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Surprise: ‘Rafting Gone Wild’ Event Devolves Into Oar-Wielding Brawl

Jul. 16, 2012 11:00am Jonathon M. Seidl

With a name like “Rafting Gone Wild” what could possibly go wrong? Organizers of a 4,000-person river floating event found out at the second annual get-together on the American River in California. There, the lazy river-like trip devolved into a drunken brawl party that featured, naturally, people using oars as weapons.

“By 5 p.m. … dozens were fighting on the shores of Ancil Hoffman Park, beating each other with paddles or rocks and hurling stones at fire and rescue boats, officials said,” according to the Sacramento Bee.

“It started out fairly reasonable, but as they day went on, the drunkenness and the fights increased with them,” Sgt. Randy Lewis, a Sacramento County park ranger, told the Bee.

“There are so many intoxicated people it’s like ridiculous,” 20-year-old Marisa Taylor added.

Pictures on the event’s Facebook page support that:

While video has yet to surface of the actual brawl, there is one on YouTube showing a different disagreement between rafters. That one appears to be over littering in the river (CONTENT WARNING for language):

According to KCRA-TV, officials made about a half dozen arrests and about 15 river rescues. Believe it or not, that’s actually a little more subdued than last year, when approximately a dozen were arrested and officials had to rescue about 100 people.

(H/T: Yahoo!)

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Comments (66)

Lib Whisperer
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:51pm
Use ta be named “Goethe Park” (“gay-tee”) but it seems ol’ Goethe was a into racing, so they had to change the name. But it’s OK because California has LOTS of extra money for stuff like that.

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RoAdFiXeR
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:48pm
Sun (check) Beer (check) Fighting because we really have nothing better to do (check)….Man I love the USA….

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- 4xeverything
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 5:06pm
  I don’t get it. I would go ‘cabrooin” most weekends during the summer when I was in college. Always got too much sun, drank too much, and had way too much fun. Never got into a fight, never was vulgar or disrespectful to families on the river, and never littered. What is so intriguing about fighting? Granted, I don’t have a pen(i)s so, I’ve never had to measure it against everyone else’s. I guess I’ll never know. ;0)
  
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LeadNotFollow
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:43pm
…
Bet ninety six percent of these rafters are Obama supporters.

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- The Gooch
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 3:00pm
  I’ll bet 96% couldn’t find their **** with a map, compass and flashlight. Who cares what their politics are?
  
  Report this comment
- txjb
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 7:00pm
  I care what their politics are !! they need to get in tune . Vote that commie out !!
  
  Report this comment
LeadNotFollow
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:40pm
…
When that guy threw the rock, wish the victim of that thrown rock, would have pulled out a gun.

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- RamonPreston
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 1:05pm
  Does California have a “Stand Your Ground” law?
  
  Report this comment
- stumpy68
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:06pm
  I was going to say “I think California has a run away and pray law ” but California would most likely
  deem the second half of that offensive so its probably a run away and pis yourself law .
  
  Report this comment
blaaaaackwoman
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:39pm
ha, if it would have been a bunch of Bible thumpers, they’d be in a giant ship rowing at top speed, in perfect cadence to the drum beat of the row master. They’d get there faster, they’d win, they’d get a ribbon or a plaque saying they won, and the river would be damned up like a beaver damn from all the wet bible pages that came loose and jammed up the logs and branches stuck in the water.

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- woodyee
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 1:08pm
  Obviously, you disdain “Bible Thumpers”. Your disdainful comment leads the reader to conclude you don’t believe these were “Bible Thumpers”. Therefore, you approve of these folks and their behavior because they weren’t “Bible Thumpers”. Thanks for drawing a clear picture of yourself.
  
  Report this comment
- dazedandamazed
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 3:27pm
  Are you really as stupid as you sound?
  
  Report this comment
- Bartlebee06
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 4:56pm
  @ WOODYE, responding to trolls is like feeding the animals. Don’t do it or they just keep coming back.
  
  Report this comment
- TheBurningTruth
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 5:10pm
  As opposed to a bunch of Blaaaaaaaakmen that would have stopped at every boat along the river and raped the women, stolen valuables and crapped in the river, all the while whining and crying about how they’re the “oppressed”. Then they would have slashed the rafts they stole in the first place, stolen a car and sped away over the limit.
  
  Yeah, I’ll take the Bible-thumpers any day.
  
  Report this comment
- crackerone
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 6:02pm
  If you had your choice nasty blackwoman, you would rather be squealing like a pig! Squeeeeal, squeeeeal!
  
  Report this comment
- froggy19510
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 6:16pm
  You are stupid your funny.
  
  Report this comment
- 191145ACP
  Posted on July 17, 2012 at 7:55am
  Hey blaaaaackwoman, just think if it were a ship with a cargo full of black slaves instead of a ship full of bible thumpers
  
  Report this comment
LeadNotFollow
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:36pm
…
I can’t stand drunks or litterbugs.

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- TheLeftMadeMeRight
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 6:11pm
  or drunken litterbugs…
  
  Report this comment
red_white_blue2
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:34pm
Our society is so arrogant, and so self centered. I think its all the time people spend in isolation with electronics. You put them together with real human beings, and they don’t know how to act.

