US: Rave organizers evicted from warehouse – October 2002 Rave organizers evicted from warehouse
By BBC News - October 15th 2002
Copyright: BBC News
The organizers of a large-scale warehouse rave party learned Monday that they have been ousted from the building in which they held the all-night event on Saturday.
The all-night party, organized by Poopiehead Productions and Trounce Records, drew at least 500 ravers to Trounce's three-story warehouse building at 422 N. 15th St. in the Menomonee Valley.
Gary Zeller, an organizer of the "Regroup" party, said a representative of Trounce's landlord, Action Property Management, contacted Trounce officials Monday and told them that their month-to-month lease was being terminated and that they had 60 days to vacate the premises.
Zeller said the property management company did not cite specific lease violations and suggested only that the company did not want to "deal with what they felt might be a hassle involving police and city officials" over rave parties.
Zeller questioned the timing of the landlord's eviction notice, saying Trounce's lease contained a clause that said the company could not be ousted between November and March.
A telephone call to Action Property Management Monday afternoon went unanswered.
The last large-scale rave in Milwaukee, the "Halloween Grave Rave" in 1992, was raided by Milwaukee Police, and 900 people were arrested for a variety of drug possession and drug-use violations.
Police visited Saturday's 9 p.m.-6 a.m. rave twice between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., but no partygoers were arrested.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
UK: Agreement made to end misery of all-night rave – September 2002 Agreement made to end misery of all-night rave
By The Barnet and Potters Bar Times - Sept 18 2002
Copyright: The Barnet and Potters Bar Times
In the past, the borough's police and council officers have blamed each other for failing to stop illegal raves that have lasted up to 23 hours.
But both signed an agreement last Thursday designed to make it easier to curb nuisance noise although it left some residents at a loss to see how it would save them from sleepless nights.
"The noise pollution protocol is not a magic spell to end all illegal raves," said borough commander Chief Superintendent Sue Akers.
"It sets out clearly who is responsible for what. The borough doesn't get raves very often."
Three illegal raves have been held in the borough this year all in disused warehouses in West Hendon and Staples Corner. When 300 revellers descended on the former Frank Usher factory off Edgware Road in January and partied for 18 hours, police and council officers passed the buck for failing to stop the rave.
Noise abatement officers hope more efficient communication might also lead to increased prosecution of rave organisers, who face fines of up to £20,000 and can be filmed by police but must be prosecuted by the council.
Cabinet member for housing and environmental health, Councillor Brian Salinger, said: "We shouldn't have any false expectations of what we can achieve. The idea is that everyone knows how we will respond."
But rave-weary residents remained sceptical.
"It's frustrating," said Judy Shepherd, of Montagu Road. "The noise is terrible and nobody can stop it. If the protocol doesn't change that, I don't see that it's particularly helpful."
Key facts:
- Police are powerless to intervene against ravers because they are trespassing, which is a civil not a criminal offence
- Action can only be taken if a Noise and Nuisance Officer (NNO) has witnessed nuisance levels of noise from the complainant's residence
- The NNO must first serve a noise abatement order, giving ravers the option of going home quietly. Next they must get a magistrate's warrant to seize the sound equipment
- Police can play no part in the seizure of sound equipment their purpose is to ensure no breach of the peace occurs
http://www.barnettimes.co.uk/
US: Rave party guide book helps police – September 2002 Antirave new world
By The Miami Herrald - Sept 18 2002
Copyright: The Miami Herrald
A bill expected to pass the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent this fall could have a chilling effect on Florida's nightclub industry. Senate bill S. 2633, a k a the Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act of 2002, or the RAVE Act, would broaden federal standards for prosecuting venues under the so-called crack-house laws, which were designed to stamp out crack cocaine dealers. It would also add stiff civil penalties.
The bill specifically targets dance-music venues, whether they are temporary outdoor raves or established nightclubs. The RAVE Act has raised the ire of the electronic music industry, which brings tens of thousands of professionals and partyers to Miami every year for the Winter Music Conference.
''A lot of venues are going to be afraid to even rent to someone doing a rave-type party,'' said Gary Blitz, coordinator of the Electronic Music Defense and Education Fund. ``The law equates raves with drugs. The crack-house statute should be for crack houses, not for concerts or venues.''
Supporters of the RAVE Act say it is necessary to stop pervasive and dangerous use of drugs at raves.
''There's no question that drug use at rave clubs is widespread,'' said Jim McDonough, director of the Florida Office of Drug Control. ``And drugs are fatal far too often.''
In 1999, Florida conducted operation Heat Rave, in which 57 Florida clubs were raided by police. Tens of thousands of doses of drugs were confiscated. According to McDonough, a survey of state medical examiners found 59 MDMA (Ecstasy) related deaths in 2000, and 147 in 2001. McDonough said that clamping down on Ecstasy is one of his office's priorities.
