Forums › Rave › Party Reports › USA: Armed police raid a legal party and beat children!
UTAH RAVERS TREATED LIKE TERRORISTS!
EVOL INTENT’S ACCOUNT OF THE INCIDENT:
Originally Posted by knick evl ntnt
Last night, I was booked to play an event about an hour outside of Salt
Lake City, Utah. The hype behind this show was huge, they presold 700
tickets and they expected up to 3,000 people total. The promoters did an
amazing job with the show.. they even made slipmats with the flyers on
them to promote in local shops.
So, we got to the show around 11:15 or so and it was really cool. It was
all outdoors, in a valley surrounded by huge mountains. They had an
amazing light show flashing on to a mountain behind the site, the sound
was booming, the crowd was about 1500 people thick and everything just
seemed too good to be true really. Well…
At about 11:30 or so, I was standing behind the stage talking with
someone when I noticed a helicopter pulling over one of the mountain
tops. I jokingly said “Oh look, here comes big brother” to the person I
was with. I wasn’t far off.
The helicopter dipped lower and lower and started shining its lights on
the crowd. I was kind of in awe and just sat and watched this thing
circle us for a minute. As I looked back towards the crowd I saw a guy
dressed in camoflauge walking by, toting an assault rifle. At this
point, everyone was fully aware of what was going on . A few “troops”
rushed the stage and cut the sound off and started yelling that everyone
“get the fuck out of here or go to jail”. This is where it got really
sticky.
No one resisted. That’s for sure. They had police dogs raiding the crowd
of people and I saw a dog signal out a guy who obviously had some drugs
on him. The soldiers attacked the guy (4 of them on 1), and kicked him a
few times in the ribs and had their knees in his back and sides. As they
were cuffing him, there was about 1000 kids trying to leave in the
backdrop, peacefully. Next thing I know, A can of fucking TEAR GAS is
launched into the crowd. People are running and screaming at this point.
Girls are crying, guys are cussing… bad scene.
Now, this is all I saw with my own eyes, but I heard plenty of other
accounts of the night. Now this isnt gossip I heard from some candy
raver, these are instances cited straight out of the promoters mouth..
– One of the promoters friends (a very small female) was attacked by one
of the police dogs. As she struggled to get away from it, the police
tackled her. 3 grown men proceeded to KICK HER IN THE STOMACH.
– The police confiscated 3 video tapes in total. People were trying to
document what was happening out there. The police saw one guy filming
and ran after him, tackled him and his camera fell, and luckily.. his
friend grabbed it and ran and got away. priceless footage. That’s not
all though. Out of 1,500 people, there’s sure to be more footage.
– The police were rounding up the staff of the party and the main
promoter went up to them with the permit for the show and said “here, I
have the permit.” The police then said, “no you don’t” and ripped the
permit out of his hand. Then, they put an assault rifle to his forehead
and said “get the fuck out of here right now.”
Now.. let’s get the facts straight here.
This event was 100% legal. They had every permit the city told them they
needed. They had a 2 MILLION DOLLAR insurance policy for the event. They
had liscenced security guards at the gates confiscating any alcohol or
drugs found upon entry (yes, they searched every car on the way in). Oh,
I suppose I should mention that they arrested all the security guards
for possession.
Oh another interesting fact.. the police did not have a warrant. The
owner of the land already has a lawsuit against the city for something
similar. A few months ago, she rented her land for a party and the
police raided that as well. And catch this, the police forced her to
LEAVE HER OWN PERSONAL PROPERTY. That’s right. They didnt arrest her,
but made her leave her own property!!!
Don’t get it twisted, this is all going down in probably THE most
conservative state in the USA. And this is scary.. a gross violation of
our civil liberties. The police wanted this party shut down, so they
made it happen. Even though everything about this event was legal. The
promoters spent over $ 20,000 on this show and did everything they had
to to make it legit, only to have it taken away from them by a group of
radical neo-con’s with an agenda.
This was one of the scariest things I have ever witnessed in person. I
can’t even begin to describe how surreal it was. Helicopters, assault
rifles, tear gas, camoflauge-wearing soldiers…. why? Was that really
necessary?
This needs to be big news across the USofA. At least in our music scene
(edm as a whole)… this could happen to any of us at any time. When
we’re losing the right to gather peacefully, we’re also letting the
police set a standard of what we can get away with. And I think that’s
BULLSHIT!
The system fucked up last night… They broke up a party that was 100%
legal and they physically hurt a lot of people there at the same time.
The promoters already have 6 lawsuits ready to file with their lawyers
and the ACLU is already involved.
I’m sure some pictures (and hopefully some video) will surface soon.
