ender

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Kornflake~Girl:

how do we cope and how do we show them that they are wrong?

</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

alright... i've bashed enough... time for me to start being a little constructive....

Every summer, just north of philly, is the "Philadelphia Folk Festival" ... now, what is it, and what does it have to do with the current rave scene?

well... let me describe it to you... once a year, for about a week, a farmer turns over his farm into a gigantic folk music festival... they get in a bunch of performers, and sell this music and experience to all the "normal" people out there... they bring their families, sit on a hill, and listen to some folk music. Very legitimate, very legal, and wholesome...

now... in order to throw thse concerts, an army of "volunteers" camp out, all week and work the festival... several thousand of them,, actually... at night, after the concerts let out, the camp ground turns into one of the biggest pot smoking/shroom using/acid tripping hippie festivals that i've ever seen. its down right amazing... (there used to be a big ass rave there, too, but because of how LOUD it was, they decided not to do it anymore)

and you know what? no one bothers them... they are doing a true public good during the day, giving bac to the community, and then being left alone at night so they can enjoy themselves...

so... how does this relate to the rave scene, and the US feds busting on promoters using the crack house law?

the hippie "scene" used to be "persecuted" a whole lot like the rave scene currently is. dressing like a hippie, was a fairly sure way to get harrassed by "the man" in the 60's and 70's... because... well, you were a hippie...

however, after time, the hippy culture began to get more accepted into mainstream USian life... and is generally seen as harmless...

we need to be able to convince the world that we are not a threatening sub-culture of crazed druggies, and instead start sharing our culture with the rest of the world...

throw true "festivals" where not only "ravers" attend them... contribute back to the community... its amazing how much more respect you can get when you start giving to the community...

anyway... i'll step off my long-posted soap box...

Freezray

I don't understand why the States is getting so out-of-control with this? England had this kind of negative attention in the early 90's, but it went away because raves actually started bringing in tourists and making England seem like a 'hip' place. Eventually the journalists and politicians just got bored with it and moved on.

I'm hoping all this will just pass.

SodaPoP

bucky

The US government just doesn't know how to act quickly on anything, thats probably why its taken them so long to try and crack down on things.

Here's just a note from someone in Kansas City who's party of the Harm Reduction group there...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">That's exactly what's happening here in KC - we've got a major promoter who
is being charged with contributing to a public nuisance for a party he threw
in August, and as a result, promoters are becoming very wary of how they
acknowledge drugs, or *if* they do. Right now we're working with the Kansas
City Promoters' Alliance and Kansas City Vice Squad to bridge the gap
between promoters and the cops, and in the process, making sure that HR
groups don't get lost in the shuffle.</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So I guess promoters are getting nailed in other places. I just now wonder if these promoters were shady and really part of selling drugs or whatever.. We all know about shady promoters so who knows.. but we can't just say "good let the bad promoters get busted" because it looks bad for us all.. i'm sure theres a resolution somewhere, just not sure what..

ender

oh - in order to back up my insane ramblings about the scene going back underground, heres a link

http://www.cascobayweekly.com/news/cov6_29_00.html

talks about portland, Maine, and the effects of the police there...

kids... raves were underground b4... there are still people who know how to do it... and will do it again...

and then we will have all the problems of an underground venue...

trust me, you dont want to be forced underground...

zoo

everytime you need me
you know i will be there
you know i really care

say you will
say you'll dare

everytime you need me
you know i will be there
a love beyond compare

say you will
say you care

DJ XLR8

Okay, here is my 2 cents worth.

This story can quite possibly have some serious repercussions here in Canada. Think about this, and i know it's been mentioned in a lot of posts, but think about this:

This whole scene started out as "underground" a way's back and the parties were usually shady and very dangerous. This is one of the BIG reasons that the parties started being allowed in the first place...because of the inherent danger with them being underground...overdoses and deaths were involved much more than now.

If this "crackhouse violation" indictment goes through and these 3 men are charged it could be "devastatingly" precedent setting. Lawmakers and politicians are already requesting files from the case to try to outlaw these parties under the same sort of law, but in other States.

What happens when this happens...on a large scale? The promoters, DJ's, parties, and partiers are going to be looking elsewhere to enjoy the scene.

Where are they going to go? Canada.

Take a look at what happened earlier last year when our (Toronto's) "Nobody!!" Mayor made it illegal to hold these parties on city property. We responded "en massive" at Nathan Philips Square with a loud voice...with ONE voice. Now, Melvin has changed his mind and allows the parties to continue in the city, albeit under certain regulations.

Now, there could be 3 outcomes to this (or more), and please feel free to comment on this.

(1)

We will welcome the promoter's/DJ's/parties/partiers from the United States with open arms, and strongly declare, "yes, you are welcome here!"

(2)

If this happens, what's to stop American politicians and State Governor's from passing legislation that, in effect, "bans" such activity from crossing the border into Canada? Stopping it at the 49th parallel, so to speak.

