Associated Press (07/01/19)

Burning Man music festival organizers have promised to comply with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) plans to cap attendance at the current 80,000-person level under a new 10-year permit, but they will combat federally sanctioned screenings for contraband like drugs and weapons at the event. BLM proposed that a private security firm eventually be contracted to screen all vehicles, participants, vendors, contractors, staff, and volunteers upon admission to Burning Man. Organizers countered that this would subject "a peaceable gathering of people to searches without probable cause other than a desire to attend Burning Man." BLM spokesperson Rudy Evenson took care to differentiate screenings from searches, arguing that "screening includes a broader range of methods. When you get on an airplane, everyone is screened, but only a few people have bags opened after the belt." Festival organizers also said they were assured that trash dumpsters will not be needed at this year's event. "BLM has now indicated they will impose this mitigation in the future ONLY IF it is needed to address unresolved issues," they stated. "But we must all do better."

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