I’ll make sure to post them up here on 404, so you can see the Police
State of America at work.
p.s. – there are more stories of police brutality that i’ll post up
later. gotta hit the airport soon. can’t wait to get the fuck out of
this shit hole state.
http://www.buzzlife.com/forums/showthread.php
VIDEO: http://homepage.mac.com/apexgrin/FileSharing2.html
http://utrave.org/showthread.php?t=20020
This is Sean’s account:
My account of the night of versus 2 is as follows:
I was standing behind the second stage watching a friend of mine play records. Everyone on the
dance floor was talking or dancing to my friend’s Reggae / Ragga music he was playing. Everyone
appeared to be having a good time.
Up on the hill I noticed some cars that had been stopped for some time and on top of one of the
bigger cars I saw what looked like ambulance lights. I commented to my friend standing next to me
that the vehicle over there looked like an ambulance. He jokingly said that it was a paddy wagon.
Ironically, he was right. That was a paddy wagon from the Utah National Guard. After a little
while I saw flashlights coming toward us. I leaned over to my friend at my right and mentioned
how I think the cops are here. I was pretty wrong since no longer than thirty seconds had passed
when we had assault rifles pointed at us. I was standing there behind the DJ booth with my hands
in my pockets when they started yelling at us. They told me to take my hands out of my pockets,
which I did. Then they told me to just put my hands on my head. I did that. They told my DJ
friend that he needed to shut the music off. After they had said that they turned around and
started yelling at us again. They said that it was an Illegal party and that we needed to fill
our car with people and go. Their rifles were still pointed at us. They asked us if this was our
equipment at the booth, to which we replied no. They told us that they knew we had been drinking
and if we were too drunk to drive to
stay there. Then another armed officer told us that we needed to leave now.
We walked back to our car and saw groups of people being harassed and being told to leave. We
kept walking to the car. I counted about 9 police trucks, an ambulance and a paddy wagon on our
way out the gate.
This is my account of what happened. I heard a lot more happened to other people. I feel lucky to
be one of those who didn’t go to jail. Didn’t have police dogs sent after them, and most of all,
I’m glad I didn’t get tasered.
– Sean Liddell.
RODANS REPORT:
Last night at 10:00 PM I arrived at a party in the Spanish Fork canyon. I was excited to be there
to listen to the great electronic artists that had traveled for to play for the crowd.
Before coming to the event I researched it extensively. The party was %100 percent legal and
legit with all permits and necessary security required by law being acquired. The event was well
organized, with garbage cans, porta potties, and rope lines blocking off parts of the area that
you could no go into.
Now I want you to know that many people out there consider ravers a bunch of drug taking freaks.
I also want you to know that that is a stereotype that is passed down through legions of
undereducated parents, politicians, and media. There are many of us who are drug free party goers
who attend these events for a pure love of the music.
So on to my point. At around 11:00 I was enjoying the good vibes and great music. Then at about
11:30 pm a helicopter began circling the party. Out of nowhere huge semis filled with national
guard, swat, and the police rolled up. Soldiers came out of the bushes and rushed down to the
party. Carrying M-16s, Ak-47s, nightsticks, and tazers. They proceeded to attack random people
and push their might around on people who had done nothing wrong.
I saw about 7 people attacked (before being forced to leave). I saw two of them right in front of
me. One was a guy who was walking around with a camcorder stunned at what was happening. A
soldier told him to give him the camera now. The raver said no it is my camera. The soldier then
proceeded to grab the camera, throw it to the ground and then began beating the kid. In the end
they threw him to the ground violently an put their knee into his back while handcuffing him. All
for wanting to keep his property. When I last saw him he was knocked out and unmoving.
Another girl next to me said to one of the soldiers that she didn’t know how to get home as they
had just arrested her friend. The soldier told her to walk home. My friend tried to grab her to
bring her with us, but the soldier began yelling that she had touched him (which she hadn’t).
WIthin seconds, five soldiers had jumped on her and were literally beating the crap out of this
innocent women. She was punched in the face, thrown to the ground, and kicked while down. All for
worrying how to get home safely. She is now suing.
The soldiers proceeded to attack anyone with cameras or camcorders, obviously wanting to restrict
the film that got out about it. This was not a legal attack, it was a blatant violation on our
rights as American citizens. And the swat, police, politicians who authorized this, and the
national guard knew this. That is why they were removing potential evidence.
We were treated as terrorists, innocent kids without weapons or even violent thoughts in their
minds were manhandled, treated like terrorists, and forced to stop doing what we were by
constitutional rights allowed to be doing. Our rights were completely removed from us. It was if
we had visited the 1960s or communist China.
I hope for the sake of the American people that the news media does not let the lies of the
government blind them to what truly happened last night. This could happen anywhere to anyone not
just ravers, so AMERICA DON’T LET THIS STAND!
