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As I was leaving Centeroo on Friday around 6pm, I saw two kids probably 20 years old pulled off to the side of the main exit and they were being interrogated by about 4 big guys in gray "Staff Safety" shirts. Apparently they had been busted selling NO NO WORDS or they got caught coming into Centeroo.
Anyway I decided to stop about 20 feet away and watch what was going on. One of the kids they had stopped was clearly under the influence of NO NO WORDS and had little idea of what was going on, you could tell he was really scared and probably thought these people were going to hurt him.
While the 4 gray shirts were interrogating the other kid this poor kid decided he would try to run off. Immediately he was tackled by 4 huge guys and thrown to the ground. While he was on the ground 3 of the guys held him down while the 4th guy grabbed him by the hair on the back of his heat and repeatedly struck him on his head probably about 7 or 8 times.
While this was happening younger kids wearing yellow "Safety" shirts formed a perimeter and told me to keep walking. I told him absolutely not and that I have every right to stand exactly where I am. I told him that the officer was completely out of control and that beating that poor kid was completely unnecessary. He just told me to that if i didn't walk away that he'd get yelled at.
I wanted to know if anyone else on here saw that or anything else similar to that this year at Bonnaroo. I wish i had videotaped it. I also saw undercover police committing entrapment, that is asking someone if he wants to buy NO NO WORDS and then when they were interested arresting them.
Post by pondo ROCKS on Jun 15, 2009 14:40:27 GMT -5
Thursday, coming into Roo (which was a F*cking joke in itself!!!!) I saw a car contents get tossed through like it was nothing to throw someones clothes on the wet ground. The couple, prob. late twenties, were getting screamed at for showing concern for their belongings getting put on the wet ground. When the guy tried to walk over to pick them up while the search was still going, a grey shirted security guy grabbed him and held him steady.
Btw, they found no druqs on the couple but did not even offer to help put the stuff up correctly. They just slung it in the car.
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I didn't have or see a single problem all weekend. I got in easy with no search, and never had an issue at centeroo. It just took 10 minutes to get in like it always does. I didn't spend a lot of time, at camp but with all the "friendly" people walking around I cant imagine the undercovers had that big a presence.
Post by captmonkey on Jun 15, 2009 15:10:16 GMT -5
I didn't see anything like that either. If anything, it seemed to me that security was more relaxed this year than 2007 and 2008. We were in day parking, so we had to go through security quite a few times. The first day, the guy just asked if we had any glass, we said "No," then he asked if we had a cooler and we said "Yes," and he just looked inside of it. No checking our bags or anything else in the vehicle.
Friday really took the cake, though. Since it had rained so much and cars were coming in all night, the checking stations had become a big mudhole. So, they were forced to check people on the streets. The "checking" turned into asking to see our wristbands then waving us through. When we got to Centeroo, they were just waving people in, not checking anything. I had my bag in hand to show to the guy, and he acted like I didn't even exist, so I just kept walking.
Post by ☮ superbek ☮ on Jun 15, 2009 16:04:44 GMT -5
I didn't see anything like this but I was frisked on thurs and fri coming into centeroo and one of those times they went through every single thing in my bag... even my trash that I was carrying. In six years of going to bonnaroo (or anywhere for that matter) this was the first time anything like that happened to me and it happened twice.
Every other time I went in they didn't even check my bag. wtf?
I didn't see anything like this but I was frisked on thurs and fri coming into centeroo and one of those times they went through every single thing in my bag... even my trash that I was carrying. In six years of going to bonnaroo (or anywhere for that matter) this was the first time anything like that happened to me and it happened twice.
Every other time I went in they didn't even check my bag. wtf?
This happened to me as well. Security took everything out of my backpack and opened everything I brought with me on Thursday and Friday. Didn't get searched at all on Saturday or Sunday though.
Post by Dave Maynar on Jun 15, 2009 17:01:26 GMT -5
Our caravan of 12 cars got broken up by the state trooper. The first 3 cars went in exit 112 then they told the rest of us to go to the next exit. The car ahead of us got argumentative and tried to go in the exit anyway. One of the troopers jumped in front of the car and threatened to arrest them if they didn't turn around. Not really brutality. Just an inconvenience. Otherwise, security seemed really relaxed. Our search coming in was light. We got searched heavy going into Centeroo on Thursday but all the other days were easy. A few friends got let into Centeroo without a search at all on Sunday. I saw several Safety guys walk past people participating in no no words and completely ignored them.
Personally thought security was lighter this year then any of the previous three. One of ten cars in our caravan got searched by the drug task force at exit 112 but got right in. Got searched pretty throughly at centeroo on thursday but after that they never even looked in my bag once. That was the same for everyone in my group except sunday right before phish one of my group has beers and no no words in his pack and gets throughly searched by this woman, everything gets confiscated. Her response " did you really think you could get through here with all this?" his reply " Well actually yes, no one has searched me all weekend except you, you f'ing dyke. hope you feel better about yourself." Besides that incident beers and all the other pleasures were never a problem at any show.
