Laughing Squid - Latest Comments in Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Shirley — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:58:25 -0000

Thank you for sticking up for my nephew. You are right on! Paul does need help, not jail! If you talk to him, tell him his Aunt Shirley loves him!

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

fishbits — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:20:40 -0000

So he is gettin' out?

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Segue Fischlin — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:23:48 -0000

I may not know Paul personally, but I do remember the Cyberbus in my neighborhood in '96. I remember the John Law prank and all of the colossal pranks that people would play on each other in the early days. To me, what Paul did on the playa was in the spirit of the event and totally appropriate. I suppose the difference is that Larry doesn't have a sense of humour and didn't want to play. The Man needed to burn early; Paul had the insane courage to pull it off. I was relieved to see a black man for the first time up there; it looked right somehow. I was disappointed that the LLC lacked the imagination to see how hypocritical they were to rebuild the Man out of virgin lumber when the theme was "Green Man," about conserving resources and recycling. They have a "Green Man" theme and don't want anybody driving, but can't stop driving internal combustion engines themselves. They are leading the way just as poorly as the politicians in the regular world. It saddens me that they seek to fuck this man up psychologically for life by putting this sensitive soul in a regular jail. Unless Larry changes his mind and realizes what he has done, I wish for him exactly as much pain in his life as he is going to cause Paul to suffer through this experience that Chicken has described.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Scott Boykin — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:11:45 -0000

I'm not an artist and don't live in San Francisco. For some reason, I became interested in this story just from reading about it, and I read and admired the statement of principles set forth on the "Burning Man" website. When I saw that a ticket to the event was $200-$300, it was immediately clear that the event has nothing to do with the alleged principles on which it is based. While the event may at one time have provided a forum for people to celebrate those principles, it is obvious that the event today is a commodity and a brand and therefore of no particular importance. Nobody needed to commit a prank, much less a serious crime, to make that point. The spectacle of a countercultural event mainstreaming itself into an ordinary business was worth my time in reading about it though, so thanks for the information.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Steve Mobia — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:50:59 -0000

Wow. I just now discovered this impassioned blog. It's definitely a cut above those in Tribe.net and other more rancorous discussions I've read. I'm very curious about who Paul Addis is (as a human being) rather than as a symbol of rebellion against "The Man" et al. This is a question for Don McCasland and others who know him. My two encounters with the guy weren't exactly positive and I didn't know he was a playwright and "performance artist" (as the papers classify him). I wish I had caught his Hunter Thompson play. Had he done other performances? Also, I'm baffled what the hell he was up to that night at Grace Cathedral? Obviously he didn't have the means to destroy the place. So what was he going to do, give a speech (using the firecrackers to attract attention)? As you know it was this incident that changed the minds of some who applauded the early burn.

An old Suicide Club and Cacophony member Bob Campbell, who never attended Burning Man until last year happened to be in the Pavilion when Addis did his deed. Here's a description he sent me of the occurrence:

"Somewhere around 3:30am or so on Monday night / Tues morning (wild
guess, no timepiece) I wandered into the pavilion for the first time
ever, carrying my djembe drum thinking I would drum a little for the
Man. When I arrived there was a small crowd of 10-15 people scattered
around the massive logs which form the base under the Man. A grey haired
Rastafarian dude was playing his didgeridoo and doing some sonic healing
with it by holding it up and playing it into a few people's chests. I
went over and got consecrated by his tones and stayed nearby to enjoy
the beautiful vibe of the space and the moment."

"The Rasta then began about 5-10 minutes of a sweet and thoughtful stream
of consciousness vibe poem about Burning Man, I don't recall the words
but I was moved and charmed at the time. There were just a handful of us
attending to him and I think all were feeling the love of the moment, I
certainly was."

"He wound up his thing, and I went a few steps over the the bench that
circled the logs and sat down to get my drum out. I decided I wanted to
play my drum with the poet's didg and was excited about the chance to
make some more magic in this space."

"The neon on the Man went dark for a very short time about this time,
then came back on. I never heard an explanation for that. "All of a
sudden" there was a series of loud popping sounds overhead. I looked up
and saw what seemed to be a dozen or two firecrackers going off at the
far end of the huge horizontal support beam under the Man. Immediately
after that there was another series of 'firecracker' events that
traveled rapidly down in a straight line on the pavilion fabric to the
ground, passing a few feet over my head."