My name is Colby and this is my account of what happened at versus. In a large clearing a mile or
so up Diamond Fork Canyon near Spanish Fork, Utah, there was an outdoor electronic music show. At
approximately 11:30 PM, a helicopter with a spotlight made its first pass over the main stage. It
came back and hovered over the confused crowd, as National Guardsmen in full camoflauge, helmets,
boots, gas masks, and armed with assault rifles and dogs swarmed into the crowd. They first made
their way onto the stage, grabbing people and forcing them onto the ground to handcuff them. I
saw at least two people being beaten on the ground while barking, snarling dogs are held just a
few feet from them. Weapons were being pointed at unarmed, peaceful civilians. A friend of mine
was forced at gunpoint to put his hands on his head and turn around, because he asked if he could
get his things from the tent. Tents were ripped open indiscriminately, and all belongings and
bags were recklessly s
earched. I’ve heard accounts of people taking pictures, and when they refused to hand over the
camera to the authorities, beaten or tasered. One sheriff said that “many people at the party had
guns” and that there were “children in danger”. The only guns I saw were the rifles held by
soldiers, and the only children in danger were the people being wrongfully attacked by them. They
say they shut it down because of drugs. Raves are not the only musical gatherings where drugs are
used and distributed. The fact is that it was a premeditated strike, more likely motivated by a
vendetta against raves stemming from Sequence Five (a previous outdoor party that the police did
not have the manpower to shut down) than actually enforcing drug laws.
My name is Colby and this is my account of what happened at versus. In a large clearing a mile or
so up Diamond Fork Canyon near Spanish Fork, Utah, there was an outdoor electronic music show. At
approximately 11:30 PM, a helicopter with a spotlight made its first pass over the main stage. It
came back and hovered over the confused crowd, as National Guardsmen in full camoflauge, helmets,
boots, gas masks, and armed with assault rifles and dogs swarmed into the crowd. They first made
their way onto the stage, grabbing people and forcing them onto the ground to handcuff them. I
saw at least two people being beaten on the ground while barking, snarling dogs are held just a
few feet from them. Weapons were being pointed at unarmed, peaceful civilians. A friend of mine
was forced at gunpoint to put his hands on his head and turn around, because he asked if he could
get his things from the tent. Tents were ripped open indiscriminately, and all belongings and
bags were recklessly s
earched. I’ve heard accounts of people taking pictures, and when they refused to hand over the
camera to the authorities, beaten or tasered. One sheriff said that “many people at the party had
guns” and that there were “children in danger”. The only guns I saw were the rifles held by
soldiers, and the only children in danger were the people being wrongfully attacked by them. They
say they shut it down because of drugs. Raves are not the only musical gatherings where drugs are
used and distributed. The fact is that it was a premeditated strike, more likely motivated by a
vendetta against raves stemming from Sequence Five (a previous outdoor party that the police did
not have the manpower to shut down) than actually enforcing drug laws.
ZeRo_-BreTT-_ REPORT:
The Following is an Account of the Actions of the Night of August 20th 2005.
I arrived at the location for an outdoor electronic music event, at around 9:25 p.m. The First
thing I noticed was the structure, and the layout of the site was very well organized. Markers
were placed to prevent people from wandering off the designated paths. Wastebaskets and Trash
recepticles were numerous. I was assured that the promoters had obtained 100% Legal Access to the
land. All in all I was looking forward to a fun night with my friends, listening to music. I
consider it like any other event ive gone to (Rock Concerts, Rap Concerts, etc.) The mood was
festive, people were dancing and I could even smell the meat cooking from a grill.
At Around 11:39 p.m. I noticed a bright light in the sky to the North East, which I quickly
realized was a Helicopter Search light, and I saw it circling over head. I assumed that the
Helicopter was only there to scout us, make sure we weren’t doing anything wrong, so I quickly
dismissed it. However, it made 2 more passes and got substantially lower to the ground each time.
At this time I heard a Woman next to me say “The Police Are Here, Everyone Has to Leave” Lots of
people were disappointed, but noone was: rioting, fighting, or being insubordinate. People merely
began to file towards their cars. At this time I actually got a look at my surroundings. Dozens
of Men in Full Camo, Kevlar Vests, Gas Masks MP5 Navy’s AUG’s and many other fire-arms. Attack
Dogs, were barking somewhere ahead of me. Suddenly I saw the sight that disgusted me. A person
whom I had met before was on the ground face first, 4 Reservists had their guns pointed to his
head, and were handcuffing him. Their
attack dog was mauling his: Shoulder, Neck and Torso areas. I was quickly shuffled along but was
very disgusted. I had attempted to record the man on the ground with my Camera-Phone, but a
soldier approached me and took my phone and said “move Along” I still have not recovered it.
I also was witness to the beatings using shoulder rests of weapons. My friend Katie Mercer was
hit in the side of the head with an MP5 because a soldier took her camera, and she was trying to
recover it from him. I was witness to numerous people being held at gunpoint, people being
handcuffed, Attack Dogs, Guns, Malice, Hatred.
