Playa Suicide
A Burning Man participant was found dead this morning, hanging from the inside of a two-story high tent, according to Mark Pirtle, special agent in charge for the Bureau of Land Management.
The apparent suicide would be the festival's first in its 21 year history, Pirtle said.
Pershing County coroners are investigating the scene and preparing to remove the body. Pirtle said the man was hanging for two hours before anyone in the large tent thought to bring him down. "His friends thought he was doing an art piece," Pirtle said.
A makeshift morgue is being set up at the law enforcement command center on the outskirts of Black Rock City. Pirtle said authorities can not release information on the dead man's name until next of kin is notified.
The incident has gone unnoticed by most of the 36,000 revelers who have already arrived. The city's population is on pace to hit 46,000, Pirtle said, a fourteen percent increase from last year.
A Burning Man participant was found dead this morning, hanging from the inside of a two-story high tent, according to Mark Pirtle, special agent in charge for the Bureau of Land Management.
The apparent suicide would be the festival's first in its 21 year history, Pirtle said.
Pershing County coroners are investigating the scene and preparing to remove the body. Pirtle said the man was hanging for two hours before anyone in the large tent thought to bring him down. "His friends thought he was doing an art piece," Pirtle said.
A makeshift morgue is being set up at the law enforcement command center on the outskirts of Black Rock City. Pirtle said authorities can not release information on the dead man's name until next of kin is notified.
The incident has gone unnoticed by most of the 36,000 revelers who have already arrived. The city's population is on pace to hit 46,000, Pirtle said, a fourteen percent increase from last year.
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Salt Lake City
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Fri, August 31, 2007 - 8:56 AM -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Fri, August 31, 2007 - 9:03 AMI don't know what is more shocking...
the first suicide at Burning Man
the fact that his friends thought it was a performance
that the population is expected to hit an astounding 46,000
or that this is the most media coverage the burn has ever received while the event is still going on -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 4, 2007 - 10:40 AMbigger = more media
why surprised?????? -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 4, 2007 - 10:56 AMThe people who I know who have returned from BM, said they heard nothing about it out there. -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 4, 2007 - 12:32 PM<<The people who I know who have returned from BM, said they heard nothing about it out there. >> i was talking to Starfox.
I just got back, and I heard nothing about it out there either.
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 4, 2007 - 12:32 PM<<The people who I know who have returned from BM, said they heard nothing about it out there. >> i was talking to Starfox.
I just returned and i heard nothing about it until your post either. -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 4, 2007 - 12:50 PMMy friend camped right next door. It happened.
And he confirmed that later that night, after the body had been removed, the camp was having a party in there. -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Sun, September 9, 2007 - 2:44 PMAnd he confirmed that later that night, after the body had been removed, the camp was having a party in there.
And in your best estimation, what would be an appropriate delay to have a party in the space? An hour, a week, a month, forever?
While we're at it, maybe you would care to suggest how much space should be included? Just the spot directly under the body? Everything inside the dome? The whole camp? All of BRC?
What if TWO people had died there? Should the space be bigger, the time longer?
Please tell us how it should be! -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Mon, September 10, 2007 - 8:48 AMYou sound so angry! Would (did) you want to party in a space where someone just killed themself? I just think if they were the dead persons friends having the party, then they must not have cared to much. Not because they let a party happen, but that they were even in the mood. No wonder this person offed themself, look at his friends.
What do YOU consider appropriate? Since you seem to have a pretty good idea in your head what is right or wrong. -
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This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Mon, September 10, 2007 - 11:24 AM<<No wonder this person offed themself, look at his friends. >>
all i can say in reply is "wow"....
Coco, suicide did not happen in the person's camp...he killed himself in a random camp with high place to hang rope from..... -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Mon, September 10, 2007 - 1:18 PMi guess I am old fashioned......having been with someone while they are dying and watching them die...I just dont think it is the right kind of energy to have a party, even if they didnt know him. Again raising the question..didnt they think it was odd that a strange person was hanging from their tent and left him there for 2 hours? The article I read said his friends thought he was doing an art piece, but you are telling it was a random camp. How odd that nobody thought this was strange. But it is BM the Party must go on..... -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Mon, September 10, 2007 - 1:37 PMhe was not hanging there for two hours.....please, please, please dont just read and believe....i think that finding someone to talk to from that camp before you make up your mind is crucial!!!
it is very sad, and horrible, but it feels like you are trying to judge people who had something awful happen to them without knowing the story....
i am not trying to attack your ideas....but keep bad information from spreading and people from taking your judgements forward. -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Mon, September 10, 2007 - 1:38 PMthey did not think it was strange....they thought it was horrible....