"Uh, wow! I was a little taken aback by that, yes indeed. I think at
that point I assumed I was witnessing some kind of tech malfunction. A
few moments later somebody yelled out that there was a fire, and I
looked up and saw a small area of flame where the overhead 'firecracker'
event at been at the far edge of the beam."

"People started yelling loudly immediately to get out and I made a hasty
retreat, dropping a few things along the way. I'd guess this was all
happening around 4am, as best I could tell, but not sure. The rallying
cries to evacuate were very immediate and loud and convincing and
anybody not passed out knew it was time to get lost fast."

"Seems like it took some 10 minutes before the fire really was of
significant proportions, and emergency vehicles were arriving by then.
The rest is all in the news I guess. It was my perception that there was
lots of time to safely evacuate the structure, but I wasn't at that time
aware of people passed out etc. I guess although I was technically one
of the few directly 'endangered' by this event and not very much at
that, I have to admit the potential for serious harm was there,
especially for anybody sleeping through this who perhaps wouldn't have
been found and moved. That gives me great pause to consider."

"After hearing the big picture and talking to an acquaintance who build's
the Man's head every year (twice this year), it seems like the
'firecrackers' I saw were really lighting or pyro devices shorting out,
still not sure about that, especially why they travelled down the
pavillion skin to the ground in a straight line. weird."

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Darren Scope — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:46:04 -0000

Paul said he loves (but not necessarily likes) all of us which means never having to say you're sorry. When we truly understand, there should not be an ego need for a formal apology.

Isn't it sadly ironic how much praise Hunter Thompson is getting for 'Gonzo' -- the new film about him while Paul is being severely reprimanded for acting in such a similar way.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Dan D Lyon — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:15:38 -0000

An exit strategy...

Here's a thought on how Paul could get on parole this Nov.

Bury the fucking hatchet.

Everyone seems to agree it was a prank, right?

If he says he is sorry for the losses he caused others, that he's paid his penance, that he has no hard feelings towards anyone, and will not do any further destructive "pranks," -- if he could convey these sentiments with a modicum of lucid sanity -- I believe the parole board would give him a chance.

In the mean time if there were to be a few fund raisers and or donors to line his restitution coffer, to offer up with, or with a promise to come up with shortly after his hearing, that that might be really helpful also.

On the other hand, maybe Paul will want to stay in. Maybe he's found his calling there. Or if wasn't just a prank and he is destined to be martyred as the poster-boy for the anti-whatever jihad, then keep that hatched a-swing'n and tell the parole board where they can stick it.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

weazie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:03:36 -0000

Paul is in the Nevada DoC system:

http://www.doc.nv.gov/notis...

Paul is at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City: http://www.doc.nv.gov/nncc/...

His parole eligibility date (PED), when he's first eligible for parole, is November 24, 2008.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Pete Goldie — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:15:20 -0000

After so much self-inflicted damage, time for DAMAGE CONTROL. That means it's time for my forecast on how BM LLC/BRC LLC/Etc. LLC will handle the issue**:

1. It is a communication problem. Soon as we explain ourselves, any reasonable, dispassionate person will understand and sympathize with our actions.

2. We are the victim, innocent and defenseless, attacked without warning by a madman.

3. We had no choice, our hands were tied by the "authorities".

4. We did all we could for the perp, who, without our help, would undoubtedly gotten a longer sentence... AND, and, and, we didn't sue him!! (yet)

5. Mistakes were made. By some nameless accountant (btw: his name is Thorny).

6. Many, many people were endangered!

7. Art was destroyed!

8. Steps had to be taken to prevent a re-occurrence.

9. Did we mention that a person most certainly might have been briefly endangered and some art could have been destroyed?

10. Finally, speaking for the organization, the loyal staff and all the participants, we are delighted to put this behind us and look forward to seeing you all at the burn on Tuesday!.... 'er, 'uh,... I mean Saturday!

"Now we will take questions, but due to time constraints, we will only recognize the reporter from that paper.... yes, that one over there..., no..., not you, that one... "

"Thank you. Black Rock Gazette. Are you looking forward to the record crowd this year with even more fucking amazing art? Oh, no need to reply, I found your answer right here on the official handout. Thank you!"

-------------------------------------------------

** So this exercise is not a complete waste of time, be sure to do a shot whenever one of these talking points is repeated **

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Shatter — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:00:04 -0000

Harry, you're obviously trying to achieve new status in the cult, perhaps moving up from plebe to Acolyte. Good luck with that.