This blatant over-use of force is not only un-moral, it is also ILLEGAL. At no time during the
night did I see any person with:
-Firearms
-Knives
-Fireworks
-Drugs
While it may be true that some individuals choose to take drugs at said events like this, Myself
as well as many others choose to go for the music. Just like anything, you have bad apples, but
you shouldn’t cut down the tree.
>From SYZE on a seattle website
Last night was one of the worst nights of my life. I am still incredibly shaken up by what
happened ….enough to the point of where I’m still having problems talking about it. So i will
tell you my side in a few words then link you to a more detailed version of how Knick explains it
.
I was playing in Salt Lake City about 1 hour away at a massive outdoor event. 700 presold
tickets, and by 11:20, there were 1400 kids there already…. all in all total expected… 3 –
4k. This was an all drum and bass event, held on private land, with an amazing view of the
mountains surrounding us. This event was fully contracted with the city. They had all permits, a
huge insurance policy and they were paying taxes. you have to know this is because of what
happened next. And in NO MEANS is this story exaggerated. word for word this is what happened.
It was 1145… i had 30 min before my set, so i was running around lookin at the mountains and
the people dancing, laughing , the crazy visiuls they even had prjecting on the mountains. i will
share photos once i can see them. All of the sudden a helicopter comes in with massive spot
lights .. all on the people circling everyone … and within minutes like out of some fuckin
movie , soldiers with guns (fucking rifles )come in out of the grass, like some vietnam shit. The
police in full riot gear come in, big trucks … next thing you know they are throwing tear gas
at people, setting dogs on people, arresting kids. 4 big guys on one dnb fan kicking him down
tieing his hands …. making kids sit in the dirt with their hands tied all in a line, now you
must remember in this whole time NO ONE was resisting arrest or making a big deal, everyone
peaceful started to walk out… but yet they were throwin tear gas… it gets worst … but whats
even more fucked up is hundreds of kids
on drugs driving home on the freeway while they were just in major trauma.
i still cant even figure out what the hell happened, the promoter called me to make sure me knick
and spor were ok and i broke down crying.. couldnt breath, i was freaking out ….. why? Is this
what our fuckin country has come to …. a point of someone making a fully legal show and STILL
getting busted for WHAT??? What did 3000 kids on private land in the mountains near NOTHIING ..
do to ANYONE?
The promoters have a massive lawsuit and they have so much evidence against the county that its
not even funny, I will be present to testify against these fuckin pigs. And if you think this
matter is a joke then all i have to say is . I didnt belive it until i had gas thrown at me. I am
going to make sure i keep you all posted on this, and let you know if theres a way any of you can
help.
Alisha’s account
This is my account of events that unfolded while attending an outdoor electronic music event. I
arrived shortly before 9 pm sharp. My two friends and i set up camp and headed to the stage. All
was well and peaceful enjoying the music to the full extent while dancing. Around 11:30pm or so i
noticed a helicopter flying above the main stage of the event. At this point i am confused. The
chopper began to come in closer to the stage with a search light focused on the crowd. I got
nervous and still very confused and walked over to find my two friends I had arrived with
earlier. Just as soon as i did that I looked over at my friend and asked “whats going on”. That
is when I was greeted by a man in full army attire, gas mask and all. He said to leave. I said
what whats going on, at which point i was brutally attacked. Thrown to the ground and in the
scuffle punched in the face by swat. That was not it either. I suppose i posed some a threat as
another swat member rushed over to subdu
e me to the ground puting his knee in my back and arresting me. At that point I am screaming to a
patron “whats going on?” He is just as confused as I am. At that point another swat member came
over and kicked me in the leg. Let me tell you that I also only weigh 130 pounds. I had three
grown men attack and beat me and throw me to ground for absolutely no reason at all. Not to
mention being dragged to a van and violently being tossed in and taken to jail. Fined for
resisting arrest and another outrageous charge. I do need to mention also that while this is all
happening to me at the same time my two friends, a boy and girl were trying to reach out and stop
them, at that point they were attacked and arrested as well.
That is my account. I have all the bruises to show. Our basic human rights were violated in a
very bad way. We have to tell our story. Do all that you can and dont be afraid to speak up.
Dylan L Elder report:
It’s interesting to note how one-sided a conversation can quickly become upon having a fully
automatic weapon waved in your face whilst attack hounds bark the vicious roar of bestial
ferocity intended to strike fear deep into the heart. Evidently, by way of my actions that
evening, I was a criminal who’s acts were so heinous that suitable reprecussions included
incarceration, or attacks with deadly force upon my person, all in the name of retaining order in
a fit of domestic terrorism. I am a criminal, and was treated as such, all because I went to a
large scale, state approved, and peacefull public gathering. Having no weapons, no illegal
substances, no malicious intent, nor any kind of political agenda for the evening, in retrospect
this gross display of militant force seemed excessive for such a circumstance, yet with my hands
in clear sight, no yelling nor raise in my tone at all, I was a threat to myself, those around
me, and to our proud and honorable men and women in u
niform. Just a small recount of my experience last night.
