Ore. woman gets prison in Rainbow Family LSD case
By BEN NEARY - Associated Press Writer


CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced an Oregon woman to serve 28 months in prison on a conviction stemming from a probe into drug distribution at last year's Rainbow Family gathering.

U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson in Cheyenne sentenced Vanessa Marie Griffee, 32, of Eugene, Ore., after she pleaded guilty earlier in the day to conspiracy to possess and distribute the hallucinogenic drug LSD.

Two other defendants charged in the probe have been sentenced to prison time, and a third was scheduled to be sentenced this month.
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According to court records, the investigation started when a source told law enforcement that Wallace Burke, 29, of Durham, N.C., had said he was distributing LSD at Rainbow Family in western Wyoming.

At the source's request, authorities said, Burke later mailed a package containing LSD to a post office box maintained by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Cheyenne.

Investigators said that Burke told them that Griffee had been mailing LSD to him at "post offices that were located near music festivals and hippie gatherings" for several months. Johnson sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Both the prosecution and defense urged the judge to go easier on Griffee, saying she has made strides to turn her life around since her arrest last year.

Griffee told the judge that she had worked with others who sold LSD at concerts. She said she made designs on papers used to hold the drug.

"At the time, I don't think I was trying to break the laws," Griffee said. "At the time, people weren't thinking about it; they were talking about spiritual missions."

About 7,000 members of the Rainbow Family attended the annual gathering last summer on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, near Big Sandy in western Wyoming. It was marked by a clash between members of the group and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers.

Officers said they fired "pepper balls" at members after they were pelted with rocks and sticks - a charge that several members of the group have denied.

A report by the Wyoming chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union issued after the event contended that the Forest Service engaged in systematic harassment of people who attend Rainbow Family gatherings on public lands.

Jim Anderson, assistant U.S. Attorney, told the judge that Griffee would have faced 63 months to 78 months in prison.

He noted that she's been a good mother to her infant daughter and has taken substance-abuse classes.

Anderson also said the government wouldn't oppose a request from the defense to reduce Griffee's sentence below guideline requirements.

Defense lawyer Terry Harris told the judge that Griffee had been heavily involved in drugs. Harris said she resolved to change after she lost her daughter to Oregon authorities following her arrest on the drug charges. She now has her daughter back.

Johnson earlier this month sentenced Heather Lane McCoy of Eugene, Ore., to four years in prison on her conviction of conspiracy to possess and distribute LSD in the case.

Norman Wayne Metcalf, 30, also of Eugene, Ore., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute LSD and psilocybin in August. He was scheduled for sentencing this month.

"Every summer since 1972, Rainbow Gatherings have occurred in a different U.S. National Forest, drawing tens of thousands of counter-culture types to the wilderness to set up a temporary city. Filmed at the 38th Annual Rainbow Gathering Of Tribes (Big Sandy, Utah), 'We Love You' allows the audience a glimpse into this rarely seen sub-culture, the violent oppression of Federal Agents who target them and their ultimate victory as they pray for peace the day after a siege by Federal Agents."

That's the official description of "We Love You", a short and to the point (and award winning) (and, full disclosure: made by someone I know) documentary that gives a positive (like the attitude of those in attendance) spin on the annual gathering of hippies in the woods. Like Burning Man, rainbow gatherings aren't technically music festivals, but they share many characteristics including live music. Entertainment options at gatherings range from random people with guitars to drum circles to full on G-Funk Collective performance theater. Unlike most music festivals though, rainbow gatherings do not come with toilets.

LAist: What did you hope to do by making the gathering accessible to people who've never attended?

Director Jonathan Kalafer: It's weird because people always want to compare it to Burning Man or a music festival, but it's really unlike those things. They've created this place, there's a quote in the movie about it, where magic can happen. You're far away from everything, off in the woods and people are amazingly kind to each other.

LAist: What do you hope viewers will walk away with after seeing your film?

JK: I had some people tell me , "Thank you for making the film," because they showed it to their grandma and she understood what they're doing when they go and that they're not caught up in some crazy cult or something.

If you'd like to check this move out, it happens to be screening as part of the NJ Film Festival at Rutgers in New Brunswick today (10/4) and again on October 9th.

If you happen to be part of the Rainbow family, well then you probably already know that NY Rainbow's 24th Annual Prospect Park Picnic is taking place on October 11th. This year's actual Gathering took place in New Mexico.