Vandalism reported at large Burning Man camp

Burning Man’s Black Rock City is not immune from the ills of the outside world. White Ocean, a large sound camp originally created by DJ Paul Oakenfold, was vandalized Wednesday night, according to a post on the camp’s Facebook page.

Someone cut and pulled electric cords, causing food to spoil when the refrigeration stopped, glued a trailer shut and released 200 gallons of potable water, flooding the camp, the Facebook post from Thursday reported. The post added that the Burning Man Rangers and other authorities responded to the incident.

The camp’s organizers declined to comment about the vandalism and local sheriffs could not be reached Friday.

“We have felt like we’ve been sabotaged from every angle, but last night’s chain of events, while we were all out enjoying our beautiful home, was an absolute and definitive confirmation that some feel we are not deserving of Burning Man,” a post on the camp’s Facebook page said.

The post refers to the divide between traditional Burning Man camps and the so-called “plug-and-play,” or turnkey, camps that have appeared at the festival in the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada in recent years. All supplies and amenities are provided to attendees who stay at these camps. Oftentimes, staff is paid to cook and clean for them, too. Ordinarily, Burning Man attendees sleep in tents or RVs and are responsible for bringing enough water, food and supplies to last the duration of the eight-day festival.

White Ocean has a huge stage facing the open playa, where the festival’s many art installations reside. During the course of the festival, more than 40 DJ sets are scheduled at the stage, with programming often beginning at 6 p.m. each day and lasting until as late as 11 a.m. the next day.

The camp and stage have appeared at Burning Man since 2013. In 2014, the camp drew criticism for posting its DJ lineup online in the months before the festival, which goes against Burning Man tradition. The camp later apologized on its Facebook page.

The White Ocean camp is behind the stage, with numerous motor homes lining the street. Inside, festivalgoers staying at the camp have access to a shower trailer and large tented area with catered food, a full-sized refrigerator and toaster, and tables with tablecloths and artificial potted plants.

The Facebook post said the camp serves food to hundreds of other Burners every day. “Does this qualify as a nonwelcoming camp with no contribution to Burning Man?” the post said.

The major criticism of these plug-and-play camps is that they are exclusive and contradict Burning Man’s principles, which include radical inclusion and self-reliance. They were also a cause for controversy after 2014’s Burning Man, when a couple of large plug-and-play camps left significant waste behind, going against Burning Man’s “leave no trace” policy.

Members of Burning Man’s board of directors addressed the topic of plug-and-play camps at a press panel on Wednesday. One organizational change to stem the proliferation of these camps is to only approve theme camps, which offer some type of service to the community, for early entry. Heather White, managing director for people and operations, also suggested that other Burning Man attendees educate those at plug-and-play camps about the Burning Man principles.

“We’re neighbors, and we should treat each other as neighbors,” White said. “I don’t think this is an us-versus-them. This is a we.”

Contact Sarah Corsa at scorsa@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0353. Find @sarahcorsa on Twitter.