Tribal ranger draws weapon on climate activists blocking road to Burning Man; conduct under review
The actions of a ranger for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Reservation in northwestern Nevada are under review after he pointed a weapon Sunday at climate activists blocking the road to the annual Burning Man counter-culture festival in the desert
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A tribal ranger's conduct is under review after he pointed a weapon Sunday at environmental activists and plowed his patrol vehicle through their blockade on the road leading to the annual Burning Man counter-culture festival in the Nevada desert.
The incident unfolded on a rural stretch of highway on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe reservation in northwestern Nevada. The protest calling attention to climate change stopped traffic as attendees were headed to the festival venue in the Black Rock Desert north of the reservation for opening day of Burning Man. More than 70,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which ends on Labor Day.
James J. Phoenix, the tribe's chairman, confirmed in a news release that the ranger's actions were being reviewed. But Phoenix declined to answer questions Tuesday from The Associated Press, including which agency is conducting the review and whether the weapon pointed at the activists was a handgun or a Taser.
“Bottom line up front, we are on it,” Phoenix said.
Videos on social media showed the ranger slamming into the blockade, then driving back toward the group of activists while announcing on a bullhorn, “I'm going to take you all out!”
The ranger, whose name has not been released, then exited his vehicle, drew the weapon and yelled for the protesters to get down on the ground, according to videos taken from multiple angles. The ranger approached one of the activists as she lowered herself to the ground and grabbed her arm, pulling her down and kneeling on her back.
Other activists can be heard in the videos announcing they were unarmed and “nonviolent.”
“We have no weapons,” one of them yells.
Seven Circles, the coalition that organized the demonstration, called the ranger's actions excessive in a statement released Tuesday.
“The excessive response is a snapshot of the institutional violence and police brutality that is being shown to anyone who is actively working to bring about systemic change within the United States, including the climate movement,” the statement said.
According to the tribe's chairman, rangers cited five of the demonstrators, who had traveled to Nevada from New York, Washington, California and the European country of Malta. The chairman did not say what they were cited for.