Nothing has changed... Published: June 25. 2010 1:15AM Rainbow family crowds Erie's federal courthouse to answer infractions By LISA THOMPSON lisa.thompson@timesnews.com If a member of the Rainbow family drives her car three miles per hour over the speed limit in the depths of Allegheny National Forest, does the federal government know it? Advertisement Unfortunately for driver Susan Monser, the answer is yes. Monser was one of 24 Rainbow Gathering attendees who had to leave the camping event in the Allegheny National Forest on Thursday to travel to Erie's federal courthouse to answer a citation issued by U.S. Forest Service law enforcement agents. The second floor of the courthouse was crowded with at least a dozen U.S. Forest Service officers in tan and green uniforms, as well as members of the U.S. Marshals Service, who mingled with the defendants, some of whom sported dreadlocks, multiple body piercings, tattoos and distinctive odors. Outside, a long line of green and white U.S. Forest Service sport utility vehicles were parked in front of the courthouse, in an area where parking is normally prohibited because of security concerns. Monser was found guilty of speeding after a hearing before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Susan Paradise Baxter. Monser was one of two Rainbow Gathering visitors who chose to contest her charges in a hearing. She said her car won't go the 48 mph the officer said it was clocked at. The officer said she offered him a doughnut when he pulled her over. Other defendants resolved charges -- such as simple drug possession, traffic violations or charges of interfering with officers' duties -- by pleading guilty and paying a fine. Warrants were issued for five people who failed to appear for their hearings. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshall Piccinini, the chief federal prosecutor in Erie, said it is difficult to manage any large gathering of people -- the Rainbow Gathering is expected to draw as many as 20,000 people to the forest during the event, which runs from Thursday to July 7. The group is camping in a remote area between Sheffield and Tidioute, near the Hearts Content Recreational Area. The Rainbows, a loosely organized group that gathers by the thousands in a national forest every year, have been in the Allegheny Forest twice before -- in 1986 and 1999. Each Gathering culminates with a prayer for world peace on the Fourth of July. The court proceedings held Thursday in Erie will be followed by three more days of hearings to process new violations on Tuesday, Thursday and July 8, Piccinini said. That means authorities' time won't be tied up in issuing warrants and tracking people down after they have dispersed from the event, he said. "We can resolve it while they are here," he said. "It is actually more convenient for them." Mary Rasmussen, a spokeswoman for the Forest Service, said the service is not handling cases against the Rainbows more aggressively than the last time the group was in the Allegheny National Forest. "The primary objective of our presence is to provide for the safety of the Rainbow attendees, the public and our employees." She said about a dozen Forest Service workers are "managing the incident," though she did not know how many employees the Forest Service had brought in from elsewhere. Indications were that many others have come in from other Forest Service locations throughout the country. Of the officers who testified in hearings Thursday, one, Robert Bannon, works in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. Another said he typically works in a forest in Northern California. Piccinini said a gathering that large "poses large logistical and administrative concerns that have nothing to do with who the people are who are represented." He said in any group that large, safety is a concern. He said there were two violent crimes during the gathering a year ago in New Mexico. "The right to peacefully assemble in the forest does not include the right to violate federal law," he said. Lawyers John McCall, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Don E Wirtschafter, of Athens, Ohio, traveled to Erie to provide free legal representation to the defendants who wanted it. "I care about the Rainbow family. I do not like the federal government's assault on their right to gather," Wirtschafter said. They said the government is targeting the gathering and citing people for petty offenses in an effort to scare off those who are arriving to attend the event. They said the Forest Service uses the event as a training opportunity for its officers and has budgeted up to $1 million in some years to cover the costs. Charles Pomenville, a 54-year-old carpenter from Vermont, was the second defendant to challenge the charge against him -- interference with the duties of an officer. Testimony indicated that his camper was parked along a forest road, partially on the road. When an officer asked him to move it, he said, "OK," and returned to the vehicle. The officer said he thought that meant Pomenville did not intend to follow the order, so he then opened the camper's door and ordered Pomenville to step out and to produce identification. As he ran a search on Pomenville's identification, three other officers surrounded Pomenville, who the officer said wanted to "debate everything." Eventually, Pomenville was tackled to the ground by three other officers who were on the scene. Pomenville was accused of not taking his hands out of his pockets when ordered, which the officer said was a threat to officer safety. Pomenville, who also goes by the name Peacetrain, said he contested the charges to "take one for the team." Authorities were working to resolve the case by late afternoon. Pomenville said he found it ironic to find himself in a courtroom. Attending Rainbow Gatherings, he said, "is the most peaceful thing I do in my life, and it is so opposed." Staff writer Ed Palattella contributed to this report. LISA THOMPSON can be reached at 870-1802 or by e-mail.
