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Rainbow Gathering
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Officer shoots dog at Rainbow Gathering
By George Plaven
EO Media Group
The U.S. Forest Service has con-
firmed one of its police officers shot
a dog Tuesday morning in the park-
ing lot outside the Rainbow Gather-
ing on the Malheur National Forest.
Word of the incident began to
spread late Tuesday on social media,
sparking outrage among participants
at the unauthorized gathering.
The dog, a pit bull mix, was taken
to an animal hospital in Canyon City
where it was euthanized.
According to a statement re-
leased by the Forest Service, the
officer — who was not identified
— was conducting a routine daily
count of cars in order to estimate
the number of people camping at
Flagtail Meadow, where this year’s
gathering is being held.
As the officer turned the corner,
he saw two dogs sitting about 15 feet
away. The dogs were not leashed,
which is required by law and is also
specified in the event operating plan.
No other people were present in the
area.
The officer did not have his re-
cording device turned on. But the
Forest Service claims one of the
dogs got up and charged the officer,
who drew his firearm and shot the
animal once.
After shooting the dog, the Forest
Service says the owners and other
participants at the gathering began to
crowd and yell at the officer. Officers
took the dog to Canyon City with the
owner’s permission. The dog’s re-
mains were returned to the owners.
To date, there have been at least
15 warnings and six citations is-
sued for dog-related violations at
the Rainbow Gathering. Local and
federal agencies are reminding visi-
tors to keep their dogs on leashes for
public and animal safety.
Stephen Baker, a spokesman for
the Forest Service, said the incident
remains under investigation and
more details will be released when
they are available.
Faces of
the Rainbow
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eagle photos/Rylan Boggs
Dan Hooke plays his flute on the side of the trail at the Rainbow Gathering Saturday, July 1.
RAINBOW
Continued from Page A1
To feed the masses, several large
kitchens have been set up around the
site.
The Global Relief Kitchen is situat-
ed in a massive tepee and is capable of
making 100 gallons of food in an hour
using minimal natural fuel.
An attendee who called himself “Lu-
cid,” of the Global Relief Kitchen, said
the Rainbow Gathering is a great testing
ground for disaster relief projects.
“When you’re actually in a disaster
situation or refugee camp, you don’t
have the time or the ability to test and
make changes to the project,” he said.
“Everything has to be perfect.”
The kitchen uses roughly half a
dozen rocket stoves made from used
oil drums and beer kegs. The oil drums
contain the heat made by a small fire
and cook whatever is placed into the
kegs above them. The result is a high-
ly efficient stove that keeps the tepee
cool and vents smoke out of people’s
breathing space.
Lucid set up the kitchen during the
2016 floods in Baton Rouge, Louisi-
ana, and is working to make the kitch-
en an official nonprofit.
“Rainbow has been a really great
trial ground to iron out all the kinks,
troubleshoot all the problems,” he
said.
The kitchen typically cooks vege-
tarian stir-fries, curries and soups be-
cause they are able to feed the largest
variety of people with vegetarian food.
The meals provided by the Global
Relief Kitchen bring people together
and help create a sense of community
at the gathering.
Attendee Dan Hooke said this is his
eighth gathering. He keeps returning
because he enjoys the sense of home
he finds at the gathering.
Hooke hand-makes flutes from
bamboo and enjoys sharing his music
with other attendees. He also trades
DEATH
Continued from Page A1
medical station at the gathering. An
emergency room doctor from Ken-
tucky who was attending the gathering
provided medical treatment, and CPR
An attendee who calls himself “Lucid” stands for a photo in the Global
Relief Kitchen at the Rainbow Gathering Saturday, July 1. The kitchen is
capable of quickly and efficiently producing large amounts of food using
minimal fuel, according to Lucid.
his flutes for anything he might need
at the gathering, where bartering is the
only form of currency.
Janel Ahle and her young daughter
Masha are attending their first gather-
ing. Ahle said she believes her daughter
will enjoy Kiddie Village, an area made
specifically for children at the gathering,
and she looks forward to the socializa-
tion her daughter will experience.
The Rainbow Gathering, which
began with a July 4 prayer in 1972, is
non-denominational and welcomes all
faiths.
