What happened between the Forest Service officials and the Rainbow Family at the Wyoming Gathering in 2008?

Question

I've been hearing a lot of things on the internet about a riot at the Rainbow gathering this year? Was anyone there who could talk about what really happened?

Answer 1

My daughter was there and was sober at the time of the incident. When she came home this is what she told me:

The part she saw began with the police trying to arrest one man. The man was in the area called kiddie camp. A child of about 7 came up and began hitting the officer, saying; "Don't take my daddy". The officer smacked the kid away and several people got upset with that. They came up to protest the officers' hitting a kid and the police began shooting people with rubber bullets, some of them with their hands in the air (as in I surrender) and in the back. The police also ringed the place with fire (and probably started the forest fire mentioned in area papers as a result), as well as lighting tents and such- including a 'hydration station' or water tent with people and kids in it. (Fortunately they got out.) Adults were not the only ones hit with rubber bullets. My daughter escaped the mess by running into the mountains and circling back to a road. BTW, she is standing here reminding me what she said.