Details of the show are trivial to the underlying theme of this article, but to list a few, the
name of the show was Versus 2, featuring two artists I was quite excited to see, being DMC
Champion turntablist Craze, and Knick from Evol Intent, amount others. The venue was just outside
Spanish Fork, Ut., at what I believed to be some kind of construction site or quarry, it was hard
to gather details in the dark. I arrived at approximatly 10:15 PM or so. Everything seemed to be
very well run. Two security checkpoints searching cars, multiple people in the parking lot
directing traffic to ensure dense and well structured parking, and lots of portable restrooms and
trash cans spread about, both of which being key details to obtaining a mass gathering permit
(amoung others). I just so happen to know that, as it was explained to me by a county sheriff
last year, which makes for an interesting story in itself, but will be left untold for now. I got
out of my car, and I was excited. T
he setup looked great, the moon was big and bright, the weather was ideal, and I was ready to
hear some great music, see my friends, meet new people, and dance the night away. The venue was
set up in such a fasion that when you walked down a path from the parking lot, you came to the
secondary stage, and if you kept going on the path, you came to a larger clearing where the main
stage was set up.
I made my way down to the second stage, said a quick hello to a few friends that were there, and
started walking up towards the main stage. I was about half way up the path when I heard the
music cut out from behind me. I could still hear the generator running, so I couldn’t figure out
why the music had stopped, but I just assumed they were having technical difficulties and thought
nothing of it. I thought I’d probably head back down that way in a few minutes to see if there
was anything I could do if they were having problems with the equipment, but I still wanted to go
find a few people since I had just barely arrived. As I start walking back towards the main
stage, I overheard a random person in the crowd yelling that the SWAT team had arrived and were
shutting everything down.
I’ve been to a number of shows, and seen a fair share of them shut down, but I couldn’t believe
it was happening tonight. It was my understanding everything had been handled to ensure proper
permits, legitimate private property with complete consent and understanding from all angles. I
heard many people later explaining just how far the promoter of this show went to ensure
everything went smoothly. I looked to my right and noticed police officers trudging through the
bushes towards the main stage. Local enforcement was obvious, but I still couldn’t believe that
the SWAT team was there. I got to the main stage, saw a few more friends there, and just waited
for a brief moment to see how it would pan out. What I had anticipated, as had happened before,
would be music shut down, an officer barks a few orders on the microphone, kids with
paraphernalia are searched and/or arrested, the furor dies down, and usually a suitable
compromise is made. We turn the music down a bit, kids ar
e asked to leave, but those who are truely there to have fun, to enjoy themselves, be there only
for the music, get to stay and pan out the rest of their evening. That wasn’t the case this time
around.
After the main stage was shut down, the circling helicopter was getting closer to the ground, and
that’s when I saw the men in fatigues brandishing assult rifles. I had told a friend of mine to
calm down, go with whatever happens, and we’ll see how it works out. Thats when I spun around to
see that innocent people on stage were recoiling in horror from having guns waved at them and
orders barked. I can remember one officer in particular demanding that the record not just stop,
but that everything had to be completely turned off, which people were scrambling to try comply
with the demands, but that’s not as easy to do when you’re fearing for your life, I can only
imagine. As people were rushing to try to collect their belongings, records, tents, audio
equipment, the SWAT kept waiving their guns around and demanding microphone access after they had
already had everything turned off and shut down. A man in uniform approached me and barked the
order that I was to return to my car
with no delay and leave. Even though previous experiences were less intense, I had been in that
possition a time or two before, I feel a little veterened in handling such a situation. You win
some, you lose some, I knew I was going home this time, but there’s never any harm in a quick
dialog between bystander and enforcement. In more words or less, I made it apparent that I was on
my way out, I would passivly comply with whatever was needed to make this go easy, but I wanted
to know under which grounds I was being evicted from my peacefull, private gathering. Usually
when you show a voice of reason and zero threat of violence, you can at least talk with an
officer for a bit. I was only able to ask my first question in a series that I had carefully
planned, but the response I recieved was a curled lip, even more violent shouting, a gun pointed
at me, and the threat that if I asked a single other question I would be detained or disabled my
any means necessary. This is when I saw the dogs attacking people, and other kids being tackled
by 3-4 of these “civil servents” at a time. I felt violated. I had done nothing to deserve that
kind of treatment, but I felt I had to do what I could to try help other kids not get themselves
in trouble. I told people to put there cameras away, I quelled a fair share of the anti-police
sentiment amoungst the groups around me. Our small protest, albeit nonviolent, was better saved
for another time.