''With or without this bill, any club that wantonly allows illegal drug use on their premises will be prosecuted,'' McDonough said.
MINOR CHANGES
Both sides agree that the bill's specific changes to current drug-enforcement laws are minor, as it expands the controlled substances act to allow prosecution of temporary and outdoor venues that exist ``for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, storing, distributing, or using a controlled substance.''
''It tailors the federal crack-house statute,'' said Chip Unruh, spokesman for Sen. Joseph Biden, the bill's sponsor. ``It's not a revolutionary new law.''
But the rhetoric surrounding the act has hardly been low-key. 'Each year tens of thousands of young people are initiated into the drug culture at `rave' parties or events (all-night, alcohol-free dance parties typically featuring loud, pounding dance music),'' states the Findings section of the RAVE Act.
A video released by McDonough's office depicts raves as lurid places where young, stoned girls are raped and fights are frequent.
Opponents of the bill, including the American Civil Liberties Union, decry the Reefer Madness-style hyperbole surrounding the law. They say that by targeting a specific form of youth culture and music, and citing such common rave accessories as glow sticks, massage oils and pacifiers as evidence of Ecstasy use, the bill censors free expression.
Some also predict the bill will have an impact far beyond the rave scene. Just as laws originally created to prosecute crack houses are now being used against raves, critics say the RAVE Act could be used against any music event where drugs are consumed.
''It's going to destroy the concert industry,'' said Broward-based music promoter Justin Moss who used to promote raves and co-organized the Beyond 2002 music and sports festival at Bicentennial Park earlier this year. ``Raves are just concerts with a different kind of music. At every concert, there's drugs. Every concert is going to fall under this act.''
McDonough denies such charges.
''Rave laws are no more antimusic than anticrack house laws are antihouse,'' he said.
MIXED VERDICTS
Existing crack-house laws have already been used against raves, to mixed effect. While the government successfully prosecuted promoters in Little Rock and Boise, a case in New Orleans ended in a plea bargain. A lengthy investigation of Club La Vela in Panama City was quickly rejected by a jury. Those uncertain results in part prompted the RAVE Act.
The bill flew through the Judiciary Committee without opposition. Aides to Sen. Biden say they expect it to pass the Senate by unanimous consent and move quickly through the House of Representatives.
The bill has raised mixed levels of public concern among South Florida nightclub owners and rave promoters.
''They've been trying to get rid of raves forever,'' said Moss. ``This isn't going to hurt the major concert promoters who are politically connected. But it is going to hurt the little guy like me. If a promoter's not politically in, you're dead.''
Club Level manager Gerry Kelly, who serves on Miami Beach's Nightlife Task Force and has hosted events for Janet Reno and President Bill Clinton, affirms that he does not feel threatened by the RAVE Act.
''We have a zero-tolerance drug policy,'' said Kelly. ``We have a rigorous training with our security team to spot any sort of illegal activity at the club. If we ever found anyone with illegal drugs, they would be immediately taken out of the club.''
McDonough says those are precisely the steps clubs must take to avoid prosecution.
''They have to set a standard that it's not a drug haven, it's a club,'' he said. ``There have to be checks at the door. Security has to be observant while people are there. It's like underage people who drink in bars: The owner has a responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen.''
But supporters of the bill vary about how it will be implemented. McDonough said drugs would have to be ''wantonly'' consumed at a venue. Unruh said only promoters who blatantly encourage drug use in fliers, for example, would be prosecuted.
''The RAVE Act just targets unscrupulous promoters who are promoting for the purpose of drug use,'' Unruh said.
But according to EMDEF's Blitz, the standards for actual prosecutions in cities such as Panama City have been much slacker -- even before the RAVE Act.
''Anybody who knows anything about that case [La Vela] knows those guys did everything possible to try to keep drugs out of their place,'' Blitz said. ``To think this law is needed to address the fact these guys didn't get convicted, that spells trouble for any club owner.''
http://www.miami.com/
US: Rave organizer on trial for murder – September 2002 Rave organizer on trial for murder
By Yahoo News - Thursday September 5 2002
Copyright: Yahoo News
JOSHUA TREE, Calif. -- An impromptu rave party in the Southern California high desert five years ago was Lucas Bielat's chance to say goodbye to friends before he moved away.
But the day he was supposed to leave, the 15-year-old was found dead in the desert from an overdose of the popular designer drug GHB.
Now, the man accused of organizing the party and supplying the drug to Bielat goes on trial today for second-degree murder in what may be the first such case in the country.
Prosecutors have charged Lindley Troy Geborde, 30, of Los Angeles with second-degree murder for allegedly manufacturing the drug and supplying it to Bielat without warning him of its danger.
Geborde is already serving a 41-month sentence in federal prison for a 1999 conviction on charges he made and transported GHB.
