cannabisnews.com: Save The Rave Save The Rave Posted by FoM on April 08, 2001 at 07:26:42 PT By Neva Chonin, Chronicle Pop Music Critic Source: San Francisco Chronicle Throw a party, go to jail. At least that's what the federal government would like to see happen in New Orleans, where a club promoter and two managers could face 20 years to life in prison on charges of "operating a continuing criminal enterprise." Some of their patrons, it seems, imbibe drugs while in their venue. It's hard to imagine many music clubs, sporting bars and public parties that don't attract some revelers who do Ecstasy or drink to excess -- especially in a rollicking town like New Orleans. But the authorities in this case are less interested in logic than in results. According to the Electronic Music Defense and Education Fund -- http://www.emdef.org/ -- an organization working to raise money for the accused club managers' legal battle, the New Orleans arrests signal an escalation in a police campaign against late-night dance clubs. Dance events and raves have been the targets of police crackdowns before in cities like San Francisco and Philadelphia -- remember the threatened closures of 1015 Folsom and the Endup? -- but this marks the first time promoters and management have been brought up on federal charges for patrons' private drug use. Why should we care? Because if the feds succeed in prosecuting the New Orleans Three, the fallout will be felt nationwide -- and not just by rave and dance club habitues. "If the government is successful in shutting down raves, what's to stop them from applying this tactic to other music genres, such as hip-hop, heavy metal and jazz, where drug use is known to exist?" asks Graham Boyd, director of the American Civil Liberty Union's Drug Policy Litigation Project, in a recent news release. "Holding club owners and promoters of raves criminally liable for what some people may do at these events is no different from arresting the stadium owners and promoters of a Rolling Stones concert or a rap show because some concertgoers may be smoking or selling marijuana." Just as hip-hop and industrial clubs have been smeared as breeding grounds for teen violence, raves are being declared hotbeds of illicit drug use. As a result, late-night clubs like 1015 Folsom have been forced to subject patrons to draconian search techniques just to stay open. If the New Orleans defendants lose their case, it will set a precedent that will almost certainly make life even more difficult for the Bay Area's struggling club scene. "People don't want to be treated like criminals when they go out to dance -- it's that simple," says Leslie Ayres, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Late Night Coalition -- http://www.sflnc.com/ -- an advocacy group. "We cannot allow our culture to be scapegoated for problems that exist throughout society. They want to shut down this whole subculture." And that would be a tragedy. Dance culture, live music and nightlife are the urban pulse of San Francisco. Stop that beat and we've got a dead city. Therefore, a suggestion for those who love to dance and want to see San Francisco remain a vibrant electronic Mecca: Visit the SFLNC and EMDEF Web sites and learn how to fight for your right to party. Ad-Libs:Counting Crows play a summer minitour with dates July 9, 10 and 12 at the Saratoga Winery, July 13 at Wente Brothers Winery in Livermore and July 15 at Konocti Amphitheater . . . Tortoise headlines June 5-6 at the Fillmore . . . Guitar wranglers Built to Spill settle in June 16-19 at Slim's . . . Duncan Sheik plays May 20 at Slim's . . . Dr. Frank, Chuck Prophet, Bonfire Madigan, Noe Venable, Etienne de Rocher and Ian Brennan anchor the third annual "Best of San Francisco" tour, April 20-30 from Philly to Maine. E-mail Neva Chonin at nchonin sfchronicle.comSource: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Neva Chonin, Chronicle Pop Music CriticPublished: Sunday, April 8, 2001 Copyright: 2001 San Francisco ChronicleContact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/CannabisNews Articles - Raveshttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=raves END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by Scooby Doo on April 08, 2002 at 10:03:43 PT: Dance Safe, up-comming rave Hey guys! I stumbled upon this site by accident b-'cuz I was trying 2 find a web-site that would have photos on x in Germany. I need 2 up-date my mind. If any-1 knows a good site, e-mail me. Now, on 2 business....I 1st heard of "Dance Safe" through one of the Seventeen magazines. It was either this months or last months. The article also centered around how the raves r being shut down and people r being arrested 4 having