I noticed in most of the shouting, many of the men in fatigues had trouble annunciating,
indicating they were so full of adrenaline, who knows how itchy trigger fingers could have been.
This full scale assult had obviously been carefully planned. I’m sure it took quite a bit of
preperation to get this assult team properly geared up, get the helicopter ready, have probably
every single bit of local enforcement that they could muster. There were even several reported
sightings of morse code being blinked back and forth between opposite ends of the valley we were
in. Many of these officers had also been recognized as being at parties previously, dating back
as far as 2001 for shutting events down, and then being undercover at other shows later. Carefull
planning indeed, but I am appalled. If you really felt you needed to, you could shut a show down
with a handfull of cops and not a single gun comming unholstered. Although upset, there’s no harm
in being reasonable, there are so
many other ways this could have been handled. I reprehend your execution on this one Utah County.
I suppose this is the result of a bored little army, but I feel dehumanized when treated like a
terrorist when standing on the soil of a country I show patriotism for just as much as anyone.
I’ve always been a big supporter of ending the war, support the troops, bring them home, yet
suddenly a war of some nature is brought to me, and I am the enemy. Am I a criminal? Am I a
terrorist? Verbage is freely open to interpretation, but there is no reprimand for such a severe
punishment that was threatened upon me. Had I inadvertantly said the wrong thing, or quickly
moved my hand, or something that seemed imposing to one of these fatigued men, what’s to stop me
from quickly becoming a casualty of a battle that had no reason to happen in the first place?
This night will bear the example of the most unnecessary act of force that Utah has seen all in
the name of the Reducing American’s Vulnerability to Ecstacy Act. Tax dollars well spent to
ensure my safety, and the safety of my future
children.
-Dylan L Elder
report by pizza the hutt:
My friends and I went and purchased tickets at Uprok to an event that as far as we knew was
completely legal. We arrived at the party at about 9:00. We set up a tent and were prepared to
camp the night. When the ambush started I was in the parking lot. I tried to hurry back to my
tent to grab my possessions and pack. I almost made it to the stage when a swat told me turn
around and get out. I tried to explain that I need my possessions, he didn’t listen and just
screamed “Get out or get arrested,”. I headed back to the parking lot and again attempted to
speak to an officer about my belongings. Same response, “Get out or get arrested,”. Finally I
spoke to an officer that gave me second of his time and told me I would have to come back
tomorrow. We were by the car waiting for the rest of our party when another officer said “get out
or get arrested,”. We tried to explain that we had friends down there still and we were not going
to leave without them. The Nazi replied with same
god damn sentence, “Get out or get arrested,”. I am not a criminal! Why should I be detained from
my possessions or get arrested for going back for them? I did nothing wrong. I thought the party
was legal and even if it wasn’t why didn’t they shut it down from the beginning. They wanted to
bust, hurt, and arrest us. It was unethical, cruel and malicious what they did. They didn’t treat
us like human beings. They had no compassion or empathy for anyone. They broke up our peaceful,
non-violent, party with guns, tear gas, and whole lot of violence. I am one of the lucky ones. I
didn’t get beat, mauled, or arrested but I saw a lot or innocent kids that were. I am truly
disgusted with Utah County Sheriffs Dept. and will do whatever I can to help.
My name is Colby i was there hanging out around 15 feet from the stage and i remember i looked up
the chopper in the sky then realized there were men waving assault rifles around and the music
had stopped, when i started to walk over by the concession stand to gather belongings i had a gun
waved in my face by a man wearing full body camoflauge and a ski mask he yelled at me to ” Get
the fuck off the property now , or you will be leaving in cuffs” then when i reached the parking
lot i remember i was being yelled at to get in my car drive even though i had NO where to back
out or go too because we were in front of three rows of cars.
Rave Party Guests Claim Excessive Force from SWAT
Video report: http://www.4utah.com/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=23374
LAST UPDATE: 8/23/2005 8:55:01 PM
(ABC 4 News) — Rave party guests from around the world claim the Utah County Sheriff used excessive force to break up a party in Spanish Fork Canyon last Saturday night, and they may seek redress in federal court.
Still, the Utah County Sheriff’s department stands behind its officers and said the video proves the accusations are false.
About 90 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies broke up what they said was a rave party on public and private property in the Diamond Fork area of Spanish Fork canyon.
Utah County Sheriff’s Sergeant Darren Gilbert said they made about 60 arrests for weapons offenses, driving under the influence, underage drinking, drug possession and distribution, resisting arrest, assault on a police officer and disorderly conduct.
Officers found cocaine, Ecstasy, marijuana, mushrooms, alcohol and large amounts of drug paraphernalia.