"The law says if you have knowledge that a particular conduct is dangerous to human life, you engage in that conduct and that conduct results in death, then you're guilty of murder," said San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney David Simon. "Just because there hasn't been a case until now, doesn't mean it isn't murder."
Although three men in Michigan were convicted of manslaughter earlier this year in the death of a girl who drank a beverage mixed with GHB, the California case marks the first time someone is being tried for implied malice in connection with such a death.
Known to partygoers as liquid ecstasy, GHB -- gamma hydroxybutyrate -- is known for its intoxicating effect, which is similar to liquor without the hangover. It's also known as a "date rape" drug because of its ability to incapacitate people, leaving them vulnerable to sexual assault.
Once sold in health food stores as a natural food supplement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned over-the-counter sales in 1990. President Clinton signed legislation outlawing the drug this year.
Geborde was an aspiring disc jockey and actor who had a small role as a federal police officer in the 1997's "Conspiracy Theory," starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts.
Defense attorney Frank Peasley says Geborde's actions did not amount to murder and the dangers of GHB have been exaggerated.
"(Geborde) used (GHB) all the time, and his friends did, too," Peasley told The Desert Sun of Palm Springs. He did not return a telephone call to the Associated Press seeking comment.
Both sides agree that on the night of Jan. 13, 1996, Bielat and at least 40 other people attended a party at Giant Rock, a huge boulder rising out of the sand 25 miles north of Joshua Tree that was made famous in the 1950s by UFO enthusiast George Van Tassel.
But they disagree about what happened at the rock.
Investigators allege Geborde, then 25, handed out plastic jugs of the drug, which he brewed out of engine degreaser, drain cleaner and water, to partygoers.
Investigators suspect Geborde was the leading force in introducing the drug in Joshua Tree, a community of 8,600 people about 100 miles east of Los Angeles.
Although he had allegedly warned people at previous parties before to take only two or three capfuls of the concoction, on this night Geborde said nothing, Simon said.
Witnesses say Bielat chugged the drink and then passed out. Hours later, they say Bielat turned blue and his feet began to curl from the cold.
That's when, according to investigators, Geborde packed up his music equipment and left.
"He made it. He knew it was dangerous. He gave it to Lucas Bielat and didn't warn him as he watched him chug it. . . . When he was dying, Mr. Geborde left him there. That's implied malice," Simon said.
But other witnesses, according to transcripts from a preliminary hearing in April, say Geborde told people to be careful and that he had someone call 911.
At the time, the autopsy was inconclusive because the crime lab lacked the equipment to test for GHB toxicity. Two years later, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office used a test it had developed to determine there was toxic level of GHB in Bielat's blood.
On Oct. 1, 1998, Geborde was charged with second-degree murder.
Although nearly everybody agrees Bielat bears some responsibility for taking the drug, prosecutors and Bielat's family hold Geborde responsible for allegedly giving it to him.
http://www.yahoo.com/
US: Out of the media glare, there’s a positive side to the rave scene – September 200 Out of the media glare, there's a positive side to the rave scene
By Yahoo News - Thursday September 5 2002
Copyright: Yahoo News
Debauched all-night parties driven by rapid techno beats, fueled by a cornucopia of drugs and packed with thousands of sweaty, wild-eyed ecstasy freaks.
Young people doing bad things in dark places.
Ooooh. This is what "raves" are all about, right?
Not necessarily.
There's more to the rave community than what you read in glossy magazines and see on MTV -- just like there’s more to punk rock than Blink-182.
Of course, organizers don't like referring to smaller, more community-based events as "raves" -- they get a little touchy over that word. Some call them "parties," others call them "gatherings."
The other side of the drug-frenzied, fashion-centered über-rave scene involves Zenlike gatherings of music-loving people, all -- at the risk of sounding totally dippy -- paying homage to the sound in dance. More often than not, those who put on these small events either lose money or just break even because they insist on charging (usually) no more than $10 for tickets (as opposed to the standard $40 most commercialized events charge).
"I think when people approach it as a positive ritual ... it creates a positive energy that you can't manufacture with some glossy flier," says Robert Papy (a k a DJ Vegan), explaining why people at any given rave might have a sense of being part of a collective consciousness in a way that patrons at a club wouldn't.
Like nightclubs, the larger, commercialized events generally make attendants feel isolated. You're alone among the crowd of people chasing their drug highs. These glitzed-up scenester parties are the sorts you see in movies, where it seems the only part of rave culture they show is the worst part. The latest in the raver is "Human Traffic" -- a film about a group of disenchanted Welsh youth who make a weekend of going to Cardiff parties, doing loads of drugs and -- oddly enough -- never feeling all that fulfilled at the end of their trips.
But if you're at the right event at the right time, there's this feeling of belonging and purpose.
