Update: Literally minutes after publishing this, someone got in touch saying he is in touch with the folks who did this, and that they'd be willing to answer questions of mine they felt were worth answering. I've sent the questions over.
Update #2: I was put in touch with someone who claims to have been involved in committing the vandalism, but his brief answers provided me with no assurance that he did it, and no way to confirm it. He claims he was part of the build crew for White Ocean in the past, and he and the others who did what they did were angry at the WO management, as I theorized when writing this post in the first place. Update #3: White Ocean confirms this article was essentially correct. It was an inside job, not some kind of class warfare.
I put out a widespread call for help (from reddit to eplaya to facebook and more) in figuring this out and getting in touch with the folks that did this so understand why and not just infer their reasons. So far, the closest I've come is someone saying he thinks he knows one of the people that did it, and was going to see if he could get that person to talk to me. I've not heard back yet, and will certainly update this or write a new article if I do.
As a side effect of this though, I've discovered a long list of people who feel aggrieved at White Ocean and its organizers. Some of those people I talked to directly, some I only heard about from others in the know. More about that below.
As a result of hearing about the string of disgruntled people they've left in their wake, my operating theory, which is not unique, is that the breathless media reports of 'class warfare' are nothing but kind of lazy attempts to fit the actions into a narrative they want to write about. I haven't seen or heard a single bit of evidence that would point to burners targeting WO because it's a plug n' play. Further, if they wanted to send a message, why not make it clear? This was an organized attack that was clearly thought out ahead of time, and making their message less opaque was as easy as bringing a can of spray paint along. That's like protest vandalism 101. Beyond that, I just don't think it likely that the kind of, say, black hat Oakland anarchist that may have once felt compelled to go to these lengths to defend Burning Man's culture is still going, by and large, or would consider 2016 edging-towards-mainstream Burning Man particularly worth defending.
I believe that this was an attack by either contractors (many of whom are/were hardcore burners) that feel jilted by WO or by former campmates upset with either the management of the camp or a another faction in camp.
Let me give you some examples. (I don't think anyone I talked to had anything to do with it - I'm just illustrating a pattern. I should also note that even people who had bad things to say about White Ocean almost always had good things to say too.) Darren Edwards Presumably not his real name, he's a guy who camped with White Ocean in 2015, which was his first burn, but he did so because he had been involved in a VR project that helped White Ocean plan the camp. He volunteered to arrive early and help setup, because good Burner. He posted publicly about his experience. You can read the whole thing a couple comments down in thisreddit thread, but here are some quotes: "We arrived days early and volunteered to set up. We made immediate friends with those setting up, cleaning, setting up food. They have hired awesome crews." [My note: That includes Thorproductions.com doing at least the soundstage design - which was epic - that year.] "Then guests started arriving. There was just an evil vibe as soon as that happened. When I found out the place was organized by Russian mafia, I wasn't surprised......We were told to hug anyone we didn't recognize and show them the door." "We moved onto our next speaker who was a woman that is an artist and a full time employee of the org. She attempted to talk about the 10 principles of burning man and by this time the group wasn't having it. "What can you do at burning man?" "You can be a sex slave!" It was embarrassing to witness." "There were great people at the camp. Ya, this was the place the San Francisco tech guys bought into, but some were great guys who really wanted to make a connection. I met a Welsh boxer and club owner from New York who was about the most interesting guy I've ever met. We helped a crew of 8 bucketlisters from Texas who were overwhelmed make the event theirs." "At the same time, there were people who pushed at the food line and getting in line first usually meant waiting a half hour while the goons got their food, drank handles of vodka, and had conversations while the food line was completely stopped. There was bullying(giving out nasty playa names) threats, and fights. The center camp lounge the attendees would toss butts, roaches, or food right on the ground. There were people hired to clean it up." "A few days in, we were either at other camps or if we were at our camp, we didn't socialize. The crew that assembled the sound camp [Thor Productions] walled themselves in their own camp separate from the white ocean group. I didn't witness fights, but I would have not been surprised had one broken out there, there was a lot of hostility in the camp. I think on Thursday or Friday night, the generator was attacked, diesel was syphoned out and hundreds of gallons drained onto the playa." Darren