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UK: Illegal rave organisers succesfully prosecuted – Q2 2003 Illegal rave organisers succesfully prosecuted
Published by Chelmsford Borough Council - Monday 21 April, 2003
Copyright: Chelmsford Borough Council
CHELMSFORD Borough Council has successfully prosecuted two Earls Colne men for their involvement in an illegal rave at Montrose Road, Chelmsford on 20 and 21 April last year.
Mathew Clague and Mathew Moore pleaded guilty at Witham Magistrates Court yesterday, Wednesday 19 February, to the offence of ‘being concerned in the organisation or management of a public entertainment event without a public entertainment licence’. They were each fined £750 and ordered to each pay £750 costs.
Chelmsford Borough Council decided to prosecute after receiving evidence that the conditions in the premises were totally unsafe. Essex Police and Essex Fire and Rescue Service, who went to the warehouse (formerly occupied by A-Z Supplies), found that there was no lighting in the premises, no lit means of escape, no staff to supervise an emergency evacuation and no first aid facilities. In addition, the mezzanine floor, which was in the process of being dismantled, was found to be unbolted and completely free standing.
Chelmsford Borough Council’s Commercial Services Manager, Dawn French said: “We took this action to protect public safety. The event could so easily have ended in disaster. If something had gone wrong, like the mezzanine collapsing, revellers could have been killed.”
http://www.chelmsfordbc.gov.uk
UK: Exodus to rave on to the sound of silence – Q2 2003 Exodus to rave on to the sound of silence
Published by Serious about News - Monday 21 April, 2003
Copyright: Serious about News
Sunday, October 27, 2002 - THE hills weren't alive with the sound of music in Chalton after council chiefs destroyed the Exodus Collective's rave equipment.
Environmental Health Officers teamed up with police to raid Long Meadow Farm in the village a month ago.
This week three tonnes of top-of-the-range musical equipment, believed to be worth tens of thousands of pounds, was destroyed by South Bedfordshire District Council.
Items crushed included amplifiers, speakers and a public address system.
The Exodus Collective, which operates out of Long Meadow Farm, had held a series of raves throughout the summer, leading to complaints from residents.
After being tipped-off that more were planned police searched the premises and seized the equipment.
Exodus was given 28 days to claim the seized goods, but when they failed to come forward, the council exercised its right to destroy the equipment under the Environmental Health Protection Act.
Councillor Brian Spurr, who has executive responsibility for environmental health, said: "Seizing and destroying this equipment was a last resort, but we will not tolerate people who break the law by continually breaching noise pollution regulations."
http://www.seriousaboutnews.com/
Ravers Burn Down Cottage Ravers burn down cottage
AN ILLEGAL rave on Saturday night ended with a deserted cottage being burnt down after 700 partygoers swarmed to Coldharbour.
Two fire engines went to battle the fire at 7.30am on Sunday after residents of the village endured a sleepless night, disturbed by four sound systems that took over a private field.
From 11pm on Saturday, residents had watched as cars and vans drove down Crockers Lane to the two private fields that ravers have illegally occupied on numerous previous occasions.
Police have estimated there were about 200 people present, but residents and fire officers set the crowd at between 700 to 800.
Jenny Richards, chairman of Capel Parish Council, said: "A neighbour of mine said that she had never seen so many big white vans before and the police were contacted, but they could not send anyone.
"They were extremely apologetic, but they told us that they simply did not have enough police to help."
Despite the call at 11pm informing police that vehicles carrying sound systems were entering the lane, officers didn't reach the village until 2am as they had been diverted to an emergency at Horley.
Mrs Richards said: "People just don't bother ringing up the police any more as they know the reception they will get and the police know the number of people they will have to contend with at the raves."
When police did arrive at the scene, they were unable to get their vehicle along the track to the site of the rave and stayed in the village where they sent back traffic that was still attempting to gain access to Crockers Lane.
At 7.30am, two engines and two water carriers were called out from Crawley and Dorking fire stations, carrying 9,000 litres of water as the property was so remote that there was no water supply.
Phil Hawley, commander of Dorking Fire Station, said: "We believe that this was arson caused by a small element at the party who were disruptive. The rest of the partygoers seemed very well behaved."
The building was considered unsafe for firefighters to enter and Commander Hawley said that conditions under which firefighting took place were "a nightmare".