"There's a greater regard for other people who are there. They're so passionate," says Papy.
Some collectives like Vancouver, B.C.'s Shrum Tribe take exception to most of the terminology associated with the scene.
"Shrum Tribe is not a 'rave' . . . we do not want to be bound by those restrictions," says the statement on the group's Web site.
They state their aim as one to "create events that subvert the bland status quo of society's low expectations of 'high' art as an entity stuck to gallery walls . . . the passion and desire to dare to do something different, to see musik (sic) as a vehicle for social action on a larger scale, however small our victories and great our losses . . . the passion and desire to do this peacefully, but with action."
Raves as social activism? You bet. And that approach to organizing the events is becoming more common with the subculture. While in some cities rave-based community activism flourishes (such as San Francisco and Vancouver) progress is slow in Seattle, but things are taking shape nonetheless.
As his chosen DJ name might indicate, Seattle's Papy, 29, is a vegan (his diet does not include any animal products -- no meat, no dairy, no eggs), so it's no surprise that he's active in animal-rights causes -- the tagline on his cards reads "Use your brain, be humane."
To the uninitiated, this might sound like a throw-back to the '60s love-ins, but there's a definite modern twist: The once-disenchanted ravers seem to be saving themselves, the music they love and the values that go along with it from the clutches of greedy promoters. Some events are organized to raise funds or awareness for specific social causes.
Papy, originally from Hollywood, Fla., says he's "more concerned with creating a more sane and humane world with the assistance of the music" than anything else.
Along with his friend, Thomas Renouf (who DJs as TC) Papy is planning an event on July 8 called Integrrrate, during which signatures will be gathered for Initiative 713 (www.jps.net/propaw/wainitword.htm), urging a ban against steel leg traps. They're also trying to raise funds for an animal shelter in Arlington.
Then there's Seelie Court Production Co., a small group of Seattle organizers, artists -- including DJs -- who set up small to medium gatherings with a holistic approach.
Isis (the only name she goes by) is one of the organizers at Seelie Court and has been part of the scene in Seattle for about four years. She emphasizes the need for the more organic, community-based events.
"Any gathering with so much love . . . it becomes a family overall," says Isis, 21. "It's amazing how much love opens when people allow themselves to be creative with other people . . . it creates trust and unity."
At Seelie Court's most recent event -- one celebrating the vernal equinox -- local artists, music enthusiasts, partiers and environmental activists all soft-shoed together. Seelie Court invited Earth First! to set up a table and distribute information. While artist Roman (among others) shared his paintings, about 250 people danced to a variety of DJ'd sets. Also, funds were raised for an arts community center in Bellingham that Seelie Court and others are trying to build.
This gathering was not promoted by fliers and magazine ads.
"It was done by word of mouth only and it was perfect," says Ed Hanes, a member of Seelie Court.
Most of the smaller, do-gooder events aren't held in clubs (where ticket prices are high and the focus is not on the community in general), but in backs of stores, homes, parking garages, abandoned buildings or just out in the woods.
"It intentionally stays underground so it doesn't get busted,"
Ken Tomkins, co-owner of Raverbooks in Capitol Hill.
So, how do you find out about the events or get involved? There's no one way, really. Start by getting involved in the DJ community.
Yes, even some of the smaller parties have fliers, so look for them at hipster cafes, music stores, clothing shops and such. No, not the big glossy fliers. The small, photocopied ones here and there.
Pick up local music zines and look for Web sites put up by DJs and other music collectives. Drop your e-mail address there and they'll keep you posted on upcoming events.
http://www.yahoo.com/
US: Muslims protest party flyer – September 2002 Muslims protest party flyer
By Yahoo News - Thursday September 5 2002
Copyright: Yahoo News
Seattle-area Muslims are organizing a taxi work stoppage to protest the use of verses from the Koran in a brochure advertising a dance party.
At least four to six dozen Muslim taxi drivers plan to stop work for a few hours during tomorrow night's rave in Georgetown, said Al-Salaam Mahmoud, leader of the Masjid As Salaam mosque in SeaTac.
More than 100 Muslims independently own cabs in the city, he added, and could affect the community in a public way.
Muslims are offended that the party promoter advertised the rave, called Phase 1, by using religious phrases and verses from the Koran, the holy book of Islam that is said to have been revealed to Mohammed during a period of 23 years.
"The community is totally outraged," Mahmoud said.
"There are some areas that are sacred."
Distributed in the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila and a few shops in Capitol Hill, the brochure uses an Arabic verse from the Koran that refers to the month of Ramadan, in which Muslims fast.
Muslims plan to call a news conference in Bellevue today to denounce the use of Koranic verses and show support across faiths. They're rallying for support from Jewish, Sikh and Christian faiths.
"It's really the public mocking of religious faith," said the Rev. Joe Fuiten with Cedar Park Assembly, a non-denominational Christian church in Bothell.