Gilbert said a 17-year-old West Jordan girl was found overdosed on Ecstasy, and was treated and released to her parents. He said there were more than 250 people at the party. That is the number for which the county requires a permit, bond and county commission approval. Gilbert said the party did not have that approval.
Jonathan Meader and Lucinda Davies were at the Spanish Fork rave. They said part of the thrill comes not knowing where they will hold the rave until the last minute.
“The raving is a celebration of being alive, and people choose to use drugs sometimes, and lots of people don’t. There are so many people that do not use drugs at these parties because we go for the music and we go for the people and we go for the family,” Meader said.
Meader and Davies claim the organizers of the rave party did a good job to create a safe environment and watched in shock as 90 officers in SWAT gear converged on the crowd.
“It was like they were expecting a riot or a war,” Davies said.
Meader claimed the officers hit people with the butts of their guns.
Accusations of police brutality flood the internet on a well organized international rave network. Photos of the party and accusations against officers came as far as England and Australia.
Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy denied the accusations. He said undercover officers purchased a large quantity of drugs at the party, justifying the police raid and the 60 arrests.
Salt Lake Attorney Brian Barnard plans to seek redress in federal court.
“It makes absolutely no sense at all to crash the party two hours into the event and to come in like storm troopers,” Barnard said.
Tracy said none of the photos or video shows any misconduct by his officers. He will have an outside agency investigate any formal complaints made by those arrested at the rave party. So far, Tracy has only received anonymous emails and phone calls.
instances of police brutality at free parties and teknivals is sadly on the increase everywhere – you only need to look at the recent Czechtek for that as many other people have commented.
That this happened in the US, or more specifically in Utah, sadly does not surprise me either. I’ve recently spent two years living in the states and it most certainly is the land of the free, that is, if you’re white and middle class….
some brief anecdotes of my experiences…….
smoking a reefer in the louis armstrong park in new Orleans with two other white female friends — we were approached by this crazy but cool black guy who was dishing out some beats from a bucket he was carrying while freestyling into the bucket (what a cool sound!) about three crazy white girls smoking a reefer in broad daylight. while we laughed about it with him the sad fact that he told us was this – we were ok as we were white, female, and young – try doing that when you’re black, male and young (try even just hanging out on a park bench without smoking a reefer!). now I have to wonder with the current situation in New Orleans if bucketman made it out alive – it would seem that a lot of other black, working class people (not to mention the homeless or squatters), simply did not figure into the evacuation programme. So much for the awesome might and humanitarian power of the US – if you’re white and rich you’re ok – if not, you’re fucked………
two summers ago i camped in the canyonlands district of Utah – a beautiful place miles away from civilisation. Once again, i was smoking a reefer after a hardcore hike through a canyon – enjoying my surroundings when a mormon family walked past me and my freinds. we said hello and didn’t think much more of it, but when we got back we were approached by the park ranger and asked to leave as we were suspected of illegal activities!! smoking just a reefer in the middle of nowhere and we were still persecuted – this bust in Utah does not surprise me. Mormons are an odd bunch anyway and Utah is against most things that are fun or liberatory.
in my experience – it’s getting harder and harder to be free in the US.
my thoughts go out to those who were brutalised at the rave and to those in New orleans who were not white enough or rich enough to get away……
Police Raid Outdoor Music Event
http://utah.indymedia.org/news/2005/08/11330.php
by Parker Pinette Monday August 22, 2005 at 04:30 AM
ppinette@gmail.com
Attendees of the outdoor electronic music event dubbed “Versus II” taking place the evening of Saturday, August 20th in the Diamond Fork area of Spanish Fork Canyon in Utah County arrived at the event with confidence that the concert organizers had obtained the proper permits and legal clearance to hold the event. Personal accounts available at the local electronic community websiteutrave.org paint a scene of police brutality and mayhem, many accounts bearing eyewitness to the forceful arrest of young girls.
Reports state that at approximately 11:30pm upwards of 90 officers, many wearing full camouflage gear, gathered from Sherrif and SWAT departments in surrounding areas stormed the previously peaceful gathering dedicated to music and dance. At least 1 helicopter was dispatched, along with large tranport vehicles designated for both officers and detainees. Numerous statements from attendees indicate excessive force being exerted by many officers. Inuries including mild to severe bruises and cuts have been reported by party goers as young as age 17.
The Utah County Sherrif’s Office has expressed a long term vendetta against what they call “Rave” parties. Statements from the Sherrif’s office as well as eyewitness accounts make it clear that this was a premeditated attack on the promoters and community supporting these events. While the Sherrif’s office has stated that many drugs and pieces of paraphernalia were obtained, they fail to note how many of the 60+ citations were for drug violations. Many accounts indicate the majority of citations and arrests were for resisting arrest. The Sherrif’s office states that the party was raided on the grounds of failure to obtain a mass gathering permit for an event hosting more than 250 attendees. Reports vary as to the number in attendance, estimation ranging from 250 to 1,400. Controversy exists as to whether a mass gathering permit was actually obtained, however, a Health Department permit was obtained, and hired security and emergency medical service personnel were on site.