I have no doubt it seems fair and logical to you. This speaks volumes.

--S

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Wrybread — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:47:52 -0000

How does that memo from BMLLC reconcile with the post by Timothy Warren above?

I'm reposting it since it's so damn good:

"I am not normally part of this discussion. I am not from SF or Portland. I am from Pershing County — yes, I am a townie, born and bred, just like the sheep. I am currently employed with the administrative structure of the county.

I attended BM several times, back when the price of admission was less than my student loan payment. It looked like fun, it was fun, but due to my position I do not dare show up there anymore.

But if you are interested in some information from the inside, from a townie in position to know, here it is.

BM had two opportunities to close this case with less flesh off Addis’ bones. They declined. In fact, they pushed hard for maximum prosecution and maximum sentence. That’s what they got. Even some people on the legal side were surprised at the level of BM’s vengeance. They didn’t expect “the hippies” to behave that way.

The judge, as you might expect from a small town in conservative, rural Nevada, was not interested in all the self-important “cultural” arguments from either side, especially from Addis. In his statement at the sentencing hearing he followed BM’s argument that they are running a big business and that Addis caused severe damage to that business. What it boiled down to was money, and BM’s testimony leaned heavily in that direction. If they had gone a little easier in that regard Addis probably would have gotten some jail time, but not four years and a felony rap.

What you might not realize is that the case opened some old sores in this community. It played right into the hands of a small but powerful group, religious types who don’t like BM and what it stands for. The attitude I heard from one law enforcement guy after the hearing was, “Good. If they say they want tough enforcement out there, that’s what we’ll give them.” These guys are tired of your jokes about Reno 911, people. They don’t find it amusing anymore. (I went to high school with this guy. He’s not shitting around.)

If you go this year, don’t expect the guys with badges to turn their heads to a lot of what they see on the playa like they’ve done in the past. Also, this officer said “outside” enforcement agencies have been in touch regarding possible police actions for this year’s event. Politically motivated, he said. Election year and all that. He didn’t say feds, but I assume that’s what he meant. He said it could include the use of undercover agents.

I’m telling you this because I liked most of the people I met at BM: Be careful out there this year. Tell your friends. Be careful who you deal with. Be careful what you do in front of people who are not known to you. Otherwise, some of you could find yourself sharing a cell with Addis.

(PS: I’m going to try to post this on BM’s corporate site as well but I do not know if it will get past their censors.)"

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

KevinEvans — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:19:28 -0000

More info over here:

http://tribes.tribe.net/fre...

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Harry tompson — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:23:18 -0000

Shatter go get some help or a real brain. What the hell do you want? That entry by Ray Allen are lies? Seemed fair to me and to the point. With your tangents and rants and comparisons. . . You don't have a leg to stand on. As far as I'm concern, this conversation is done. Over and out.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Shatter — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:15:57 -0000

Well looks like we have Ray's official response.

I found more truth in the Bush Administrations explanation of 09.11.

Lies lies lies and propaganda.

So.. we're saying now that that's 50,000 at burning man? Awesome. That's $15mil door gross. Let's hear it for all the artists and their hard work that put on the show, that all have to buy a ticket to show off their art.

I'd also like to take the time t thank burning man inc. for all they give back to the community of artists, namely a handful of chump change art grants that is less than .5% of their door gross.

let's hear for DPW and all the people who spend weeks prepping for burning man, setting up, baby sitting, and also, have to buy a ticket to show up for work.

Please cry more about permits and portipotties. Cry more about costs. Cry more about art.

Then go blow your nose on a stack of Benjamins.

Dear Ray: Fuck you too buddy

--S

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Barhemue Tipit — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:01:14 -0000

What follows in an internal email from Black Rock LLC:

By now most of you have probably heard the news that the perpetrator
of the arson at the 2007 Burning Man event has plead guilty to the
crime of second degree arson and has been sentenced to 12-48 months in
jail, and ordered to pay restitution of $25,000 in damages to the
Burning Man Organization. Often times the news media doesn't always
give the full backstory, so we're sending additional information to
our staff because we believe that all of you who were affected by the
arson have a right to know the full story. Plus, every one of us is a
representative of the Project, and we sometimes find ourselves being
asked questions within the community about the organization's position
on issues like this one. In fact, some members of the staff have
already asked a few questions about Burning Man's role in the arson,
so we're going to address them here. Please note that this email is
being sent to staff only, and staff policies prevent cutting and
pasting work emails to other online forums. But, feel free to
communicate the information contained in this email should others in
the community inquire about the Organization's take on the outcome.