Fire officers at the scene saw sound engineers from the party recording the fire on a digital camera and the police have said that they would be keen to see the footage.
As police arrived on the scene with firefighters, they stopped partygoers to question them on the events that had taken place.
Inspector Colin Green from Dorking police station said: "There is an ongoing investigation as far as the fire is concerned and we have a positive lead.
Councillor Neil Maltby (Con, Leith Hill) said: "I do not think it is acceptable that a rave should take place on private land in the middle of the night in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and cause damage."
Paul Sweeney, director of property company Ashfronts, which owns the cottage, said: "I am very disappointed. There were raves last year, and I contacted the police, to whom I gave out my permission to contact me 24 hours a day and they also had my authority to oust anyone from the site.
"Hopefully we will refurbish the property as soon as possible and get help from the councillors to make sure this kind of thing does not happen again."
BBC NEWS | News Front Page
‘Tough Stance’ to Stop Illegal Raves 'Tough stance' to be taken in bid to stop illegal raves
SURREY police have warned they will take a tough stance on any raves that may take place over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
Coldharbour residents were left frustrated last week when police were unable to respond in numbers to a rave at Crockers Lane due to an emergency in Horley.
Police explained a man had barricaded himself into his flat claiming he had a bomb and firearms during a seven-hour siege in Horley which they said took precedence over events at the rave site.
A police statement released this week says that every measure possible will be taken to prevent a repeat of last Saturday's events when private land was taken over by ravers and a deserted cottage on the land burnt down.
The Chief Constable of Surrey Police, Denis O' Connor, said: "Those involved in raves should be under no illusion that we will use every measure of the law at our disposal to stop them disrupting other people's lives or damaging their property."
Police have put on duty a "substantial number" of officers who are apparently "trained and experienced" in dealing with occurrences similar to that which has left village residents fuming.
Mr O'Connor said: "We are familiar with sites which are used regularly for these events and these and other likely sites will be monitored and any attempt to stage a similar event will be prevented.
"We will not tolerate behaviour of this kind experienced last week, which led to serious criminal offences."
The statement also emphasised that organisers of illegal raves may be liable for the seizure of their equipment and where they are convicted of offences under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, the court may make an order to forfeit sound equipment permanently.
Police have sited their success at having successfully prevented repeated intrusions by travellers occupying private land over the last 18 months as proof of their ability to deal with the raves.
BBC NEWS | News Front Page
US: Rave fans across nation, online weigh in on Racine crackdown – December 2002 Rave fans across nation, online weigh in on Racine crackdown
Published by JS Online - Monday 9th December 2002
Copyright: JS Online
Police citations written to 441 people for attending a rave? What! From Washington state to Washington, D.C., you can almost hear the e-mails and newsgroup postings whizzing by.
"When there's word of something like this, it spreads pretty quick," Madison, Ill., rave promoter Jeff Lofink said in an interview Monday. He'd seen postings about the Racine rave bust on http://www.stlouisraver.com/, http://www.hallucination.com/ and in various Internet newsgroups.
"Usually, you have to be doing something wrong to get a ticket," Lofink said, explaining why some people are upset.
His impression of Racine?
A place "where the police don't follow the laws too much, where they feel they can overstep their bounds."
The Police Department certainly has come under fire, albeit mostly from teenagers and young adults who attend rave parties, where "electronic music" has found a home. The national criticism, some officials say, may be unfair.
When the Racine County Sheriff's Department raided a rave in Yorkville, it did what many law enforcement agencies have done: break up the party and write citations to the party organizers.
That's a far cry from the 441 citations - at $968 apiece - that Racine police wrote to everyone attending a Nov. 2 rave near downtown.
But the Yorkville rave was six or seven years ago, Sheriff William McReynolds said, before local authorities had any indication that rave parties were virtually synonymous with the illegal use of drugs, usually Ecstasy.
"I think the Police Department was looking at a whole different situation," the sheriff said.
Journal Sentinel reporters attended a rave in late April at the Alliant Energy Center of Madison and found much the same thing. Ecstasy seemed to be the main attraction that night among the crowd of 3,000. About two-thirds of the young people who were asked acknowledged using the drug, and some said they bought it there.
The use of Ecstasy is skyrocketing nationwide. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Justice indicated that emergency room personnel had seen a 500% increase in patients on the drug in the six years ending in 1999. It is now considered the fastest-growing drug problem in Wisconsin.