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Mon, September 10, 2007 - 2:33 PMI am sorry, I wasnt judging..I was responding to the person who asked what amount of time was appropriate before partying again.....There is not a right time in my mind. I am just going off the information that I originally posted, which you all had a chance to read and correct the ironious info before commenting on post. I would love to know what truely happened, but no one has said anything against the link to the story that I posted.
Again Would you really want to party in a place where someone just killed them self?
This is why I do not attend BM anymore, its all about the party........
Please enlighten me as to what really happened...
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Mon, September 10, 2007 - 2:40 PMPershing County coroners are investigating the scene and preparing to remove the body. Pirtle said the man was hanging for two hours before anyone in the large tent thought to bring him down. "His friends thought he was doing an art piece," Pirtle said.
So if this isnt true, please let me know what is. I really want to know. But no matter how it went down (no pun intended) I still wouldnt party..... -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Mon, September 10, 2007 - 2:52 PM -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Mon, September 10, 2007 - 3:26 PMi know others may not understand, but from my thinking...maybe they were trying to deal with it....sometimes a party, like a wake, is a celebration of the life of the person. an affrimation and reminder that we all go sometime, and that we need to recognize this gift for what it is and recognize other's lives their gifts and celebrate each life and be happy and not live to have regret.
maybe you think that God is mean and cruel and become sad and broken when people are taken from you, but you are only giving death power over your life..... i think it is better to party and rage, rage against the dying of the light!!!!!!
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 11, 2007 - 7:45 AMThanks for the correct info.
maybe you think that God is mean and cruel and become sad and broken when people are taken from you, but you are only giving death power over your life..... i think it is better to party and rage, rage against the dying of the light!!!!!!
This is not the case, i celebrate life after death and have helped people cross over. So please dont asume that because I would not want to "rage" after a suicide in my camp the death angers me or scares me. I never even said it was inappropriate. I just was trying to see why the person I reponded too sounded so angry about people questioning it. Now it has turned in to this unneccessary back and forth thing that I can not stand doing. So, I am done...but I ask the same of you....dont judge me. I was simply asking the angry sounding person, why he was so angry and you have turned it into I am angry. Thanks for the debate. -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 11, 2007 - 7:49 AMAnd he confirmed that later that night, after the body had been removed, the camp was having a party in there.
This is what i responded to( see below)......and asked this person what was appropriate to them, since they did not agree with the discussion of how people were shocked and amazed that a party happened. So not sure how all this got turned into MY anger and what is appropriate. I dont have anger, just sorrow for the people who are left behind to deal with a suicide.
(quote)
And in your best estimation, what would be an appropriate delay to have a party in the space? An hour, a week, a month, forever?
While we're at it, maybe you would care to suggest how much space should be included? Just the spot directly under the body? Everything inside the dome? The whole camp? All of BRC?
What if TWO people had died there? Should the space be bigger, the time longer?
Please tell us how it should be! -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 11, 2007 - 10:36 AMGirls Girls Girls… please don’t get catty with each other over this. If you want to fight over something why not fight over me!! I’m single and wouldn’t mind. Then if you kill each other in the processes we can through a party.
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 4, 2007 - 2:12 PMI read about it in one of the playa news papers while I was there. -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Tue, September 4, 2007 - 4:45 PMSadly, it is true... We heard about it the morning after it happened... -
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Re: Is this true.......? it is true
Wed, September 5, 2007 - 1:58 PMsad to say.... we also heard about it out there.... bummer.
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Re: Is this true.......?
Sat, September 8, 2007 - 1:25 PMi heard about this on my plane ride home, very sad -
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Re: Is this true.......?
Fri, November 30, 2007 - 2:41 AMthis entire conversation recalls that movie "the beach" which i didn't like that much but happened to watch before i went to black rock...in it a man is dying a slow painful death and everyone votes to remove him so they can continue to enjoy their pleasure island without having to deal with the ugly reality of what was happening...clearly the guy who wrote this(he also wrote trainspotting...wasn't too far off in his assessment of how people behave under such circumstances...it's definitely sad to hear the guys friends had a party...but it doesn't surprise me... -
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Re: Is this true.......?
Fri, November 30, 2007 - 10:56 PM
Disinformation of several flavors....
The book _The Beach_ is much better than the movie which is based on it. It was written by Alex Garland (who also wrote _28 Days Later_). _Trainspotting_ was written by Irvine Welsh, the demented Scot.
And the suggestions that the camp where the person committed suicide "thought it was performance art" and just partied on, seem totally inaccurate and in conflict with the descriptions of the situation posted here by people in that camp.
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