Post by Ian'sGotAFeeling on Jun 15, 2009 18:09:10 GMT -5
As I was walking into Centeroo I watched security walk up to a guy and try to detain him. He started to try and run, they grabbed his arm and held on to him while he struggled to get away and with his other arm threw a bag of what looked like mushies. They threw him on the ground while another security ran after the mushies. I also noticed Sheriffs driving ATVs down the main road and on Sunday down Shakedown and busting all the nitro sellers/buyers.
Post by questionablesanity on Jun 15, 2009 18:16:33 GMT -5
I saw one guy get arrested at WalMart on Wednesday night and everyone was ecstatic that he got nabbed. One of the undercovers blew his cover by running over to help. They pepper sprayed him too, but it didn't seem to affect him at all. The police got an ovation from the rooers.
We waited for about 5 hours to get inside Thursday AM. We were asked to open the glove box and roll two windows down, then we were waived through. The guy said his shift was almost over and that he didn't give a shit what we had.
Our first trip into Centeroo on Thursday, the line was pretty long and people started bitching so one guy just let everyone pass through high fiving everyone. Then he got bitched at by his supervisor but not before we switched into his line.
Friday same thing happened, they just let us through.
Saturday and Sunday, we got cursory searches. I just made sure that I had my bag open and ready for them to search. If you make things easy for them, they'll be easy on you.
I did not see a single person get rowdy and taken down other than a kid who got caught at Centeroo security with a bag. He bitched a little because the security was bragging that he "owned" it. The kid bitched and wanted to make sure that the supervisor got it and not the security guy. Other than that, I saw nothing. Everyone was very peaceful.
A Thieve's Parade 2/24 Conspirator 2/26 Kevin Smith 3/11 Keller 3/17 Papadosio 3/18 JJ Grey 3/25 Bela Fleck/Edgar Meyer 3/26 Toubab Krewe 3/27 O'Death 4/11 Budos Band 4/22 EOTO 4/28 Summer Camp 5/6-29 All Good
Post by bamadancer on Jun 15, 2009 18:56:26 GMT -5
I'm sorry, but if you run from security at Bonnaroo, you're kind of asking to be tackled. That's stupid and I don't think it's "Police brutality".
Also, I never really got searched to badly. One guy hassled me on Saturday night getting into Centeroo for "having beers" (what he felt was my germ-x bottle) but I carried my prescription meds into Centeroo every single day and no one said anything.
At Al Green, I saw a naked guy get beat up by security. To be fair, he threw the first punch and no one wants to fight a naked guy.
That guy was looking for a fight. My friend almost got him, but he also didn't want to fight a naked dude. He was trying to get women to undress as well, sometimes trying to help, so really, he needed an ass kicking. To the OP, that is ridiculous! I didn't see anything like this, had no problems the two times I entered at two different toll booths, and got beer into Centeroo often.
State troopers kept putting us in different lines getting in, we finally ended up getting in a line way in BFE to get in then security told us we couldn't come in there because we were handicapped and wanted us to leave and go all the back to the beginning of 112 that we were taken out of. When I refused he became an ass then called Manchester Police. Manchester took our side and was pissed about the entire thing and told us Bonnaroo security wasn't communicating with people that well. Once we got in no problem.
First two days I had my bag searched a few times (never all the way through though, as I had my DSLR in there and no one ever looked in the bottom pouch), but by the last day I don't think we bought a beer all day. Just kept ferrying them in from VIP in waves, 10-12 at a time. Back pockets, my camera bag, etc.
Minor / cursory search of our car on the way in and the same at the gate every in/out. Overall security was present and on the lookout but mellow from what we saw. Did not see anything harsh and am glad. Witnessing something like that would put a damper on my weekend and I have to feel bad for anyone roughed up by security, even if she or he did try to run.
We were out by 3rd & 9th so used the secondary entrance between That and Other most of the weekend, so we may have just been in a mellower part of campground.
But I've heard voices not in the head Out in the air they called ahead Through ripped out speakers Through thick and thin They found a shelter Under my skin -Evgeny Aleksandrovitch Nikolaev
At Al Green, I saw a naked guy get beat up by security. To be fair, he threw the first punch and no one wants to fight a naked guy.
That guy was looking for a fight. My friend almost got him, but he also didn't want to fight a naked dude. He was trying to get women to undress as well, sometimes trying to help, so really, he needed an ass kicking. To the OP, that is ridiculous! I didn't see anything like this, had no problems the two times I entered at two different toll booths, and got beer into Centeroo often.
We were sitting in line for the Beastie Boys pit when the naked dude came up and tried rubbin his junk on a girl sitting a few spots behind us. I was able to watch the whole thing, the dude deserved what he got. They ended up wheeling him out strapped to a body board with a surgical mask on because he was hitting, kicking and spitting at the security and med staff. I do have pics of when security made him stand facing the wall and also right before they beat his @ss.
Had zero problems the entire time. Driving in took about 2 minutes and the volunteer kid at VIP checkin was high out of his mind. I saw no incidents with cops either. I don't remember my bag being searched with more than a glance in. Coolest security guy ever award goes to the supervisor who tells us on the rail at the Snoop show "if you're going to light up at least respect us enough to turn around while you do it." I don't smoke but I thought that as cool.