Blessing's to the brothers and sisters who challenge and defeat tyranny. You are protectors of freedom.
I want the real untold story on the Joshua Garret incident, red italics below. Published: June 30. 2010 1:16AM Rainbows return to federal court in Erie By LISA THOMPSON lisa.thompson@timesnews.com Legend has it a pot of gold can be found at the foot of a rainbow. The only pot of gold the Rainbow Family delivered to the federal courthouse Tuesday were the modest fines that slowly mounted as dozens pleaded guilty and agreed to pay fines for petty offenses, mostly drug-related, committed in the depths of the Allegheny National Forest. Most signed up for a payment plan. "I've got a wife and two kids," said Joshua Garret, who now owes the government $300 for disorderly conduct. His job, the 24-year-old said, is traveling the country to feed the homeless. Tuesday was day two in four days of federal court sessions specially scheduled to process petty offense violations racked up in the forest during the Rainbow Gathering, which, technically, does not begin until Thursday and is scheduled to run through July 7. The gathering, held near the Hearts Content Recreational Area, is expected to draw as many as 20,000 people. The Rainbows are a loosely organized group that gathers by the thousands in a national forest every year. The first day of court in the U.S. District Courthouse was held on June 24, and involved about two dozen Rainbows. Out of the 65 summoned Tuesday, 50 appeared. Authorities issued warrants for the remaining 15. Defendants who wanted legal representation were aided by Don Wirtschafter, an Ohio lawyer who traveled to Erie to help the Rainbows. Wirtschafter has said he feels the federal government is infringing on the Rainbows' right to gather. Other defendants talked over the charges alone with prosecutors. The crimes were all misdemeanors punishable by up to six months in prison. Officials, however, treated them as petty offenses and, so far, have not requested any jail time, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshall Piccinini, the chief federal prosecutor in Erie. He said 60 percent of the encounters between officials and Rainbows resulted in written warnings, which, he said, shows "how reasonably the officers have conducted themselves." Federal law enforcement officers, who have been brought in from across the country, are trying to manage the event in the forest, so local police can focus on their jurisdictions, Piccinini said. Federal officers have assisted four medical evacuations and one helicopter evacuation, he said. He said police in the Warren area reported that Rainbow attendees have rooted through Dumpsters, stolen from a carwash, broken into cars and damaged an automated teller machine. There were four arrests for driving under the influence and two assaults, he said. Garret, a veteran of 10 Rainbow Gatherings, said the police presence at this one was "worse here than any other." He said he felt he was arrested for asking an officer to slow down. "Are there some people that need to be arrested? For sure, just like in any city," he said. Piccinini countered that officers had approached Garret because other Rainbows had complained about him. Before he left, Garret invited the officers to his food venue, where he said they would be dining on summer sausage and baked potatoes. There were other signs of camaraderie. One law enforcement officer greeted a group of men she had apparently already met in the forest. "How are you doing?" she asked. "I'd be better if I was back in the woods," the man said. "I think we all feel that way," the forest service officer answered. "Then stop writing tickets," the man said, before a companion urged him to pipe down. LISA THOMPSON can be reached at 870-1802 or by e-mail.
I'm jones'in for a gatherin'.! I've got a van . I just need help w/green energy. Anyone needing a ride from Indiana?
:coffee: Why didn't she just flip them off? Woulda meant the same thing...disrespect. So what the hell do you fucking expect? No sympathy here... ZW