Fuiten supported the Muslims' protest because he said he wanted to denounce the intolerance shown to a minority religion.
Michael Medved, who is active within the Jewish community, said, "This is an area where we can show solidarity and support for our Muslim neighbors.
"This is a very clear issue of a lack of respect for religious tradition," said Medved, who is the host of a popular conservative Seattle-based radio show.
Muslims said they object to the use of Koranic verses to advertise a rave, where dancing, drinking and drugs -- all prohibited by Islam -- are common.
"This is the holy Koran," said Abdi Akhim, 33, who attends the SeaTac mosque. "This religion is very strict. So imagine people who make a party (using it)."
The party promoter has apologized for using the verses, but did not pull the 50,000 brochures as the Muslim community requested, Mahmoud said.
"We are sympathetic to the complaints of the Muslim community," the designer of the brochure wrote in an e-mail yesterday. "It was not our intent to insult or undermine the Islamic religion."
The party promoter could not be reached for comment yesterday.
According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic advocacy group, there are 1.2 million followers worldwide and 6 million in the United States, making Islam the second-most popular religion after Catholicism.
By some estimates, there are 40,000 Muslims in this region.
Samatar Ali, 35, a Muslim taxi driver, said he had not heard of the work stoppage but would eagerly consider participating.
"The whole thing of the work stoppage is to send a message about how we feel about our religion," Ali said as he maneuvered his cab through downtown traffic yesterday. "I don't think any religion should be used in such a manner. That's a little off the line."
The brochure's designer said that he had no idea what the passages meant and "used them purely for their aesthetic beauty."
But Ibrahim Hooper, executive director of the council, said, people don't recognize that Islam has a role and presence in this country.
To them, "somehow Islam is exotic and foreign, and makes for good copy," he said. "They don't realize it's offensive. The byproduct is that it becomes clever to use Islamic symbols in advertising."
http://www.yahoo.com/
World: Canadian Senate panel urges legalization of POT – September 2002 Canadian Senate panel urges legalization of pot
By CNN - Thursday September 5 2002
Copyright: CNN
OTTAWA, Canada (CNN) -- A Canadian Senate committee recommended Wednesday that marijuana be legalized.
"Cannabis should be, from here on, in legal and of restricted use, so that Canadians can choose whether to consume or not in security," said Sen. Pierre Claude Nolin, a Progressive Conservative Party member from Quebec province. He spoke at a news conference announcing the final report of the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, which he chaired.
The government should give amnesty to anyone convicted of marijuana possession under current or past legislation and erase their records, Nolin said.
"Domestic and international experts and Canadians from every walk of life told us loud and clear that we should not be imposing criminal records on users or unduly prohibiting personal use of cannabis," Nolin said.
The committee's report will be considered by lawmakers.
Evidence indicates that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol, and undermines the idea that smoking pot leads to harder drugs, the committee said.
The report recommends the legal age for possession and consumption as 16, said Dave Newman, committee spokesman. It would be regulated similar to the way alcohol is.
Nolin said: "Make no mistake, we are not endorsing cannabis use for recreational consumption. Whether or not an individual uses marijuana should be a personal choice that is not subject to criminal penalties.
"But we have come to the conclusion that, as a drug, it should be regulated by the state much as we do for wine and beer, hence our preference for legalization over decriminalization."
The report says the appropriate level of tetrahydrocannabinol -- THC -- in marijuana for recreational use would be 13 percent. THC is the main active component of cannabis.
Many of the products illegally on the market now have a much higher THC level, he said.
The committee also recommended a revision of the regulations regarding medicinal use of marijuana.
Legalization would ultimately result in less recreational use of marijuana, the panel believes. It also would take a load off the criminal justice system and hurt organized crime, the report says.
The panel also recommended that laws on driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs should be amended "to lower permitted alcohol levels to 40 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, in the presence of other drugs, especially, but not exclusively cannabis; and to admit evidence from expert police officers trained in detecting persons operating vehicles under the influence of drugs."
Sen. Colin Kenny, a Liberal Party member from Ontario who is the panel's deputy chair, said no one on the committee wants to see an increase in drug use.
Newman said the nation's minister of justice, Martin Cauchon, will take a look at the report and determine whether the government wants to put it on its legislative agenda.
Other recommendations made in the 600-plus page report, which is the result of two years of study, include:
Canada "should adopt an integrated policy on the risks and harmful effects of psychoactive substances" covering a whole range of substances.
A Canadian Center on Psychoactive Substances and Dependency should be created, with "a strong, clear mandate."