However, rave fans on the Internet think it was outrageous that merely attending the Racine party resulted in getting a citation for being an "inmate of a disorderly house/controlled substances."
Pointing out that only three people at the party were arrested on drug charges, they said in interviews that they're spreading word about the Racine bust, in part, to be prepared if the tactic is used elsewhere.
"There's just this misconception that we're the only ones doing (drugs)," said Mike Phillips, 26, of suburban Washington, D.C. "I go because I like the music. You can't punish the people that are going for the right reasons because of the ones that are going (for drugs)."
Phillips and others who discuss the Racine bust and other rave issues over the Internet said they had never heard of police writing citations to party-goers. They said Racine police probably cracked down hard so that no raves would be held in the city in the future - and that the technique probably was effective.
City officials have acknowledged that they want to deter future parties, even as the city attorney's office has made plea bargains. Last week, those cited who pleaded no contest to the "inmate/controlled substances" citation were fined only $100. And on Monday, when the second wave of ravers made their initial court appearance, those who pleaded no contest received the lower fine and had their citation changed to disorderly conduct, with no reference to controlled substances.
But the city still faces the potentially costly prospect of having to hire a special prosecutor and pay police overtime for hundreds of trials. In numbers similar to last week, 94 of the 139 who appeared in court Monday pleaded not guilty, 28 did not appear and only 17 took the plea bargain.
Police in Racine were suckered by the "corporate sensational media," which make it seem that every rave is rife with illegal drug use, said Jon Gibson, 23, of Vancouver, Wash. The crackdown will only create more danger, he said, because rather than being held in bars, raves will go back to being held underground.
That would be a shame, said Dave Meeker of Chicago, director of The Selekta, an organization that supports electronic music deejays, promoters and producers. As rave parties have become more public, they have increased security and searches at the door, he said.
"I don't know how many times I've seen drug dealers pushed out the door and their drugs flushed down the toilet" without police needing to intervene, Meeker said.
Others who have gotten involved in the Racine bust aren't fighting for the right to party, necessarily, but to preserve civil liberties.
Amy Tyler, host of a daily talk show on KTBB-AM in Houston, said she had discussed the Racine case several times last week because she and her listeners view the raid as a misuse of police power.
"Government has just gotten away with too much for too long, and it's time we started fighting back," Tyler said.
http://www.jsonline.com/
UK: Industrial estate rave – December 2002 Industrial estate rave
Published by Camberley News Online - Saturday 7th December 2002
Copyright: Camberley News Online
RAVERS descended on a disused building in Camberley at midnight on November 23 for an illegal party which went on until the following afternoon.
Around 400 people took over empty industrial units and defied several attempts by the police and environmental health officers to break up the event, claiming ‘squatters’ rights’.
Reports of loud music were received by police at around 1am on November 24 from residents living near units 21 and 22 in Admiralty Way.
Part of the ceiling of the building was ripped down, radiators were removed and graffiti was daubed on the walls.
Five weeks ago 300 people held a rave in the empty C-House building on the Yorktown Industrial Estate.
Surrey Heath’s chief environmental health officer Ken Stewart has a major role in again dealing with a problem which seemed to have died out a decade ago as musical fashions changed.
He said: “We have very good co-operation from the police. Obviously we are not used to having events like this but we are aiming to re-establish our links with the police.
“I think everybody recognises it’s almost impossible to stop an event once it’s started but the council does take its responsibility very seriously.
“We will certainly be looking to find any links between the two most recent events. Should we find the organisers we would definitely take action against them.”
Chris Norden, system manager of plumbing company Tricom which occupies the unit next to the disused building, said: “One of my colleagues received a call to say that our alarms were going off and that was due to the vibrations from the speakers next door. I was worried there would be damage to our building.
“This is the sort of thing you hear about but don’t expect it to happen on your doorstep and I think something should be done about it.”
He said the company had discussed increasing its security measures.
http://www.camberley.co.uk/
US: Promoters give raves a makeover – December 2002 Promoters give raves a makeover
STEVENS POINT - Matt Ebel and Ethan Koerten think raves have gotten a bad rap.
"There's so much negative stigma. There's so much negative experience," Ebel said of the gatherings built around electronic music.
Ebel and Koerten, both of Stevens Point, are working to change the rave image with a series of parties they promote at Mission Coffee House in downtown Stevens Point.