(3)

And if (1) happens and (2) does not, then with such an influx of the rave party scene coming to Canada from the United States, what are the chances that some sort of legislation will be passed by our own Canadian government to put a ban on such activity here??

So, let's not entirely cancel out that these parties could go the "underground" way once again. It might end up just being a vicious circle that repeats itself every 10 years. Who knows?

As for myself and our new promotions company, Odyssey Productions, i am watching the developments in the USA very closely. It could very well, in the end in some way, effect how business is conducted up here in Canada. It worries me quite a lot, since we are organizing our own event for the May 24 weekend and hope to continue organizing events in the future. Will there be a future for us?

Like MC SpEcS mentioned:

---------------------------------------------
"You cannot prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that their intention was to have "rave drugs" sold within the event. Evidence to prove this would be the "No thugs, no drugs, no attitudes" kinda message on the back of the flyer. Also, having security guards doing pat downs at the door is another piece of evidence against it. I want to know how they can prove that it was the INTENTION of the manager of the club to have illegal substances in the building."
---------------------------------------------

He is absolutely right. In fact, a large majority of partiers are taking their drugs "before" they enter a party. You CANNOT control what the partier does in his/her own time on public property before they enter an event. That alone should be reasonable grounds in ANY COURT to quash charges like a "crackhouse violation"!

Let me make a suggestion:

We fought back against the ban on raves on/in city property here in Toronto...and it was very widely advertised, with MAJOR media attention. Look at the outcome. I think the same could very well be done in the United States and i would welcome any opportunity to organize such an event in any way, shape, or form to help their cause and keep the scene alive. Feel free to contact me if you agree with what i am saying. I would love to do something...anything...to help.

Thanks for your time. P.L.U.R.

DJ XLR8
Odyssey Productions

[This message has been edited by DJ XLR8 (edited January 24, 2001).]

Wric

Oh, my...

Hello everyone, I'm from the states - Minnesota.

I was just visiting this site (didn't know Hullabaloo had such an awesome page~! props!), and thought that it would be an awesome way to get to know some people that shared my same incredible love for our beloved hardcore style =).

The fact that this site has a polotics/media section is awesome, I immediatly went here and my heart sank from the happiness of finding a community where I could share the same love of happy hardcore with others, back to the horrific Minneapolis scene where not only are HHarcore nuts looked down upon within the scene, but the rave culture is persecuted as a whole.

The city of Chicago last year put up a whole bunch of Ordinances (eye kan spelll) to ban raves in the city. (such as crazy laws like: no sound over 50 decibals can be played after 2:00am, or some kinda crazy crap =P) But just last November I drove down there to see Sy and MC Storm at Bonkers Dos... it was held just 10 minutes outside of the Chicago area in Indiana, I believe. They can overcome such things, it's way too huge of an area to police the whole thing. Where there is a will, there is a way.

The same thing is happening in Minnesota... But the Minneapolis/St.Paul area isn't big enough to pull off Chicago's stunt. There's only so many wearhouses (my best friend had found one to throw a goa party in with this other girl, but the cops know what to patrol... and just by seeing a car in an odd spot at an odd hour of the night caught them in there, milling about with their flashlights). And if you head out from either of the metropolises, you'll find farmland about 30 minutes out of the way where the laws were allways crazy like the new ones, and the cops have nothing better to do than eat donuts and pull over/arrest anything that squeeks (he-heh, I said "squeeks"). So in other words, no parties here anymore... none... notta... excepet for the "club raves" that you can go to if you're 21 and like to have cash money ho's look at you with disgust whilst dancing to ghetto-house.

ugh.

So now If I want to party I have to drive 5 hours to Madison, or 6 hours to Millwakee/ Chicago... and I'm sure that with time these other locations will eventually become just like Minneapolis if things keep headed the way they're going...

As it is right now I'm content driving around listing to "bye, bye, sour town"(I think she says "sour town", I could just be making it out to be what I want it to say, though =( )... reminicing of the days when I could go to a party every weekend if I was so inclined. But I'm starting to get antsey, I don't think I can live another day if there 'ain't no raver's groove to let me play.

So yeah... it's very very very bad here.. and it's hitting the small to medium-sized metropolitan areas first right now as we speak.

Dance it up for me...

~Wric~

__________________
"I want each and every American to know for certain that I'm responsible for the decisions I make, and each of you are as well."
~ George "Dubya" Bush, Sept. 20, 2000

Urban Wasteland

The only thing to do is SPEAK UP!!!
Activism and electronica go excellently together!
Although I think it's ridiculous, the amount of hysteria that happens whenever the word 'drugs' is spoken/written/heard in the US.
(you've all heard it before but) the key is education and moderation, not knee-jerk persecution.

Innovation

SPEAK UP!...Let your voice been herd....They tryied this chit is canada....There tryin this chit again in the U.S. ....I'm not worried really....our culture is to strong to be shut down by some ignorant ass holes...Frolic..when ya comein back down to the U.S anyways?...i miss you!

__________________
~~***CRYSTAL***~~

feeboo

i was very impressed with the toronto rally last summer. that was a high note in toronto rave history