The nation should seek amendments to U.N. conventions and treaties governing illegal drugs and back the development of a Drugs and Dependency Monitoring Agency for the Americas.
http://www.cnn.com/
US: Officials block Saturday ‘rave’ – September 2002 Officials block Saturday ‘rave’
By The Post Crescent - Sep 9 2002
Copyright: The Post Crescent
APPLETON — A rave party planned for an Appleton park will be shut down by city officials, who say rampant drug use accompanies the events.
Appleton police were tipped off by the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department that a rave was being planned Saturday at Telulah Park on Appleton’s east side.
When the plans became known, it was decided the best course of action was to close the park for the day, Mayor Tim Hanna said.
“If we find out events like this are scheduled to take place in our city, we’re going to do whatever we can to thwart them,” he said. “The message is: ‘If that’s what the plan is, not in Appleton.’”
Last weekend, Sheboygan County authorities dealt with a rave of their own, at a private residence in the Town of Sheboygan Falls, according to Lt. Leroy Nennig of the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department.
Nennig estimated between 300 and 400 people were at the Sheboygan Falls party. He said three tents were set up — one served beer — and disc jockeys played music in each.
Three undercover officers were at the party and others were in the area to assist, but the only arrest was for selling psilocybin mushrooms, Nennig said. A few underage drinking tickets also were handed out to individuals from outside the county, he said.
“It was pretty much an all-nighter thing,” Nennig said. “I think there could have been a lot more arrests, but you don’t want to cause a riot out there.”
Appleton Police Department public information officer John DeLong said other drug use, including Ecstasy and LSD, was reported from Sheboygan County.
“It had all the elements of a traditional rave party — loud music, lots of noise and drugs — lots of drugs,” said DeLong.
At the Sheboygan Falls party, flyers were distributed announcing a rave to be held at Telulah Park. The flyer also listed a phone number in the 920 area code that when called Tuesday night gave directions to the park.
A check by Parks and Recreation Department staff found that the two Telulah Park pavilions had been reserved by two Appleton residents from noon until dark Saturday. Hanna said the reservation applicant misled staff by indicating the party would be limited to 50 people.
“If the word gets out there is a rave party, there will be a lot more than 50 people there,” Nennig said.
The permit applicants listed Appleton addresses. Police were told the individuals had moved.
Bill Siebers, assistant to Hanna, said a letter has been sent to the applicants in hopes it will be forwarded to their new address. The letter informs them the permit has been rescinded, and a refund of their cost is available at the Parks and Recreation Department.
http://www.postcrescent.com/
UK: Police stop rave on Ranmore Common – August 2002 Police stop rave on Ranmore Common
By icsurreyonline.co.uk - Aug 20 2002
Copyright: icsurreyonline.co.uk
A planned rave on Ranmore Common at the weekend was stopped before it was even started thanks to vigilant proactive patrols by Surrey Police.
As good weather seems to have finally arrived for the summer Surrey Police is increasing patrols in areas which are likely to be targetted by party organisers.
Two officers who had been tasked with proactively seeking potential rave sites discovered a party was about to start without permission on Ranmore Common around 11.30pm on Saturday night (August 17).
More officers were called in and they warned organisers that unless the party was stopped immediately they would seize sound equipment. They agreed to go peacefully and most of the around 100 people who had gathered had left by about 1.30am on Sunday.
Sergeant Andy Davis said: "We understand the concerns of local residents about these kind of unauthorised late night parties and we are not waiting to be told about them but are proactively seeking them out. Our aim as in this case is to stop the raves before they start by confiscating equipment."
He added: "Even those which are held away from residential areas can cause irreversible damage to the countryside just by having a large group of people in one place. Organisers may not be aware they can be prosecuted under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
"They MUST get permission from the landowner first. We will identify irresponsible organisers in partnership with English Nature, the National Trust and other landowners and seek to prosecute if there is any damage to the land or disruption to the community."
http://icsurreyonline.icnetwork.co.uk/
UK: Random Artists open new record shop – August 2002 Random Artists record shop opens
By Random Artists - Monday, July 29, 2002
Copyright: Random Artists
Random Artists have opened a new building which will provide workshop space for artists and will also host weekly events. The building is situated in the centre of Hackney, north London, and we hope that it will bring back some vibrancy to a borough which has seen many of its social and cultural assets stripped away.
The building will also host a new record shop, Riot Squad Records, where the remaining hard electronic music makers are collaborating to bring some sadly neglected sounds back to the people of London. The shop will open Thursday to Saturday each week starting THIS SATURDAY 3rd. For up-to-date info on the shops location, or to listen to mp3 previews of the stock check out www.riotsquadrecords.co.uk .....the location will also be on the Riot Squad number 07092 041071.
There will also be a cafe and gallery space open this Saturday with some films being shown in the evening. As ever, everyone is welcome to bring down contributions to the gallery space but this time there is some great workshop space which needs to be used as well. We don't know how long we might have the building for and so we should not let it go to waste. Come down and see why!