DJs spin vinyl records featuring a variety of electronic music. Partygoers must empty their pockets, remove their hats and let security guards pat them down and search purses before they're allowed to enter.
Drugs and drug paraphernalia are confiscated and often destroyed, Ebel said.
"What it comes down to is providing a safe place for people to come and have fun and providing good music for them," Koerten said.
The image of raves that police and the general public have is in stark contrast to the music-oriented parties Ebel and Koerten describe. There's so much bad press associated with the word rave, they say they don't even use the word to describe their gatherings.
Organizers canceled a Wood County rave after sheriff's deputies made it clear they were taking a hard line against the possibility that illegal activities might arise. Police in Racine have also cracked down, issuing 445 tickets at a party there.
In Congress and in several states, lawmakers are considering plans to extend "crack house statutes" to raves. Such laws allow authorities to close or even raze buildings found to harbor drug users.
Typically touted as alcohol-free events, raves often attract teens whose parents think the parties are all right because they're advertised as dances and are held at places that don't serve alcohol, said Sgt. Mike Retzki of the Stevens Point Police Department.
Raves' reputation took a hit locally in early September when Stevens Point police and other members of a multijurisdictional task force cracked down on a party above Skipps' Bowling Center. That raid resulted in 17 arrests for various drug violations.
Among the participants were teens 15 years old and younger, Retzki said.
"They're not a growing problem (in central Wisconsin), but they've shown themselves in the last two or three years," Retzki said.
Law enforcement authorities say raves and Ecstasy, the so-called "hug drug," go hand in hand. Stevens Point police found Ecstasy, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms and various prescription medications at the rave raided in September, Retzki said.
Koerten and Ebel acknowledge police have reason to be skeptical of parties advertised as raves.
"The police have a right to be suspicious, but they don't have a right to jump to conclusions," Ebel said.
True raves, police said, are underground events. Locations often are kept secret until the day of the party to keep law enforcement agencies off guard. Rave participants rely on drugs such as Ecstasy to give them a sense of happiness. The drugs add to the sense of peace, love, unity and respect, or PLUR, Retzki said.
"That's the underlying theme of almost every rave," he said.
Koerten and Ebel counter that true raves are all about the music.
"The last thing I want is for someone to come to one of our parties and to have something happen so they have to be hospitalized," Koerten said. "We're trying to focus more on the music and the DJs."
So far, it seems they're meeting with success.
Capt. Linda Daubert of the Stevens Point Police Department said there haven't been problems with raves held at the Mission Coffee House. Food manager Kimber Seis said there's no need to worry that the raves will turn ugly.
"We don't worry at all because we know how well Matt and Ethan run their parties," Seis said. "They've got tight security. It's a very safe, very clean, fun type of event. People picture these huge warehouse parties where 90 percent of the people are on drugs, and that's not the way it is in Stevens Point."
Retzki said members of the task force, which includes a dozen police agencies throughout central Wisconsin, want to keep it that way. The goal, he said, is to deal with problem raves quickly and effectively.
"We want to make it too inconvenient to have it here," he said.
UK: Offer of help is music to campaigners’ ears – December 2002 Offer of help is music to campaigners’ ears
Published by The Hamsptead and Highgate Express - Wednesday 12th December 2002
Copyright: The Hamsptead and Highgate Express
A BOSS at MTV’s parent company has pledged to help campaigners in their war against drugs and crime in Camden Town.
Dwight Tierney, the vice-president at Viacom Outdoor, specialists in advertising, said the company wanted to play a part in helping to clean up the community.
In October, Mr Tierney hit out at inadequate policing in the borough after Viacom had to foot the £750,000 cleaning bill for an illegal rave in one of its buildings in Jamestown Road.
He said there were too few officers to police the rising tide of violent crime and drug pushers.
It is hoped that the company will now help community action groups in Camden Town advertise their work with poster campaigns or provide recording facilities for possible broadcasts.
Speaking at a public meeting held at St Michael’s Church Hall, in Greenland Street, on Thursday last week, he said: “If you give us a plan where you think we can be helpful we will. We are not going to write cheques to everybody, but we are going to use our resources and help you get the message across because that is what we do best.
“We came to Camden Town because the vibe here is one we all found very interesting and exciting to be a part of and the fact that it isn’t mainstream in its approach.”
However, he added that staff had become increasingly afraid of walking in the area at night because of a rise in violent crime.