The Jesus Kitchen, at the Jesus
Camp, holds regular morning prayers
and a more formal meeting Sunday
night, as well as cooking for anyone
who comes by.
“We try to create an atmosphere here
where people can come in and feel loved
and accepted,” said Joshua Hanson of
the Jesus Kitchen.
The camp has been a staple at nation-
al Rainbow Gatherings since 1997.
“Predominantly, people are really
open and accepting of Jesus Camp out
here, but there are some people that
have a problem with it,” Hanson said.
Like most of the others, Jesus Kitch-
en usually cooks vegetarian but will
sometimes include meat on the menu.
“Not a lot of kitchens will do meat,”
he said, “but we do try to mix it up oc-
casionally just because there are people
that need the meat.”
was attempted for 15-20 minutes with-
out success.
The sheriff’s office is attempting to
identify the individual. Investigation
at the gathering provided no leads to
identify the deceased.
The man was removed from the
scene and transported to Drisk-
ill Memorial Chapel in John Day
where fingerprints were obtained.
The fingerprints will be sent to the
Oregon State Police Identification
Bureau.
Once the sheriff’s office deter-
mines the man’s identity, the office
will attempt to notify next of kin.
Joshua Hanson cooks in the Jesus
Kitchen at the Rainbow Gathering
Saturday, July 1.
Shuttle
“Shuttle” never counted
how many Rainbow Gather-
ings he’s been to, but he was
at the first one in 1972.
He’s worked on the park-
ing crews and estimates he’s
helped park three quarters
of a million cars. He strives
to make the gathering a safe
and enjoyable place for peo-
ple to attend, and tries to
greet people at the gate with
a joke.
“If you drive 3,400 miles
with two kids in diapers, the
last thing you want is some-
body agro at the gates. You
want somebody who makes
you laugh,” Shuttle said.
Now 64, he cannot breathe
much dust for health reasons.
Instead, he helps with safety,
making sure everyone at the
gathering is properly hydrat-
ed and touring camps with
fire pits to ensure they have a
shovel and at least five gallons
of water on hand.
“My whole goal, over my
lifetime with the family, has
been to keep the family safe.
From each other, from the
police and from outsiders,”
Shuttle said.
She said, in a world reliant
on electricity and infrastruc-
ture, being able to survive
outdoors is a valuable skill.
Zia
This is Zia Martinis’ first
annual gathering. She first ex-
perienced the Rainbow Fam-
ily at a regional gathering in
Maui 1999. A young mother
on the island with a military
husband, she felt isolated.
Then, someone invited her
to the Rainbow Gathering
and told her “you can come
home.”
“It was freedom. It was
family. It was like I felt like I
belonged,” she said.
The feeling of family is
what attracted her to the gath-
ering, but it has also taught
her valuable life skills.
“I’m an urban girl. I’m a
black woman born in Berke-
ley, but I get to come out
here,” she said. “I’ve read my
books. I know how to build
my fires. I know how to take
care of my woods.”
Khy
Khy prefers life on the
road. He said he’s tried the
whole “adulting thing,” but
after his house burned down
and he was laid off from his
job, he decided it wasn’t for
him.
This is his first national
gathering, but he said he at-
tended a smaller one in Flor-
ida.
“It’s a way to get away
from Babylon and all the non-
sense of the world,” he said,
describing “Babylon” as mod-
ern society and the dollar.
Without it, he is less
stressed. He travels with his
dog, Lady, hitchhiking where
he can and walking when
can’t.
Over the last nine months,
he has traveled from Florida
to Oregon to attend the gath-
ering.
Eagle photos/Rylan Boggs
“Shuttle” went to the first
Rainbow Gathering in 1972
and said he returns to help
keep the people safe at the
gathering.
Khy and his dog, Lady.
Zia Martinis, right, and “Papa Bear” stand for a photo
outside the Rainbow Gathering.
GRANT COUNTY
ENTREPRENEURS!
Share your ideas about what makes a
good business or ask questions about
starting a business in Grant County.
Maybe you are working on something
and you need feedback on your idea.
THIS IS THE PLACE:
Tuesday, July 11, 10:00 am. at Timbers Bistro - 742 W. Main St.
FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL:
David@envme.com
541-523-6377
05854
541-963-6577
541-573-6377
541-523-6377
05370