Many eyewitness accounts indicate that officers singled out party goers attempting to document the events on camcorders, cameras and camera phones. Victims have claimed that officers knocked cameras out of the hands of the owner, even confiscating some. Luckily, one video has surfaced, and is quickly spreading across the internet, as well as being featured by at least one local news station. The video clearly displays a large number of officers dressed in full camouflage fatigues, some brandishing rifles. In the higher quality version of the video, which includes sound, it is apparent that the use of a taser was employed. While the video is somewhat unclear at times, the viewer can plainly see an officer atop a young girl fully subdued on the ground on her stomach; he swings on her at least twice, as more officers rush forward to manhandle the girl. It is clear that many others were subdued using similar levels of force.
Initial reports from local news stations side with the Sherrif’s Office, one anchor calling the event a “drug party” without batting an eye. Reports tend to focus on the drugs and paraphernalia acquired by police, rather than the obvious violation of civil liberties reported by those in attendance and depicted by the amateur video, which has been provided to all major local news agencies.
Surprisingly, the local Fox News affiliate Fox 13 seemed to give the most unbiased report, stating that many attendees had reported excessive force, as well as showing the official media response from the Utah County Sherrif’s Office. Clips of the previously mentioned video were also shown.
Other news agencies have gone along with the Sherrif’s Office in painting a picture of drugs, guns, and sexual assault running rampant at electronic music events in general, and especially this one. KUTV Channel 2 News blatantly inferred that the hired security was merely in place to prevent the sale of drugs by anyone but the event organizers. All major reports restate the claim made by the Sherrif’s department that a 17-year-old girl was found by officers to have overdosed on ecstasy, treated on site, then released to her parents.
Many attendees and members of the electronic music and dance community are organizing lawsuits against the Sherrif’s Office. The ACLU has been contacted as well as many organizations dedicated to educating and protecting the electronic music community. Vigilant party goers are compiling evidence, including video and pictures of the event, as well as personal accounts and documentation of injuries inflicted by law enforcement.
First Czechtek 05 and now this!! It’s fucked up, have all the world leaders got together and said right the first thing we need to do is get rid of those pesky ravers!?!?
I’ve noticed this kind of police response over here more and the scary thing is that they really might turn a bunch of predominantly peace loving people violent. I remember the first time I got pushed around by police at a rave, I almost lost my cool after seeing my wife getting pushed down under a load of none descript riot cops and being beaten back when I tried to help her.
They have no respect for us or our views on life.
I don’t think its a worldwide conspiracy from up high (blair, bush, putin, zemin, bin laden and all the rest are too busy fighting over oil TBH)
but a worldwide social problem that generations and cultures are becoming so divided there is civil conflict on the streets over whether multi-day music festivals and the use of recreational drugs in society is acceptable.
there is already a culture of agression and violence developing on the rave scene, sadly much of it is inwardly directed
in all these countries these are “local riots stirred up by local people”
although the CZ action may have been sanctioned at central government level it was occuring after an increasing groundswell of anti-rave complaints from older Czech citizens
the riot cops in Great Britain have also been deployed because locals complained that certain areas were becomign “soft touches” for raves
same in the other countries in Europe
and the right-wing religous lobby were getting angry as UTAH has had raves for some years now (look on our older articles and the pill test site and the state is mentioned many times)
there is a big backlash against the “liberal permissive society” and “multiculturalism/political correctness” that happened from the 1960s to the 1980s (stuff like 9/11, madrid and 7/7 hasn’t helped matters) – many older people actually feel “there is too much freedom and human rights nowadays”
but in most areas is been middle aged farmers and locals against their own youth from their own area – many would like to fight the ravers themselves (and some have tried), but in many cases either the law or their own physical weakness prevents them from doing so
its actually worse than a worldwide conspiracy, its father against son and brother against brother – and it is mostly the men who are involved as many (even those who claim not too) enjoy a good fight….
but its something which could cause the world to burn, yet if people were prepared to listen to each other and negotiate it need never happen.
i’d love an update on what legal recourse there was… whether or not the license was valid, whether anyone brought a charge of brutality / assault… and what kind of charges were brought against the organiser and party-goers
dose anyone know what is happaning over the pond about this? its one of the most fucked up thing to happen in the music seen. not just rave but any sort of music event.
Updated the third or forth post of this thread with the original clip of the armed police raid.
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Forums › Rave › Party Reports › USA: Armed police raid a legal party and beat children!