taos, N.M., had just arrived at the campsite Wednesday afternoon. He explained that he went on his first peace march in Washington, D.C., as the war in Vietnam raged.
He said the Family is almost exclusively peaceful. But even at that, there are some members, as in any large group, that come to the gathering for other reasons.
For instance, "Camp A" is largely segregated from the main group. Those people, he said, are the drinkers among the Family and they stay where they are.
But the rumors surrounding the gathering are a partial concern to Family members and law enforcement as well.
Isolated incidents
Some people have said Rainbows are known for raiding gardens and stealing and slaughtering cattle for food. But the Forest Service's Ottaviano says that's not accurate.
Ottaviano did say there are isolated incidents with certain Rainbows when they interact with local residents.
She said there is a vast cultural difference between many of the Rainbows and other people, so some confrontations can occur.
In addition, there have been some isolated incidents of loitering or trespassing, but they aren't that common.
Val said there is an alleged incident from a 1984 Rainbow gathering in which one of the Family members got into an altercation with people in a grocery store. The Rainbow was accused of urinating on the fresh produce in the store.
Val said he isn't even sure that happened, but it's one of the incidents authorities bring up to locals every time the Family gathers.
He said one high-ranking law enforcement official from Washington, D.C., visited a community where the Rainbows were set to gather and told the people there they should lock up their doors and hide their children.
Val said that was totally inaccurate, but it's the kind of thing that follows the Rainbows wherever they go.
Still, not everyone is scared to have the Rainbow Family around.
'They don't understand them'
Elizabeth Moak lives at Fallsville. She said the Family hasn't been any trouble for her.
"I'm enjoying watching them go by," Moak said. "Some of the buses are artwork."
Some of the Rainbows stop and ask for directions and have been easy to get along with.
"I haven't seen any of them who are rude or anything," Moak said.
What she fears is that there might be trouble with local people who might want to start trouble with the Rainbows.
She said a group of loggers came into the Fallsville store one day last week when it was raining and they couldn't work.
One of the loggers said something vulgar to a group of Rainbows sitting together. The Rainbows all stood together, although they made no threatening gestures and the logger took notice.
"And he left," Moak said.
Added law enforcement presence doesn't bother Moak either.
She said one woman was complaining that she didn't dare carry her customary cooler of beer in her pickup to drink while she was driving because she was afraid of getting stopped. And she could no longer let her 5-year-old daughter ride in the bed of the truck.
Moak also said the people who drive vehicles without license plate or those who have suspended driver's licenses are now getting rides from other people or allowing someone else to drive.
She also said she knows of one individual who has taken to walking everywhere by going through the woods, not on the highway.
Moak admits there are people around the area who don't welcome the Rainbows, but she has a couple of ideas on that subject.
For instance, many locals go to the forest where the Rainbows are camped to "drink and party," so there could be some animosity there.
In addition, "because they are hippies and a lot of people are scared of them," there is automatic suspicion, Moak said.
And some people could mistake the Rainbows for "tree huggers" or environmentalists that are coming to the area to disrupt the logging industry or disturb the local way of life.
"I think it's that they don't understand them and they're expecting trouble," Moak said. "But I am really enjoying them."
Shirley Sims is owner/proprietor of the store at Compton. She said some of the Rainbows had been passing through and had stopped.
"The one's that were here were nice," Sims said.
Emma Griffith was at the store last Wednesday. She said one young man was extremely polite when he came through.
"And he rode his bicycle all the way from Kansas to get here," Griffith said.
Sims said she expects no trouble out of the gathering.
"I feel like the Sheriff's Office is going to take care of us," she said.
'Taking all precautions'
Newton County Sheriff Keith Slape said his department is working with the Forest Service to patrol the area as much as possible.
And, given Fallsville's location near the border of both Johnson and Madison counties, those two departments are helping out as well.
He said they will soon set up a command post near the forest and man it 24 hours a day, adding that his officers probably will be able to work all the overtime they want.
Slape admits there hasn't been much trouble out of the Rainbows.
"Right now, there's been some isolated incidents, but we're trying to safeguard to keep anything from happening," Slape said. "We're just taking all precautions."
Slape said that although there are three individual camps that authorities keep an eye on, he thinks it should be fairluy peaceful.
"The majority of them are good people," Slape said.


©Harrison Daily Times 2007

 

Wow How Cool!!!!! We did the '91 Peace Vigil in Austin with Dogman (bro in pic).

 

He's another one I hadn't seen for a few years. I'd always thought of him as being more east coast than "from Taos". Maybe that's why I haven't seen him for a while? Perhaps he bought some land out on The Mesa next door to all them other grouchy old farts, and has been busy digging in?