One Family Gathering and Llama Family Reunion - You've gotta hear this...

Stephen,

My brother from another mother, it's time for us to start seeing eye to eye, or I to I (if you feel ras today).

To begin with please allow me to state what I intend, I intend to begin to mend the rift that has been intentionally created in our commUNITY.

To address your first issue, in regards to my capability of being able to choose how our community is represented to the outside world in national print publication; I have to admit I have no control over what events the press chooses to cover. My involvement is as follows I was interviewed about the barter fair "phenomenon" by 2 sizeable print publications, the first "The Stranger" from Seattle featured on of our OFG pre-parties in Volume 17 NO. 25, in an article titled "Shitters in the Desert" by Jeff Kirby, in which readers are misdirected to Oregon in search of Tonasket and also states that (in bold) "younger hippies think older hippies have too many rules" and also "As a response, they have decided to hold their own festival with 70 musical acts and all-night raves". The second time I was interviewed was after OFG as part of a story about Allen Lindt of the Llama Family, which will run in the June issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. There is no guarantee that anything I said would even be used.

I first discovered that Rolling Stone would be on site at LFR a few days later when my partner Jess Blue received an urgent letter for Avvy requesting that we step in and handle the production of the Llama Family Reunion in his absence. My friend, the cameras were on this event before I even stepped on the stage.

Now just for a moment let me touch upon the name of the event I produce. The One Family Gathering, it has been intentionally named in a way to feel familiar to those who share the goal of unity with us. It serves us in many ways; to begin with on the surface, three letters starting with O acronyms are popular with festivals in this neck of the woods both OFF and OCF look similar and were inspirational to the development of our event. On the next level we share pieces in common with the Rainbow Gathering, The Llama Family Reunion, and The Okanogan Family Faire, we share pieces of their names as well. Another level down it shows my intent clearly stated; I intend to unify our culture as one family and to gather them together. Finally, each word is unity; it's almost my mantra at this point.

Now, I'd like to again state it is not my desire to represent all of anything (one is the loneliest of numbers) but what I have been given is the opportunity that IS receiving national press and IMHO is the natural evolution of the barter fair events. When I speak of OFG vs The MAN in my public statements I speak in the name of One Family Gathering because that is whom I do speak for. I created that organization; I think for once I am not overstepping my boundaries. I hope anyone who feels that they are THE MAN be properly offended and then ashamed by that feeling. Maybe they’ll learn to work alongside people rather than against them.

What I have done in this thread is to openly invite the influences that have formed our event to become involved in the development of an event that has captured the public eye in the name of barter fair.

Another point I must address is that these events have been pitted against law enforcement for a long time now. Evidence has come to light that proves that a team of agent provocateurs have been in place in the "Tonasket Barter Fair" and periphery barterfairs since at least 1991. Avvy has a lot of time on his hands to document the story so I won't give you the spoiler here. The intent of these agents is to polarize the community against itself in order to make it an ineffectual mechanism for social change. Even a temporary self sufficient community is a worthy adversary to a corporate government which maintains control of populous through control of information and infrastructure.

I actually mind a very much that MORE THAN 32 people were arrested in an illegal blockade. In fact I am aggressively pursuing legal action against those involved in the operation. I also mind that HUNDREDS were ticketed due to illegal pullovers and unconstitutional search and seizure. Also as the owner of a for profit LLC operating a fully legal event, I mind very much that officers have been quoted saying that we were a "drug-fest" and that we had been "shut-down". There is something called the rico act that in intended to defend businesses against such behavior. We're filing a lawsuit on that level as well.

Next I must approach your "Free Drugs for Everyone" statement. I only say this because I love you and I do respect what you have done for the community but when you make statements without grounds full of anger and with assumption of another's intent you become the tool of those who wish to separate us. Breathe and look for a solution to bring us together rather than jumping to conclusions. No matter what the situation you CAN make yourself part of the solution, Read back to my earlier posts, I have fallen for these tricks before but by creating a festival of my own and experiencing the trial by fire of being the person who has to answer ALL the questions and do ALL the jobs until suitable replacements are found has given me the patience I need to respond to you with love rather than anger. I look up to you, and I respect what you have done to create the environment that led me to where I am today.

