Burning Man founder thinks slavery helps explain his festival’s lack of diversity

“These boots were made for Burning Man”, she captioned the above photo.

The 16 pages of documents (embedded below), obtained under a 2012 Freedom of Information Act request by California-based writer Inkoo Kang and posted to the website MuckRock.com on Tuesday, show that the FBI’s Special Events Management Unit began keeping tabs on the massive arts and culture festival in Black Rock City, Nevada five years ago. He shared his thoughts on this at a press conference during this year’s festival.

“There are some historic reasons for that”, he said. Once a year, participants gather for Burning Man in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance.

His stepson, he says, was arrested in Marin County, the wealthy suburban county north of the Golden Gate bridge “more than once, where he lived, of DWB: which is driving while black”.

Harvey’s comments come from an interview with the Guardian on Friday, in which the founder asserted that he would not “set racial quotas” in light of an August. 20 article in The New York Times highlighting the festival’s increasingly affluent demographics. “I am coming out to work and support my company, make sure everyone here has the right the medical care”. And, so, there’s that background, that agrarian poverty associated with things.

Susan Sarandon has spoken openly about her love of Burning Man and it appears the 68-year-old actress is back for another round of the festival this year. Maybe your first move isn’t to go camping.

“I said ‘Well, I don’t think black folks like to camp as much as white folks!’ And she said ‘You son of a b–!'” Harvey recounted. He said he brought them to the festival and hopes it will cause others to follow. You can read the full story here.