Should this person be charged for organizing a large event?

it’s easy enough to find with a Google search.

Yes, he should be charged. Simple, really. People who attend these events expect some level of services and safety – port-a-potties for sure, but suppose that a person slipped and fell and died? Or a person got into a knife fight? Or whatever bad things happen.

Further, this was on county park land. There are standards and regulations for use of county land so that all – not just rafters- can enjoy it. A person can’t just decide “no, these regulations don’t apply to me” – especially on shared public land.

And him jumping into the river to escape was not a wise move either.

The guy is a law breaker, and I agree with the County Park rangers on this.

Hah! You’re asking the wrong person here. I grew up on that river rafting, bought my first raft at age 16 and have now lived near the same river about 40 miles up the hill. THIS is WHAT us NorCal peeps DO in the summers and have been for decades.

Rafting on the American is a free venture unless you are part of a rafting trip sponsored by one of the local outfitters. No, the guy should not be charged. He organized a MEETING place to put in at the river and people put in. The drinking scene might be outta control and I am not advocating drinking and rafting, but hey, I am also not going to say that towing along an ice chest full of beer is something I havn’t done in all my years of rafting the American.

I do not think the guy should be charged, he may have advertised a rafting meet up event and it looks like he got a much bigger turn out than he probably expected, but…the river is a free zone, floating out of the park and past the park has nothing to do with the park itself. Once you’re on the water, tough luck ranger Rick. Really, hundreds of people could have turned out all on their own. It is not uncommon to see hundreds of rafters on this river on a nice summer day. Young people being young people, what else is new!

As long as he wasn’t charging people I think it would be wrong to prosecute.

I get needing permits if was something like a march where you would be blocking roads.

The whole porta potty charge is ridiculous, people were simply meeting to put their rafts in the river at that particular spot not to spend the day on the riverbank. 90% of the myriad river access points where people put in have no public restrooms available anyway. In particular river parks there are public toilets but they are far away from the river access itself, in the park area not on the riverbanks. Anyone using many river parks would have access to a restroom anyway if they so chose.

There are no porta potties along the river, rafters go in the bushes or piss in the river, gross as it may be, it is what it is.

It is the use of county grounds and property, he didn’t have permission, posting and starting a riot is punishable.

I know a person that planned and posted a BBQ get together, on an international forum, he made sure he had a picnic permit because he had run into trouble a couple of years earlier. Most counties have a limit of a dozen or less meeting without a permit.
By the way if I showed up and I told my she couldn’t use the bathroom. . .

The grossness (urinating in public) @Coloma is punishable as a sex offense in some places.

No.

People are smart enough to go where they desire without anyone else looking out for them.

People are smart enough to leave if the event isn’t what they’d hoped for.

County Property belongs to the people.

I despise any government control disguised as protection. It’s a nice way of saying… “We’re smart… You’re stupid”.

@Tropical_Willie He didn’t start a “riot.” He put out the word for a massive river rafting meet up. People were coming to get their rafts on the river not hang out and have a riot. Yes, I am well aware that urinating in public is illegal, but we are not talking about pissing on a lamp post on street corner we are talking about going in the woods/bushes around the river.

You know, does a bear shit in the woods and all that jazz. I think they are over reacting and aside from citing some of the drinkers, the whole thing is silly. If you meet a group of 200 hikers at a trailhead to go for a hike that is not the same thing as staging a riot or a oublic event. Those people could, at any given time, all be on the river or trail all by themsleves.

We actually need more of these massive meets without any government oversight.

Very good for the mental health of society, to create activities beyond political control.

I also think it’s somewhat overboard. In Oregon during summer on really hot days, that’s pretty much what a riverbank looks like, and that’s without any planning. Anyone who litters, damages the environment or does anything else risky and stupid should be fined, but otherwise? That’s just part of summer on the West coast/Pacific Northwest.

@DrasticDreamer Spot on my dear.

Here’s another huge event in my neck o’ the woods.

www.teviscup.org

This major endurance riding event takes place a few miles from me and right now, the deadline for entries is in 5 days. There are 171 entrants at this time from all over the world, USA, Canada, Japan, Great Briton, Portugal, Australia, Argentina and South Africa. No porta potties, no park rangers interfering.
If someone puts out a call for last minute endurance riders that are trail ready and the Tevis ends up with 400 entrants, on public lands, is this a riot?

Sorry little day hikers maybe you just need to deal with the situation, it’s PUBLIC land.
Oooh no there are too many horses on the trail!

I remember long time ago when they relayed the Olympic Torch across America. Fella ran right in front of my house down Lemay Ferry Rd… followed by a thousand wanna be torch holder supporter jogger locals.

I doubt they got a permit. So I had to pick up a few water bottles. Glad they had fun.

Jesus, really?

It’s not like he was trying to organize the start of another Revolution at Lexington and Concord. I’m wondering if anyone even realizes what that means any more.

No, this does not rise to the level of a prosecutable offense. What, exactly, is the offense, anyway? I didn’t want to wade through a raft of links to find the ones that might be most apropos. (Puns intended.)

With that many people showing up, I think that a permit should have been requested. How big a deal is it to get a permit? I would also go easy on the guy. Next time he will know better.

Nope, no permit needed and no prosecution necessary.

Similar things happen all the time. Bicycle clubs have century rides on public roads, often without any permits other than wherever they are having a rest stop.

The San Francisco Chronicle used to have a Sunday feature, Bay Area At Your Feet. Every Sunday they would publish a nice walk of up to four miles or so. And every Sunday, thousands of people would show up for the walk!

@zenvelo Exactly!

@LostInParadise A permit costs money ($550), plus has a load of requirements such as security provided, accessible restrooms, liability insurance, first aid availability, drinking fountains/water, waste management, alcohol management plan, etc. There can also be additional permits required, depending on services.