By Bart Potter The Olympian July 4, 1990
Sheriff blasts Rainbow Valley decision
Edwards wants different judge
Thurston County Sheriff Gary Edwards said Tuesday a decision by Judge Paula Casey to allow the Rainbow Valley Peace Gathering to continue was responsible for the reported rape of a young woman on the festival grounds.
"I blame her rape directly on Paula Casey's decision," Edwards said.
Casey responded, "I'm shocked at his comment."
Edwards, is no fan of Casey, who ruled twice - on June 26 and July 2 - to allow, under court-imposed conditions, the ongoing Peace Gathering to continue, despite prosecutors' attempts to shut it down.
Edwards said he would prefer another judge be assigned to the Rainbow Valley case.
"If we would have gotten an experienced judge who is not a bleeding-heart liberal we would have gotten a different verdict," Edwards said. "Judge Casey has a record of being much more in favor of the suspect than the victim in many of her cases."
The rape of a 17-year-old woman was reported to sheriffs deputies early Sunday morning, one of 10 felony-level allegations tallied by officers on June 29 and 30 and July 1, Chief Civil Deputy Ray Hansen said.
No one has yet been arrested in those cases.
"We showed there was ongoing criminal activity there," Edwards said. "If she (Casey) would have made a decision that was a responsible decision to the community and shut it down for the nuisance it is, that individual would not have been in the position to have been the victim of a rape."
"I have just done my best to achieve some balance," Casey said, "to try to stop the illegal activities and try to allow this to go on within reasonable limits."
After Casey's first ruling, Rainbow Valley owner Gideon Israel pledged to personally see that minors were well aware that drinking was prohibited and that drug use would not be tolerated. His so called, Trout Scouts, a volunteer security force would be vigilant for any and all violations, Israel said.
The parties were back in court Monday because of sheriff's office claims of continued drug and alcohol violations at Rainbow Valley. Prosecutor Elizabeth Petrich said Israel "affirmatively encouraged" continued abuses of the law.
Hansen said activities at Rainbow Valley through Monday resulted in nine instances of felony drug delivery, six arrests for driving while intoxicated, at least 16 citations for minors drinking, three warrants issued, one complaint for loud music, four open-container violations, five cases of furnishing liquor to minors and two cases of unlawful liquor sales.
There also was the rape report. The woman said she was raped by someone she met at Rainbow Valley, according to a deputy's written report.
Edwards said detectives have a good idea who the suspected rapist is. "We're looking for the guy right how," the sheriff said. Hansen said the reported rape itself has no bearing on whether Israel and the Trout Scouts tailed to follow conditions imposed by the judge. But it does describe the effect the event is having on the community and is valid for the court to consider when deciding whether the gathering should be stopped.
Tuesday night, three deputies were at the gate to the area. More than 1,200 people had come into Rainbow Valley by their estimate.
Petrich said in court Monday that no arrests were made on actual Rainbow Vallev grounds because deputies feared for their safety if they made an arrest in that environment.
Hansen said that is a valid fear.
"The court's failure to recognize the officer's safety issues posed by such an event is seriously disturbing to us." Hansen said. "You just don't send one guy into a crowd of drunk and drug-crazed people. That's not police procedure, nor good common sense."
Israel responded "They're afraid of their own shadow. There has never been a case of a police officer being assaulted at Rainbow Valley."
Hansen said Israel is partly right, there have been no reported assaults of officers on the valley grounds, but he said there have been assaults of officers just outside on State Route 121 (Littlerock Road) by people who had heen at past gatherings.
Israel continued to maintain Monday that his civil rights are being trampled and that county officials are conspiring to shut him down.
Rather than shutting down, he said, Rainbow Valley would be open until after Labor Day.
"This event is going on from this day forward," Israel said Monday. "This is an ongoing summer peace encampment."
Casey had said Monday she would hold off on imposing a $1-per-person-entry charge to defray law enforcement costs until she heard arguments by Israel's attorney. But Tuesday the attorney withdrew his objection to the ruling.
Casey said she did not expect any further court proceedings through the Fourth, the last day of this Peace Gathering.
"Certainly, ultimately there will be many more court proceedings in this matter the judge said. "Not necessarily before me."

Below is an e-mail I received from a former Olympia, Washington resident.

From: ~~~~~~~~@aol.com
To: Louis Bloom manaco@whidbey.net
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 11:34 AM
Subject: OKBR
Just came across your pages and felt the urge to respond... In the early 80's (81-83) I was at the OKBR frequently as a young kid walking to/from school, I became friends with some of the boys. At one point a small boy confided to me that he was being raped by another boy in the home. The abusing boy talked about it openly!
Days later I walked the victim to OPD where we both gave statements. Later that evening I began to receive these incredibly threatening phone calls from a woman employee of the ranch who's name I believe was Paulette at my home. She kept calling over and over screaming at me calling me names. It was horrible. I thought I was helping someone. Nothing came of it. Then all these years later, it all comes out ... one of the boys that I had known there left as a young adult and still couldn't get it together, he eventually killed himself. As an adult now I don't often think back to those times but it still saddens me. All those boys that needed a safe nurturing place to be, and how many of them were better off for having been taken there? It's not about money. It cost these boys their lives, their souls, their trust. Those people who knew, who didn't care, they should feel such shame. Just my opinion.

From: louis a bloom manaco@whidbey.net
To: ~~~~~~~@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 7:30 PM
Subject: Re: OKBR
thanks for your e-mail. from what i've read, dshs, the olympia police department, and other "authorities" didn't consider child on child rape to be against the law. it was considered "normal experimentation". The "paulette" you mention, may have been Collette Queener who was an assistant director at the OKBR. Collette, OKBR Director Tom Van Woerdan, and OKBR counselor Laura Rambo Russell were ineptly charged by Wa. St. with "criminal mistreatment for failing to stop abuse". The charges were dismissed by Thurston County Judge Daniel Berschauer on technicalities. The lawyer who represented Collette Queener said, (Nov. 14, 1996 Olympian), that it was a "witch hunt", and that " a more innocent person (than Queener) you could not have for a client. She's an ex-nun ..... I don't see how you could view her in an evil or negative light."
I congratulate you for doing the right thing, when all those adults looked the other way. I repeat on most pages that the " OKBR has cost the Washington State taxpayers over $35 million dollars (so far)", because I think most people don't care about the kids involved, but they may care that it has cost them (taxpayers) money.
louis bloom

manaco@whidbey.net