I didn’t create the barter fairs, they were a natural evolution, facilitated by a crew of many, some who have passed, many who are still influential today. The barter fairs did create me however… I have totally changed as a person since I first was touched by these events. I can express myself relatively well and I’m well versed in using the computer; that makes my voice a little louder than others when you listen for the words barter fair online. In no way do I intend it to discredit those whose shoulders I stand on. I honestly wish we’d all get together and buy each one of the elders the things they needed to have a louder voice in our online discussion.

There is nothing wrong, or illegal about having a rave in the woods, ours was actually in a circus tent in the high sage desert. Honestly the words barter fair are just as incriminating in the eyes of the law Is that not one of the reasons that was used in discussion about what name to use when the Tonasket Barter fair became OFF? I should also note we also used the words reggae show on the flier too, because we had multiple of those as well. Did you know THE MAN hates reggae? He told me himself… Regardless; we have the right to gather peacefully, rave or not. If we had been doing something wrong they would have been able shut us down. What we were doing was legal and law enforcement agents were the ones breaking the law.

I’m trying hard not to be cocky, but I can’t help myself sometimes. I love you brother it’s just sometimes as they say at Tea Time, it’s right “in your neck” (like tea of course). How do I help you come to a position where you can understand me? Ask Jahson what he witnessed at OFG, maybe that would help…

Rather than speaking with Rolling Stone myself again, I would like you gather a circle of elders to come to the Llama Family Reunion to talk about the history of barter fair to everyone. We can have Family story-time on the eco-village stage and we’ll have people to show us the million little tricks that make a barter fair work. I never asked to be interviewed in the first place, I just said yes when they asked.

I know you feel strongly about these things and I respect your right to state your opinion. I wish however you could have seen the beautiful thing that was and will be again; One Family Gathering. Maybe you could understand what I see for a moment…

If you’re so worried about what Rolling Stone is going to have to judge us by, please come be a part in making the Llama Family Reunion something to be proud of. Even if the elders didn’t build this house, they built the road that led to it and are welcome inside.

I have considered who we are as a culture, and how we could appear to the outside world in my choice to get involved with the production of Llama Family Reunion. I considered those things when I created One Family Gathering as well. Have you been to either event? Maybe you should…

First of all... Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jess.
How sad it is that we can not lift each other up and promote each other. Would it matter if I told you Rolling Stone contacted us? I can assure you that both Weather and I have had many conversations with each other and our guests who were arrested, ticketed or harrassed while on the way to our event. I am moderately offended at the suggestion that we would leave our guests hanging out to dry. The majority of your comments strike me as significantly elitist, or at the least judgemental. You are not asking questions, you are making accusations. Without bothering to get all the pertinent information no less. Not the best way to foster a communication and respect amongst each other.
I can and do appreciate the ground work that has been laid. I can also appreciate the dreamer and the dream. How can being interviewed by a "big dumb national magazine" be "potentially detrimental to the lives and efforts of a lot of people"? That is a contradiction of terms. I Imagine if that "big dumb national magazine" asked to interview you, you would have a different opinion of them.
Despite your less then considerate tone, I do believe I understand what you are trying to convey. We are not seeking to grab the limelight or represent anyone other than ourselves, nor did we do so to the "big dumb national magazine" in question. We are not calling ourselves the Tonasket Barter Fair. We are not claiming to be the leadership of anything other than One Family Gathering. In the effort to be supportive, we are lending our assistance to the Llama Family Gathering at their request. After all, aren't we supposed to support each other? Isn't that part of the dream? Is it ok that we do something different than what OFF has established? How does that take away from them?
Ultimately, this is all a moot point, as the article in question -has not even been published at this time-. I would hope that when it does make it's distribution in the beginning of June, all interested parties would take the time to read it, and if they have any questions or concerns at that juncture, we would be happy to reasonably discuss pros and cons with them. We are certainly happy to learn from our mistakes and/or build on our successes, and input from others is a significant part of that process.

But there's no reason we can't do so respectfully amongst one another.

One Family One Love,

Jess Blue
Associate Producer One Family Gathering
Executive Producer Llama Family Reunion
Get On The Stage Productions

Thanks for loving us!

And we love you! ;)

Coffee works for us!


(and you know we did not set that price. It was set before we were on board!)

Awesome, drop her a line. I look forward to having you with us again!

Much love,

Weather