and I also chatted briefly privately, and he had this to say about the staff he again highlighted how good the hired help was: "Second, the staff was top notch. The people that staffed the camp were the best at what they did, from hooking up toilets, keeping it clean, to preparing the food. They did their jobs." I didn't get a chance to talk to the folks at Thor Productions (had a call set, got cancelled, and we never managed to reconnect), but my understanding from someone who runs a soundcamp and knows Thor & crew well is that Thor Productions is still owed money from White Ocean for that work. (I'm not accusing or even suggesting anyone with Thor's reputable crew was involved, just using it as a datapoint in establishing a pattern.) Michael "Sweatshop" Eakin Michael runs, with his crews, kitchens for different camps on the playa, ranging from 50-200 people. The TL;DR is that he says he never got paid what he was owed, and it drove him out of his small business. "I was hired by White Ocean in 2014 to provide kitchen services for their setup and breakdown crew, as well as all the camp attendees. I budgeted out $32,000 for our time, travel food and rental fees. everything but 5,000 was paid up front and the rest being promised at the end after services rendered." "First off, I was promised yurts for me an my crew. That was not delivered, we all slept in our tents that we luckily brought as back up. "no complaints" but right from the get go they were not providing what was promised." "In the end, my crew and I provided all the services promised to a smashing degree of success. Even had Paul Oakenfold [big DJ that is part of White Ocean] raving about the quality of food provided and asking to have me come hang out for the night to talk shop." "Even after all the success and good times, they were still unable to pay me the last $5,000. I had Timur Sardarov [one of the owners - son of a Russian billionaire] on the phone telling me he would put the money directly into my bank.. sent him my account info.. nothing.. still 2 years later.. nothing... I had rental fees go to collections.. workers not paid and still angry. And when all was said and done that amount put my catering company out of business.. When the dust had settled, I am now in debt over $9,000 with late fees, interest rates etc. and I had to sell my company just to re-coup that money." "Oh and they won best soundstage and art installation.. got a big medal from Burning man... for real... but the people who built the camp and stage... are not white ocean.. they are hired help.. SO white ocean doesn't feed a bunch of burners or bring this awesome state of the art stage.. they just throw money at people who can bring those things....then they throw their label on it and call it their own." "Also in regards to disgruntled workers.. I know the year I was there, at least 10-15 people were very unhappy with what was happening.. " "Promises were made by middle management.. the people that were hired to run things and hire workers. But once upper management arrived everything changed the way they wanted... so the people that had been onsite for a week building all of this all of a sudden were getting kicked out of yurts and being put on the bottom rung of things." "There were 2 people in particular that left the camp mid week because of the amount of social abuse they felt they were taking." "Shit on Monday and Tuesday beginning of the week I was so upset that I was considering jumping in my box truck and taking all the food to a different camp and giving it all away." "And its all really disappointing in all honesty, cause I really liked Oliver Ripley [with Timur, the co-owner] and Timur didn't seem like a bad guy... it's just that they are on such a different level of living that these are all small time problems to them... they wipe their ass with 5,000 but to me that shut my business down. They just don't understand that." "That doesn't change the fact that I still believe that they deserved what happened to their camp this year. cause they obviously have not gotten any better since I was there 2 years ago." Other sources I talked to a couple other people as well - one who camped with White Ocean this year and one who worked for it as part of a crew he asked me not to name. Neither wanted to be identified. The former cited the belief that the Russian mob is involved and the latter just didn't want to be known as someone who might talk badly about those who hire him. "The jerk factor in this camp was through the roof. Also, lots of people seemed to have barely even heard of Burning Man before coming, they knew so little about it." - the camper. "The food was incredible though and I found some other burners on my wavelength to hang out with." - the camper I unfortunately managed to delete the email I was writing to myself when taking notes with the former worker, but his feedback boiled down to being a multiple-year burner who felt he was treated very poorly by some of the management (don't know which ones) and some of the guests, though he did say that he ended up having a great time in off-hours with other of the guests. Like I said, everybody I talked to had at least something positive to say about their time at White Ocean. There were a lot of people to potentially talk to, but without any evidence to the contrary, I don't think it's hard to take an educated guess about what happened.