If anyone wants to hold an exhibition, event or meeting in the building then please get in touch to discuss how it might work.
We still need some things to use the place to its full potential.... please bring down anything useful you can donate. In particular we could do with locks, hasps, bolts etc. photographic chemicals & photographic paper and any other art materials at all, furniture, tetchy tat - computers, monitors, TVs etc.... kitchen stuff, pots, pans, cutlery, cups - and a fridge!
Hope to see you at the building sometime soon.
Riot Squad / Random Artists
282 Richmond Road, London, E8 3QS
Nearest rail station: Hackney Central BR or Hackney Downs BR
Buses: 38, 48, 55, 106, 236, 253, 277
To speak to anyone who is living in the building phone the artistsline 07092 012299 or by email.
All events at the building will be posted on the website and also on our hotline 07050 614804.
http://www.randomartists.org/
UK: Kent Police shut down party – August 2002 Police shut down an illegal party
By Kent Constabulary - Monday, July 29, 2002
Copyright: Kent Constabulary
Three people have been charged following a police operation late Saturday and early Sunday aimed at shutting down an illegal rave planned for a field near the village of Hadlow in Kent.
Seized during the operation was £3,000 worth of ecstasy and cannabis as well as a CS gas cannister and an asp (extending baton).
The rave, which is believed to have been moved at the last minute from Hadlow to the Joyce Green Hospital site near Dartford, was due to start at 10pm and police believe as many as 1,000 people were expected to attend. According to advertisements and a website, the rave was expected to last throughout the night ending at 10am.
Police officers sent to both locations stopped cars coming into the sites and turned away people who had travelled from across Kent, Essex and London to attend.
Supt Trevor Pankhurst said: "Our main concern is for the safety of Kent residents and for the safety of the young people who are encouraged to attend illegal raves. By arriving early that evening we were able to quickly turn people away, a large proportion of whom were in their teens. While our approach is low-key, focused on high profile policing and on prevention, we will continue to police illegal raves robustly. We will continue to make arrests where appropriate and will ensure those who commit offences are taken before the courts."
Charges:
Charged with possession of ecstasy with intent to supply is a 16 year old boy from Swanley. He has been bailed to Dartford Youth Court on 30 July 2002.
Charged with possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of an offensive weapon (an asp) is David Kay Richard Snape, a steel engineer, aged 18, of Mounts Road, Greenhithe. He has been bailed to Dartford Magistrates' Court on 24 July 2002.
Charged with possession of a CS gas cannister is Jack Alexander Craig Tandy, unemployed, aged 20, of Ash Tree Drive in West Kingsdown. He has been bailed to Dartford Magistrates' Court on 31 July 2002.
Others:
A 21 year old man from London arrested for drugs possession has been bailed without charge to return following further police enquiries. A 17 year old youth has similarly been bailed without charge after he was arrested for drugs possession. A 19 year old man and 20 year old man were arrested but they were refused charge and released.
http://www.kent.police.uk/
UK: Residents threaten to blockade party site – August 2002 Residents pledge to blockade rave party
By Surrey Advertiser - Monday, July 29, 2002
Copyright: Surrey Advertiser
FURIOUS residents are set to form a human blockade this weekend in a bid to stop the “menace” of all-night raves after it emerged police are powerless to stop up to 1,000 revellers gathering on private land.
Homeowners at Perry Road and Catteshall Road in Godalming say unruly ravers at a recent open-air party disturbed their sleep and vandalised their gardens.
They have also had to listen to music being played and fireworks being let off in a field behind their homes for the last three Saturdays, into the early hours. Last weekend the partygoers did not leave until around 6am on Sunday morning.
No one is sure if there will be a rave this weekend. Partygoers have to telephone a number advertised on the internet at 10.30pm on Saturday to find out when, where and if parties are being held.
Catteshall resident Nora Crane said last Saturday hoards of youngsters appeared in her road at around 11.30pm, heading for a field behind Perry Close. She said there were cars parked everywhere despite efforts of one of the organisers to get drivers to leave their cars elsewhere.
“There would never have been room for an ambulance or fire engine to get through to our homes if we had needed one,” she complained.
Police confirmed they were called to the event but no action was taken because the party was on private land.
Waverley Council environmental health staff have received numerous complaints about the all-night partying, and will be on call tomorrow (Saturday) to check out the party site.
It is not the first time residents have had problems with raves in the field, which is owned by Brian Harding of Unstead Park Cottage.
Last year they petitioned Mr Harding following open-air parties and subsequent damage to cars.
His wife Jenni admitted in a letter to residents that she had underestimated how many people would turn up – and about parking difficulties. She made an undertaking that “no more parties of that nature” would be held there and any future events would be for friends and family only.
It is not known whether the last three parties have been for “family and friends” but local people allege they have been advertised on the internet.