Q: What was the Burning Man Organization's role in the prosecution of
the defendant?

A: The defendant was arrested by the Pershing County Sheriff's Office
and faced charges in Nevada for First Degree Arson, Destruction of
Property and Illegal Fireworks. The prosecutor had a choice to bring a
full-blown trial and seek the maximum penalties for all of these
charges, or to accept a plea-bargain for a reduced crime with a lesser
sentence. The prosecutor advised the Burning Man Organization that he
believed a plea-bargain would be the best choice for all parties
involved--the state, the defendant and the victim. In the interests
of justice and fairness, the Burning Man Organization agreed with the
prosecutor that a lesser charge and a lighter sentence would be better
for everyone, including the defendant.

Q: What would have happened if the defendant had demanded a trial
instead of plea-bargaining?

A: The defendant could have been sentenced to nine years in jail for
first-degree arson.

Q: Could Burning Man have refused to press charges or refused to turn
over receipts to the prosecution?

A: Part of putting on the Burning Man event means maintaining good
relations with Pershing County so that we can continue to have the
Burning Man event on BLM land within that county. Good relations
means cooperating with criminal prosecutions. Refusing to press
charges for a felony arson that threatened human life would not bode
well with the government and law enforcement agencies in Nevada that
support our event. Nor would it bode well with the participants and
staff who could have been seriously injured or killed by this crime.
Plus, if the Organization had not submitted receipts the prosecution
would have subpoenaed them anyway. Finally, there was enough evidence
against the defendant for the County to prosecute without Burning Man
pressing charges.

Q: How did the Organization compute the restitution costs?

A: Once the prosecutor requested the information, the Accounting
Department compiled documentation of the following costs: lumber,
hardware, burlap, wax, fabric, neon, labor, fuel, meals, delivery
charges and heavy equipment use. Because some receipts were not
available, the Organization relied on the costs for the first build as
evidence of what the costs of the second build were. Of all the
receipts that were available the total came to a little over $30,000.
Based on the evidence submitted by the prosecution, as well as the
good points raised by the defendant's counsel, the Court felt that
$25,000 was a fair and reasonable amount.

Q: What about the cost of the artwork under the Pavilion that was
never exhibited due to the crime?

A: The total cost of the art grants and the wages of the staff who
worked so hard to get the projects on playa came to an additional
$42,000 in documented costs. However, criminal restitution only
covers materials that were actually lost. To recover these additional
costs would require bringing a civil suit for destruction of property.

Q: Is the Burning Man Organization going to pursue a civil suit
against the defendant for the additional costs that were not recovered
in the criminal sentencing?

A: No. The Organization feels that the defendant's plea bargain is a
fair and just outcome for all parties involved.

Q: So, how does the Organization feel about the sentence?

A: An organization does not have feelings, of course - only the
individual people within it do. Like all of you, and the rest of the
community, the staff and the board were diversely affected by the
premature burn, and each of us has our own human response to the
outcome. Not one of us can speak for what everyone around here feels
now that this chapter of our history ends, but we can say that we're
uniformly glad to have this crime behind us, and we're looking forward
to burning the Man together in 2008.

Ray Allen
Executive Project Manager
Black Rock City, LLC
1900 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94158-2502
(415) 865-3800 x137
<ray@burningman.com

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Harry tompson — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:34:44 -0000

..ironically, the reactions of dpw’rs to the early burn are some of the most venomous, yet they are some of the most accident prone and dangerous group who have pulled some serious stuff around people...- Spect

True. Cannot deny that. However, they are trying to tone it down a bit. May take some time.

H.T.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Harry tompson — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:08:39 -0000

Kudos to you Kevin Evans. Must've missed a few. Will go back an reread thru. Huge commentary Blog, eh?

H.T.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

spect — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:20:50 -0000

"Just because the prosecution filed charges doesn’t mean it happened. But the converse is also true: The absence of charges doesn’t indicate it never happened."

why i said i tend to lean, meaning its not completely true of false in my mind, and i am not saying that makes it alright in either case.

its this one thing that i am concentrating on to understand how people can generalize and project indignation thats obviously not at the same level of risk involved. even if it turned out to be true, considering things that i have seen at burningman for over ten years now.. art cars catching fire, drunks running over artwork, people throwing stuff in burns that explode, art car flamethworers shooting off around crowds...etc.. its true many things are unsafe, but it isnt uncommon.

yes, the danger aspect has become tame, probably elevated to safety-second or first, and maybe for good or justifiable reasons. but it still happens, yet this is one of the first times its being singled out with a huge amount of scorn.

