To the editor:

When the rapidly growing Burning Man Festival first moved to the Nevada desert north of Gerlock in the early 1990s, security was handled by sympathetic volunteers from local law enforcement agencies. As the festival grew, county and state officials began to extort larger and larger amounts of money from the festival organizers in order to issue permits for the event. Along with this government pressure came a larger presence of uniformed officers who needed to show their superiors that they were on the job by making arrests.

In order to safeguard the participants, the festival organizers devised a plan to ratchet down the growing conflict. They organized an internal, public safety team still known as the Black Rock Rangers. These trained volunteers act as conflict mediators, psycho-counselors and sounding boards for the festival’s multitudes. They cooperate and coordinate with county and Bureau of Land Management officers to ensure safety and enjoyment for all. This peaceful coexistence has helped propel the Burning Man Festival into a premier, world-class party.

The same approach could be a solution for the security concerns at the Wakarusa Festival. Local EMTs could train a group of volunteers to perform these same services here. Law enforcement would act as backup outside of the grounds. Secret surveillance cameras, car strip searches and too many boots on the ground don’t help build the needed trust. It is blatant discrimination and profiling. Just imagine how this approach would go over with the good ol’ boys down the road at the NASCAR track.

Michael Morley,

Lawrence