The website concerned includes advice on how to run an underground party without licences.
If a party is said to be private, it does not need a licence, whereas public or paid-for events need a public entertainment licence and if alcohol is sold, a liquor licence is needed.
Despite repeated attempts to gain comment, Mr Harding was unavailable this week.
http://www.surreyad.co.uk/
UK: Rave plans scotched – August 2002 Rave plans scotched by road blocks
By Kent Online - Monday, July 29, 2002
Copyright: Kent Online
AN ILLEGAL all-night rave was stopped by a county-wide police operation on Saturday. They headed off 1,000 youths - mainly teenagers - first from a field in Hadlow, near Tonbridge, and then from the last-minute switched venue of an old hospital site in Dartford.
The rave would have lasted from 10pm on Saturday to 10am on Sunday and would have attracted youths from Kent, Essex and London.
Police used flyers and a website to second-guess the rave organisers and set up road-blocks at both venues, so ravers were not able to get on either site. During the operation £3,000 worth of cannabis and ecstasy tablets were seized, as well as a canister of CS gas and a baton.
A 16-year-old from Swanley was charged with possession of ecstasy with intent to supply, David Kay Richard Snape, 18, of Greenhithe, near Dartford, was charged with possession of cannabis with intent to supply and Jack Alexander Craig Tandy, 20, of West Kingsdown, was charged with possession of a CS gas cylinder. They were all bailed to appear before Dartford magistrates in August.
Kent Police stressed that their concerns were for residents who would be disturbed by the loud all-night music as well as the youths who put themselves at risk by attending the raves.
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/
UK: Police arrest five at illegal rave in Bristol – July 2002 Police arrest five at illegal rave in Bristol
By Avon and Summerset Constabulary - Monday July 21 2002
Copyright: Avon and Summerset Constabulary
Police received complaints from members of the public that in excess of 300 people had gathered on parkland under the A370 Brunel Way, near to the Cumberland system in Bristol, at about 11.45pm on Saturday July 20 2002.
They had a substantial amount of stereo equipment and two generators with them and were intent on holding an illegal rave.
It was clear that a rave at the location would pose a significant risk of harm to those attending, and disruption to the local community. The decision was therefore made to use powers under Section 63 of the Criminal Justice Act 1994 to bring the event to a close.
District officers, supported by the dog section and support group officers moved onto the site at about 5.30am on Sunday July 21 2002, wearing protective equipment.
Despite encountering violent resistance, they succeeded in seizing the generators and sufficient amounts of equipment to bring the event to a conclusion.
A total of five arrests were made for offences including conspiracy to commit a public nuisance, violent disorder and public order offences.
Two officers received minor injuries.
For safety reasons the A370 was partly closed while the operation was carried out, ending at about 6am when the revellers dispersed.
http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/index.asp
World: Love Parade ‘can’t save techno’ – July 2002 Love Parade 'can't save techno'
By BBC News - Friday, 12 July, 2002
Copyright: BBC News
Up to one million people are expected in Berlin for its massive annual techno party, the Love Parade on Saturday.
Some 40 trucks laden with dancers, loudspeakers and some of electronic music's best-known DJs will parade down the wide boulevard that bisects Berlin's Tiergarten park.
But as the parade gets under way, one of the city's most legendary techno clubs says it is being priced out of the city.
The legendary Tresor club, one of the last remaining venues specialising in techno music, has now been given until the end of the year before it is demolished to make way for a six-storey office and apartment block.
The plight of the clubs has led to the formation of the Club Commission, a lobby group with around 50 members which is trying to raise the profile of clubbing in the eyes of the authorities.
Commission administrator Olaf Kretschmar said: "The club scene is a part of Berlin. It is not just about discos - it's a whole culture."
The Love Parade began 13 years ago, as 150 people dancing up West Berlin's main shopping street behind a solitary float.
The event grew to the point where 1.5 million partied in the streets in 1999, though recent years have shown a decline.
Now the techno clubs claim that their whole musical culture is under attack from developers changing the face of the German capital.
"We need rooms that can speak, that have charisma, that had a previous life," said Tresor's business manager, Regina Baer.
"A room that is just made of steel and concrete creates a really distinctive sound, which inspires the DJs and the musicians."
Tresor and many other clubs struck temporary leasing deals with the authorities at the time of German reunification.
Confusion
They moved into derelict warehouses and industrial buildings that stood abandoned in the no-man's-land that had divided east from west.
"The biggest problem for us is that there is nowhere suitable for us to go to," added Ms Baer.
The Love Parade itself faces other problems.
Last year numbers were down after confusion over whether the rave would be allowed to go ahead.
This year there have been worries about a possible terror attack, according to the mass-circulation daily Bild - though police have said they have no real evidence of any danger.
There were also protests about the noise levels of the parade - though a city court ruled this year's event should go on.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
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