Conclusion
Look, I'll be honest: I don't really like White Ocean as a camp (I don't know the management at all - they might be wonderful people, I have no idea). I don't like plug n' play camps that make it easier for bucket listers who don't give a crap about our community and culture to show up, because every one of those that comes means someone who may be more invested in it can't come. I don't care how rich you are, or how luxuriously you burn. Knock yourself out, though I also don't care how big a soundstage you bring - it doesn't get you a pass from me, at least, on trying to participate in our culture. It is very possible to put on a big, awesome show without resorting to running a hotel for Burners. Look at Opulent Temple for an excellent example there. Anyway, for the love of dust, act like you give a shit about where you are (hint: it's not a music festival with a VIP section). Put a little work in. Sweat a little. That struggle to get to and live in the Black Rock Desert temporarily is part of the anvil on which our culture was forged and continues to be shaped. Burning Man wouldn't be Burning Man if it was held at a hypothetical Four Seasons resort capable of accommodating 70,000 people. It might be something else wonderful, but it would be something else. Finally, with my bias out of the way, I think this story is actually pretty boring. Like many people, my first thought on hearing of it was framed by the narrative I kind of want: A community willing to defend its culture, even if I can't condone the specific actions taken here. But that's just sensationalism unless there's some kind of confirmation. The people I talked to above all said they are aware of many others who are upset with White Ocean. What's more likely, in light of the trail of upset people WO has left behind: Burners making an amorphous political statement (without even leaving an explicit statement behind), or some pissed off Burners taking personal revenge on people they had a falling out with? Between the upset contractors, the fights within the camp, the bullying, etc it just seems like a camp primed to have a bit of an implosion. In other words, it's almost certainly just an intra-camp dispute writ large due to the scale of the camp. Mildly interesting, but that's about it, and barring dramatic new info, I'm done thinking about it. P.S. Is the Russian mafia involved in their camp? I don't know, and I don't really care. Maybe? Just because one of the owner's father may be involved in said mob doesn't mean the camp is. Certainly, a lot of people tell me it is, but it seems to be mostly hearsay. I doubt they go around wearing, "I M Russian Mob" nametags.
Buns
9/9/2016 02:22:06 pm
What a stupid article, it was soley because whiye ocean was a plug and play. Any other motive is unjustified. Plug and plays dont provide and they dont belong at burning man. Well, do you have some evidence that it was an attack because it was a plug n' play? The facts aren't about what was justified or unjustified, but what happened. I'm only making an educated guess, but nothing about this seems like it was people trying to send a message to plug n' plays generally (which, like you, I'm not a fan of either).
Eyeroller
9/9/2016 04:17:08 pm
What a troll you are.
GreenMoss
9/10/2016 06:49:32 am
What a stupid comment. The guy is putting together interviews and forming a balanced, educated, (opposite of stupid) idea, and wraps it around to an honest conclusion. What's stupid? Your comment is ironic for calling this articulate article stupid. Does interviews, tempers and presents a case, and you think it's stupid to do that? Heh. Internet.
Vulcano
9/10/2016 04:55:39 pm
Hey Buns, what a lame, sophomoric reply. You have no basis upon which to make your assessment unless you were directly involved - which I doubt.
Ports
9/9/2016 02:54:50 pm
Great work on the article i find the whole thing fascinating. I never condone violence or sabotage but in this case seems like they might have deserved a little bit of what they had coming to them. It would certainly be pretty heartbreaking to have this happen to any camp you are involved in though so my feelings go out to any of the innocent people who may have been affected by this.
redBone
9/9/2016 03:13:19 pm
The camp sucks and that's a fact.. they got what they deserved. Nobody really feels bad for them because $$$ can fix everything right?
Anya
9/9/2016 04:24:19 pm
..you did NOT just cite Opulent Temple as an excellent example of being good!
John
9/9/2016 05:23:30 pm
Why are they shady? Please explain. Thanks.
Syd Gris
9/10/2016 11:06:19 am
Ya Anya let's hear it
Kevin Rinderle
9/10/2016 08:26:15 am
Opulent Temple is a pillar of Burning Man. It is a gear example of how to run a sound camp inclusive of all. Period
Brandon G
9/13/2016 01:31:06 pm
I camped with OT in 2015 when they were taking a break from being a sound camp. I registered with their camp, paid my dues, and had a great experience for my first burn. I didn't experience any shadiness at all. Just my two cents.
Robert M
9/10/2016 12:06:08 pm
I've done business on multiple occasions over the years with OT and have always been treated kindly and paid on time.
Vulcano
9/10/2016 05:03:12 pm
Anya, you sound like another pissed off spectator that's sore at Opulent Temple because no one would play your suggested set list that you kept trying to pass on to the DJ stage while rolling on five tabs of Molly.
GoatManDan
9/11/2016 09:34:06 am
Bullshit. I worked DPW cleanup, at that camp was all the dirtiest pile of shit on the playa. They make zero attempt to clean up after there stupid party.