(ironically, the reactions of dpw'rs to the early burn are some of the most venomous, yet they are some of the most accident prone and dangerous group who have pulled some serious stuff around people.)

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

wrybread — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:07:51 -0000

Eric-

Very cleverly put, but that post you're referring to also claims "The judge also asked how Paul managed to go from being an attorney to pleading on arson charges. "

Given that Paul was never charged with arson, he was charged only with destruction of property, I'm going to go ahead and assume that entire post is more alarmist bullshit.

I remember when I was at Bman while Katrina was going on, people kept talking about how other cities were now rioting too, how the whole country was going crazy. That was all just playa talk, and has the same flavor as this in my opinion.

I could be wrong though, since I wasn't at the trial either. So I'm wondering if anyone who was at the trial cares to comment?

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

KevinEvans — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:35:54 -0000

"Were any of you in the trenches of what it really takes to pull this off? I know at least one you on this blog site are" - Harry tompson

If you read through all the post, you will notice quite a few people from the first few years that started/supported & volunteered to build the event.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Harry tompson — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:16:12 -0000

Look people. He went and torched a lot of peoples work. setting a lot of things back. Anyone want to confront anyone from DPW? or the Man base crew? how about the the builders or the artists?? Do you have enough balls? If the man was on hay bails from years yonder. Sure, s o what? I would've went "Well, it finally happened." Not this time? And by the way, where were you Addis supporters during the first burn? Let's hear your actual time rather than hearsay. People talk shit. People talk a lot of rumors. Burning man is founded on people's rumors, illusions, and false info. How many times have your heard "I hear the man is smaller this year," / I hear there are secret service patrolling the area. I heard they let that guy swing in the dome tent who killed himself for days.........and so on. What knowledge or facts I should say that you have?

A couple of thousand in 1996 and smaller populations in past BM years. It is now up to 50,0000. Does anyone have any solutions on how to fund this monstrosity and keep people somewhat in line without the state and county political officials breathing down your back? Could you imagine if they let things remain the way they were since the wild years of BM. Were any of you in the trenches of what it really takes to pull this off? I know at least one you on this blog site are. And I'm not talking theme camps, oh I built this sculpture one year. I mean really fucking involved? "It's all about the money you say." Man are some of you short sighted.

The guy obviously has a streak going on with all his shenanigan shit with the law. Crazy? to be determined. Insane, no. Knew what he was doing ....yes. Others invloved. Give the man credit for being tight lipped. You face the judge. What would you do?

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Eric — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:10:47 -0000

So everything Paul said was true, unless it was meant as a joke, and then it wasn't? Like how the judge at sentencing pointed out that Paul claimed both to have cleared all the people out of the pavilion before it caught fire, and then rescued those that were (somehow) still under it after it was on fire?

http://bm.tribe.net/thread/...

Were these contradictory explanations meant to be a joke, or a metaphor?

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Wrybread — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:42:49 -0000

> But Paul, with his claim that all other Black Rock
> Intelligence operatives killed themselves after his burn,
> isn’t exactly a bastion of accuracy either.

Oh come on, he's joking. Give the guy at least some credit. Paul's being painted as pure crazy in this thread and elsewhere, but he isn't. He's super smart, super funny, and more than capable of using metaphors.

Sheesh.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

Wrybread — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:39:40 -0000

I'd have to agree, if someone was asleep under the man while it was burning, and so asleep that they had to be dragged out, we definitely would have heard about it in court. The only thing we heard about in court was destruction of property (not even arson, as some have said), no mention at all of putting people's lives at risk, as far as I know.

I really wish the LLC would stop being so damned dishonest about this. First blowing smoke about rescuing people to make Paul's actions seem worse, and then saying "their hands are tied" and they couldn't let Paul off the hook if they wanted to.

It's all so typically corporate and big business and P.R.

And I think our feeling that we can't do anything about it is also typical of what happens when big business (and big government) does shitty things in America: we're trained to be apathetic and think we can't do anything about it.

Re: Paul Addis Pleads Guilty To Damaging Property at Burning Man 2007

weazie — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:27:07 -0000

Just because the prosecution filed charges doesn't mean it happened. But the converse is also true: The absence of charges doesn't indicate it never happened.