The American Civil Liberties Union plans to investigate how federal law enforcement officers treated members of the Rainbow Family during their annual gathering this year in western Wyoming.
Federal officers arrested five Rainbow Family members Thursday night. The U.S. Forest Service says the arrests occurred after a mob of perhaps 400 Rainbows threw rocks and sticks at 10 agency police officers after they tried to arrest one member of the group.
Scores of other officers responded, Forest Service officials say, and fired “pepper balls” at the crowd.
Other sources, including the Colorado Legal Eagles and supporters of the Rainbows, say the campers were peaceful and some claim authorities also used rubber bullets and pointed guns at children. Up to 7,000 members of the Rainbow Family camped out this year on Forest Service land near the Big Sandy Reservoir. Staff and wire reports