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MeteoricLimbo
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:33pm
Well, a persons got to have their priorities evidently.

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Indymaverick
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:31pm
Just bro`s and ho`s doing what they do best.

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- scuba13
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 2:10pm
  What did you expect from the Encinom family.
  
  Report this comment
6sagebrush9
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:29pm
All things considered, I think this kind of activity is probably the closest thing most younger Americans will get to preparing for the tough times ahead. They learn a variety of fighting techniques and strategies including paddle whacking and eye scratching, rock and bottle throwing skills, (since guns will be outlawed by the United Nations), psychological warfare through effective name calling, cussing, and proper huffing puffing and scowling techniques. In addition, these activities develop advanced outdoor survival skills such as how to pee and crap in a river from a moving floatation device, how to protect vital survival gear, (i.e. alchohol retention vesicles, Ipods, and cell phones), with celephane, and most importantly: how to have sex in public without getting caught. The most critical element of this training is the acquired insight into what seems to be the new American mantra of, “It’s all about me, the nations parks and public facilities are my toilet/trashcan, I want what I want and I want it now, never tell me no, and what about “it’s all about me” aren’t you getting? Or maybe it’s just that the past two generations haven’t behaved all that much better, have let the leaders in this country turn it into a trash heap, piled hopeless trillions of dollars of debt upon these young people, left them jobless, and they figure, “what the hell, you left us a dump, I guess we’ll just treat it like one”. Apologies to the youth. Party Hardy!

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- jman-6
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 2:00pm
  Good point
  
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whatthecrazy
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:20pm
I watched two videos and saw a guy throw a rock.How did i miss the oar fight?

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- OneTermPresident
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 1:22pm
  My thoughts exactly… talk about sensationalizing a headline.
  
  Report this comment
Spot99
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 12:11pm
More importantly, beer cans and fights don’t harm the river much. What does is all these people ******* in it. Fecal Bactria tends to do more damage. …… Whatever, don’t eat any fish caught downstream from this rafting event unless you’re good to go with other peoples waste. jmho.

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pap pap
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:51am
This is supposed to be a totally relaxing event. Maybe they needed to burn a couple to mellow off.

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- Kilmerfan
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:55am
  What I am wondering is was there a idiot on a cell phone not paying attention like they do on the road
  
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Kilmerfan
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:49am
Meh, this is nothing new it happens all the time in NE.

Slow news day?

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Lemacs
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:41am
This aint nothing, been on the FRIO rive in a tube and a keg and seen more crazies than that.

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Gold Coin & Economic News
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:31am
Brawl? I thought we were going to see a brawl? What was that?

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RJJinGadsden
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:31am
Occupy the American River ‘Gone Wild!’ Just another excuse to act like an idiot and ruin a recreational site.

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grudgywoof
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:28am
Obama supporters and OWS idiots.

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goldham45
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:24am
What ever happened to water safety? It appeared to me that only about 1 in 50 were wearing PFD’s. With all the drinking and fighting you might want to have something that will help keep your head afloat out of the water incase your unconcious!

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- DimmuBorgir
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:31am
  They’re just amateurs
  
  This past weekend a lot of friends and I went cabrewing. Canoeing and drinking. It never ends up in fights or problems. We drink and float. Then we go home.
  
  these people just don’t know how to relax with a drink
  
  Report this comment
ReaganFan1965
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:23am
Gee, I wonder where they put all the bottles and cans? I’m probably going out on a limb here, but I’m guessing they didn’t throw them in a garbage or recycling can.

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:33am
  I’m sure that what didn’t float downriver is scattered on the banks. Maybe the Tea Party will go clean it up for them.
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:36am
  When I refreshed this page, I got a different lower video showing the occupants of a blue and white raft tossing what looked to be close to a dozen empty cans in the river.
  
  Report this comment
guntotinsquaw
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:21am
As many times as we floated down the creeks with an ice chest..I can honestly say, this would have made all of us stare and shake our heads. Stupid city slickers.

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- cerlav
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:47am
  Clearly you’ve never been through Sacramento if you think they are city slickers. It’s nothing but farms and rice fields for a hundred miles in any direction. The largest agricultural university is there. Na, it’s about as redneck as you can get. Couldn’t you tell from all the Bud and Keystone cases?
  
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strangerlsd3
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:15am
This happened right down the street from my house. Unbelievable. It was loud, then erupted. Then there were people coming off the trail bleeding or huddled groups of people talking smack. Train wreck.

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Leeman86
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:12am
Just a bunch of Citiots getting drunk. Nothing to see here.

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- justangry
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:47am
  Maybe you missed the girl in the “LOVE” hotpants.
  
  Report this comment
- v15
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 2:55pm
  Right in the mouth @ the chick in pink!
  
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justangry
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:11am
So people float down the river and drink alcohol? Nah… Something tells me this would just be another day of rafting if the media and police weren’t there.

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SREGN
Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:11am
How come drunks never seem to drown?

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- kindling
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:27am
  Yea….and why don’t they die in the accidents they cause on America’s roads rather than the people they hit?
  
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- Kilmerfan
  Posted on July 16, 2012 at 11:52am
  A cook on the Titanic lived because he was drunk.
  
  Go figure
  
  Report this comment

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