Tower
9/12/2016 02:49:47 pm
GoatManDan - I call bullshit on your bullshit. As someone who as spent hours mooping at OT in the past they clean up the dancefloor every day by doing line sweeps and using magnetic rakes. At the end of the week these sweeps go on all day. Zero attempt my ass.
Rick Reicker
9/11/2016 09:44:12 am
The guys at Opel have worked their asses off for years. Anya...just go away. You clearly don't know anything about anything.
Jack
9/11/2016 10:25:59 am
One year, my bike was stolen from in front of Opulent Temple. I came back a couple of times during the week to see if a guilty drug bunny returned it. On my last trip by before leaving the Playa, I asked the camp manager if any non-camp bikes might have been left around. He was sorry to hear my story, then gave me a camp spare. Can't call that shady.
Burnballer
9/9/2016 04:45:56 pm
My position is that I do not condone White Ocean having thugs treating others like second class citizens or vandalism. I wouldn't do either. But we are alive and on earth and things happen and sometimes you get your ass kicked if you are a jerk. it happens and White Ocean get some Karma served to them. Makes me a little happy and I wish I was above that. But I also wish that the Org would cease to place them. The org doesn't like these elitist camps and neither do Burners. There are plenty of other sound camps to enjoy. Burning Man can do without them. I'm sure the Russian gangsters and spoiled brats are very impressed with themselves but like most thugs, they are alone in the feeling. Everyone else hates you. So F-off. BTW, I've met Paul Oakenfold before and the guy locked away making his music so this isn't a surprise to me. And sometimes in societies, like whole countries, when people are mistreated and oppressed then they rise up, immobilize the oppressors and take it back. BRC is a pop up city and community. People obviously felt strongly. I myself just avoid things i'm not interested in but this was in fact bound to happen and not surprising even if it shouldn't. I don't condone it, there are better ways. I'm experiencing a little schadenfreude never-the-less. There should be a strong push to let the org know to stop placing these camps that don't follow the tenets, clearly don't follow, and prove to the Burners that it's not just a money thing.
krapoche
9/10/2016 07:10:45 am
after the org's reply that they basically deserved it, not to mention them moving from 10:00 to 2:00 this year, it sure feels like they're not gonna get placement next year.
Kerth Gerson
9/12/2016 01:42:33 pm
whats the url link to the BMORG reply? thanks
Eaun
9/17/2016 08:02:02 am
Getting moved from 10 to 2 is not a repercussion. There Are pretty equal parts PnPs, as well as large scale, large budget camps on both ends.
Pinky
7/20/2018 11:48:41 am
WO wasn’t placed last year, 2017, but they were there. I talked to a few people camped there with them. Am still interested in the story because of current politics. 😊
John
9/9/2016 05:08:50 pm
Karma at it's finest!!! WO is a piece of shit camp for shitty rich assholes. Fuck them and their beliefs about feeding Burners !!! HAHAHA such a fat lie. Fuck you WHITE OCEAN! Quit coming to Burning Man.
Kickstand
9/9/2016 05:49:56 pm
Good article. If WO is even mildly introspective, then they will try to fix this fiasco and come back with changes based on what they've learned. If not, then this will be a self- correcting problem as they won't be placed again. As you say, mildly interesting to the rest of us because who doesn't like to watch a good train wreck? Sounds like if they haven't learned by now what our community values then then this is the end of the line, relegated to burn barrel discussions next year.
Vulcsno
9/10/2016 05:07:44 pm
Good point(s) kickstand. I'd notch it up and suggest that WO take account of the fact (and admit) that a portion of their funding is directly related to a Russian oligarch. Divestment from such a monetary source might be a small step towards reestablishing some cred not to mention goodwill
Grumpypants
9/9/2016 06:31:15 pm
We camped near White Ocean this year and it was an RV wasteland. No social interaction, just locked doors. Talked to some of the hired help and they said the conditions were alright, but that it was $17k per person for the week to camp there. Honestly, I think they have one of the best sound camps in terms of a sound system and DJs at the Burn, and for me that is enough in terms of "giving back" to the community, but if they would integrate a bit more, they could actually be part of the community and it might actually make people a little happier. Food spoiling because a generator went out? Come on folks, we all live out of coolers and you can buy ice at Artica for fuck's sake. Rich people gonna rich and it doesn't bother me in the least, some of them will find out things about themselves out there and some of them won't, but that big of a city isn't built solely on nickles and dimes. White Ocean provides music and they provide it well, but if they want to be part of Burning Man, they may want to live up to their obligations. Hired help is a dicey proposition anyway in terms of breaking the 10 Principles.
