Rainbow Family members gather near Santiam Pass
(Update: Location, video)
Dozens of cars and campsites have already set up on a forest road off state Highway 22 west of Santiam Pass in preparation for a regional Rainbow Family gathering.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday it had received information that hundreds of members of the Rainbow Family group may be traveling through Deschutes County on their way to the gathering.
As this is a regional (not national) event, it is estimated up to 600 Rainbow Family members will be in or traveling through our area from June 11-21, Sgt. William Bailey said.
“The event location is not located within Deschutes County, but the closest town for fuel and supplies is Sisters.” Bailey said in a “public information bulletin,” which continues below:
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has learned to expect:
* Increased vehicle traffic and hitchhiking through the area;
* Expect to encounter lost and/or stranded motorists looking for the event;
* Expect disabled or abandon autos on roadways and public lands.
What to watch for:
* Increased theft or criminal mischief especially to local merchants who sell
food, beverages or clothing;
* Petty theft of items on private property which are easily visible or in walking
distance from major roadways;
* Strangers trespassing on your property looking for food, gas, water or shelter.
Who are they?
The Rainbow Family is a loosely affiliated group of individuals committed to principles of non-violence and egalitarianism. In 1997, the Rainbow Family held their annual event on the Ochoco National Forest and about 20,000 to 30,000 people attended. (A similar gathering took place last summer near John Day on the Malheur National Forest; the crowd was estimated at 12,000.)
The sheriff’s office said there were substantial impacts to the forest, forest roadways, state highways and nearby communities to include extraordinary demands on law enforcement, hospital and medical services, social services and businesses. Rainbow family members counter that they spend thousands of dollars a day in local businesses.
The Rainbow Family does not have centralized leadership, the sheriff’s office said, and does not usually provide details about the location or activities of the event to law enforcement.
