A federal judge will hold a hearing in Denver today to decide whether to order better public access to a temporary courtroom fashioned to deal with citations given to Rainbow Family members.
A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Denver this week contends access to the proceedings is so restricted as to constitute a violation of constitutional rights to a public trial.
By late Thursday, in an effort to appease such concerns, court officials decided to add more chairs to the makeshift courtroom and open a door so additional people could hear the proceedings, said Jeff Dorschner, a spokesman for the Colorado U.S. attorney’s office.
Members of the Rainbow Family of Living Light, a loosely knit group of modern-day hippies, are converging on federal land near Steamboat Springs in an annual celebration of peace and love.
Between 10,000 and 20,000 people are expected in the coming week.
Federal authorities say the campers, who do not have permits, are illegally cutting down trees, lighting campfires during a dry season and creating large amounts of human and animal waste.
They are receiving misdemeanor citations for those activities, said Kim Vogel, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.
The federal court system had made a temporary courtroom in a nearby firehouse not far from the camping area so that those cited wouldn’t have to travel far to appear in court, Dorschner said.
“We wanted that facility to be as close to the gathering as possible,” Dorschner said.
More hearings in the Routt County firehouse are expected to be held today through Sunday.
In an affidavit filed Thursday, lawyer Adam Mayo said he tried to get into the temporary courthouse June 23 but was told he could enter only when his clients’ names were called.
“Some members of the public are referring to this ‘court’ as the ‘Steamboat Star Chamber,”‘ the lawsuit said.
Staff writer Alicia Caldwell can be reached at 303-820-1930 or acaldwell@denverpost.com.