pacifiers and binkies. The will also arrest u 4 having glow-sticks and anything that looks trippy. I think that is pure bull****! My friends in El Paso, Texas told me that raves r being shut down b-4 the 1st flyer is out. Carazy, huh? Why would the police want 2 shut down on some-thing as good really loud music w/ a cause? Nver-mind the fact that child molesters get away w/ a slap on the wrist, and 5 year olds can get their hands on Daddy's gun, but did they wake up one morning and decide that they were going 2 arrest a club kids just 'ucz we look like "drug users." Some people can enjoy them-selves rave w/out drugs. I can. If the beats r kikin', so am I. There r also other people like me, that r there 2 support the djs and their causes 2 spread knowledge through music. I once read a ravers manifest on the net, but I am sad 2 say, I 4-got the address 4 it, or I would spread the knowledge of that.And also, if u r in Germany, there is a kikin ass rave in Frankfurt this Saturday. It is going 2 b in a club/warehouse that is 4 stories high. 8,000 people showed up 2 the last 1, and only 4,000 got in. I am going 2 b part of the next 4,000. Oh, and my birth-day is tomorrow!Alright every-, stay cool, and support legalization of marijaunna! [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 08, 2001 at 19:01:07 PT Right dddd dddd you are so right. They must shift from marijuana because of popular opinion but they need a drug or drugs to go get and I really think you are correct I'm sorry to say. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by dddd on April 08, 2001 at 18:57:21 PT changing focus Earlier this evening ,CBS had a "special assignment" report here in L.A.The lead story was about the group known as "Dance Safe".They go to raves,and will check whether the exstacy people buy is the real thing.The segment wasfull of the usual bogus and unverified "statistics",about extacy....deaths,emergencyroom visits,,all said to be way up due to exstacy,and "club drugs".Look out all you youngsters,Uncle Sam is going to become even more unreasonable,andnatziesque in the near future..I think that we are going to see extacy,and meth used to expand and renew the drug war.I thinkthe antis realize that they are going to have to face the facts about marijuana,so the plan is to make a new target group of people to maintain the prisonpopulation......dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by CannabisMythsExposed on April 08, 2001 at 15:09:25 PT Raves It's seems strange to me that the rave scene is currently big over there. Over here in England the rave scene peaked about 10 years ago. The most noticeable thing about raves was that most people were not drinking alcohol! If the ravers were merely getting blind drunk I'm sure the authorities would leave them alone.One the pubs I frequent has a sign at the bar - "No Drugs". The bar owners don't even see the irony (or is it hypocrisy?) [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 08, 2001 at 14:39:18 PT My 2 cents I'm too old to have been part of a Rave but I wish I could be a fly on the wall one time to see what the fuss is all about. Young people have energy to burn and few outlets. If the kids dance the night away that is exercise and it also takes the edge off that they have from just being young and hormones kicking in etc. There is no war for young men to be drafted into but they still need ways to vent that energy. We shouldn't tell kids what they shouldn't do without having an alternative for them. Where or what is an alternative way for them to blow off steam? Why won't they go that far for the children? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on April 08, 2001 at 14:02:06 PT: "Imbibing drugs" Precisely what they do at each and every watering hole in every country where alcohol is legal. But don't tell the imbibers that; in a mercurial drunken rage, they might injure or kill you. Alcohol tends to elicit that kind of behavior. Whereas, raves seem to produce mainly happy kids.When society fosters violent behavior (drunken rages) in lieu of peaceable behavior (raves), what does that say about society? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on April 08, 2001 at 07:54:17 PT What's next? If you removed all illegal drug-takers from the music business, about the only interesting things we could listen to from the past 35 years would be Frank Zappa and Moby. No Led Zeppelin. No Beatles. No B.B. King. No Willie Nelson. No S-Club-7, for that matter. Do we shut down Disneyland just because a certain subsection of the public likes to go there on acid? Do we shut down the Mets because Darryl Strawberry likes his cocaine? [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: