California: Rafters Gone Wild leads to alcohol law

Source: SFGate

Tom Stienstra

August 11, 2012

Not many people want more rules that carve away at freedoms, piece by piece.

But a bunch of youngsters in small rafts and inner tubes have ruined it for everybody else.

You may remember from a few weeks ago the story, "Outdoors sadly a place to party." It described an event called Rafters Gone Wild, where 3,000 people showed up on the American River near Sacramento and 23 were arrested after a series of fights and rock-throwing incidents, including drunks throwing rocks at law enforcement officers.

It was a short column, but it hit a flashpoint because about everybody has been exposed to loutish behavior for which there seems no recourse at the time. More than 200 people sent in personal comments. (Yes, I read them all; if you don't always receive a personal answer to an e-mail, this kind of volume is the reason.)

Something had to change. Last week, in a ruling bound to be the template for law enforcement across the United States, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted to give park staff the power to ban all alcohol on the American River Parkway anytime they wish.

This is an arbitrary thing. On any given day, for instance, it would be OK for a retired gent fishing from shore to sip a beer. But if news emerges of a mass gathering like Rafters Gone Wild, the law can ban all alcohol at any time.

Alcohol already is banned on the parkway over Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends. As a result, few showed up for what in the past had been a drunken float, where kids shoot beers and funnel beer bongs on a mission to get drunk.

When it comes to freedom, I find it unbelievable that you can play Internet PokerStars in Moscow, but not in the United States; can drive a motorcycle without a helmet if you choose in Mexico, but not anywhere in California; can buy a Cuban Cohiba cigar in Canada, but not in America; can't cut down a 6-inch tree at Tahoe without someone's OK; can't park your boat in your driveway in many towns, and so on.

In most cases, the last thing we need is more laws telling us what we can and cannot do.

But in this case, some bad behavior forced it on everybody.