SparkleDonkey13
9/10/2016 07:09:55 am
Agreed
Narly Carly
9/10/2016 09:56:00 am
Food spoiled. So how long was this generator out, and no body noticed. When the power goes out at my house, my fridge doesn't just open the doors and warm up in 1 hour. My RV on the playa has a fridge in it, even if it shut off, it's going to be hours before I worry about food spoilage. And shit yah, go to center camp and buy a few blocks of ice, or a fucking pallet if you need to. I'm neutral on what happened there, but most of the people I have heard murmuring about this scandal generally thing it happened with in the foundations of the camp. Money can't buy everything, not even happiness. But thanks for a few good nights of dancing.
shazam
9/12/2016 01:44:11 pm
If they gave away all their refridge and frozen food that was an amazing gift!
Bob C
9/9/2016 10:16:45 pm
People will only take advantage of you if you allow them to do it, so when will people in this Burn community stop enabling such poor behavior to happen during this event? If the ten principles are supposed to be important to this community, then for god sake make choices to support those principles and stop enabling behavior which isn't in alignment with them.
Silver Cowboy
9/11/2016 07:20:58 pm
I completely agree. We don't need just another sound camp or dance club that can be found any day of the week in the default world. I'd like a "theme camp" to offer something that isn't present every day in almost every city any time one would want if you are so inclined. Or at least give us something visually unique. All the flashing lights, screens, and projected displays all begin to look the same after just a few of them. There are a lot of fake theme camps who just want early entry and placement but aren't all that interested in offering a unique experience. Do we really need just one more bar? i think that sound camps or "art cars" offering big sound should be more limited. We only really need a few.
Berner
9/10/2016 12:02:33 am
I can see being concerned about potential mafia presence, but the burners who do hard drugs and act self righteous about the mafia are hypocrites. Who do they think is producing and distributing those drugs they buy? Particularly coke users. They should dye that shot red when they produce it to remind you of the people who died to get it up your nose.
Boris
9/10/2016 03:20:45 am
LMFAO!!! This Crew deserves what they got and if they are Russians, they should show some class and disband this group immediately, forever. Let this be the end these types of groups or the beginning of BURNERS taking action on them and making BM what it was really meant to be )'( PLUR GANGSTERS RULE
Lizalove
9/10/2016 09:31:38 am
All Burningman needs to do is close down the airport. Problem solved!
Patient Observer
9/13/2016 01:05:41 pm
The airport has a plethora of people, not to mention air evac services for those in need.
Barry
9/10/2016 12:29:12 pm
The 3 plus hour of the Gate Closing after the Temple Burn was a minor At White Ocean Camp who obviously did not read the Survival Guide.Those who thought the best exodus strategy was to leave after the Temple Burn had a 12 hour wait
Didn't Happen
9/10/2016 09:38:40 pm
Everyone who writes says they can "confirm" it happened...yet, not one photo of a cut cord, not one story of someone who had to experience the "after" part of the prank. No police report? Hundreds of MAJOR publications write a story, but they don't have access or know how to get a police report? If you read the forums, over 1000 comments....yet not one is from someone who experienced the aftermath? Not even a friend of a friend report? If the White Ocean guy says he spoke to the police, there is a report. OOPs, no report. Nice to see the sheep follow. :)
GoatManDan
9/11/2016 09:38:40 am
The Borg does a pretty thorough job of suppressing info. The cops work for them.
L melendez
9/12/2016 11:03:46 pm
Anyone see an actual police report? I've only seen blogs and Facebook posts.
Patient Observer
9/13/2016 01:03:47 pm
How in the world does someone pull this off when that camp and camps around it having people working 24/7. If you know these guys so well, why would you fuck with them?
peasly
9/17/2016 03:59:43 am
its such shite. so sad to see it go this way (including commentors (including me) ) All so bullocks ...
Lynette Arlene
9/17/2016 05:34:17 pm
WOW. I thought Burning Man's top principles were NON COMMERCE. What happened to the artists coming in and setting up for the passion of it? Plug and Play? WTF?
JV
9/29/2016 11:13:58 am
White Ocean never filed a police report: Comments are closed.
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