He also said drug users were often seen shooting up in alleys around Viacom’s premises.
“The problems for us have been ongoing issues with drugs and violence and intimidation, and just outright theft in some cases,” he said.
The meeting was organised by Jennie Matthias, of Camden Town art workshop S TEEM.
Members of various action groups, tenants associations, councillors, police, children from Camden’s estates and nightclub managers came along to suggest ways of combating Camden Town’s crime problem.
Ms Matthias, of Arlington Road, said: “We have got the community involved because we are concerned about the drugs, drink, crime and murder, and we are worried about what is happening to our children, ourselves and our elderly.”
Roger Robinson, Camden councillor for St Pancras and Somers Town, said: “If we work as a team we will beat this drug and crime issue and we will do it by our own efforts.”
US: More Racine ravers than not expected plead not guilty – December 2002 More ravers than not expected plead not guilty
Published by JS Online - 7th December 2002
Copyright: JS Online
A storm of denunciation descended upon city officials after it was revealed that police had issued $968 municipal tickets to young adults attending a Nov. 2 rave, a party known for distinctive dance music and, oftentimes, illegal drug use.
Even city officials who supported the crackdown said the fine was too high.
In response, the city attorney's office offered to reduce the fine to $100 for anyone who pleaded no contest to being an "inmate of a disorderly house." But when the first wave of those ticketed made their initial appearance in Municipal Court last week, only 19 of 206 took the deal.
If that trend continues on Monday and on Dec. 16, when the rest of those cited will make their initial court appearances, the city could be facing the costly prospect of hundreds of trials - or dismissing the citations en masse.
Assistant City Attorney Scott Lewis said he won't know what will happen until after the second round of court hearings that begin Dec. 18, when people who pleaded not guilty appear for pretrial conferences.
At that time, Lewis said, he will be able to assess how strong the evidence is and decide how to proceed.
With the sheer numbers involved, "I admit I'm placed in a very difficult position here," Lewis said.
The plea bargain obviously offered a substantial fine reduction, but many of those cited said last week that they refused the deal because they had done nothing wrong. They pointed out that only three men were arrested on drug charges, but everyone at the party received the municipal citation, regardless of how long they had been at the party or other factors.
"Basically you're guilty by association and the Constitution says you can't do that," said Racine attorney Erik Guenther, who is representing some of those who were cited.
Even those who might have considered paying the $100 to be done with the case decided against the plea bargain because the citation includes a reference to controlled substances. Although a municipal citation is far less serious than a criminal charge, no one wanted to have a drug-related offense on their record, and many were girding for a fight.
"I think we'll win. Everybody I talked to is on our side," said Laura Maurer, 21, of Waukesha, who plans to enter her not-guilty plea Monday.
"I feel if everybody pleads not guilty, it will get thrown out," added Kurt Bohman, 27, who performed as "DJ Simple" at the rave and drove six hours from his Minneapolis home to plead not guilty last week. "It will clog up the court system. It already has."
Court officials had expected no more than 100 people would plead not guilty last week and were unable to immediately schedule a pretrial conference for about half of them. The hallway outside the court clerk's office was filled with those pleading not guilty, many sporting multiple body piercings and a few who brought their toddlers.
Ald. John Engel, chairman of the Common Council's Public Safety and Buildings Committee, said he agreed with offering to reduce the fines, but said it was important that police took a hard line at the rave party in order to discourage future raves. He said such parties are known for illegal drug use and illegal drugs were found at the Racine party, which was held at the Tradewinds tavern.
"Are we turning into a rigid, hard-nosed community? I don't think so," Engel said.
Engel and other city officials acknowledged that one of the aims of the crackdown was to discourage anyone from ever holding another rave in Racine. It might have worked.
"I would never come down here again," said Joseph Johnson, 25, of Milwaukee.
Daniel Kushner, 23, of Chicago, who like Johnson pleaded not guilty last week, said the popularity of raves had been on the decline, partly because of the law enforcement crackdowns, which usually result in raves being shut down and party-goers being sent home.
"The golden era of the scene has passed," he said. "They've worn us down pretty well. There's no 'us' anymore."
http://www.jsonline.com/
UK: Raves trend is so disturbing – December 2002 Raves trend is so disturbing
Published by Camberley News and Mail - 11th December
Copyright: Camberley News and Mail
NUMEROUS unoccupied industrial buildings are causing concern for police as illegal raves return to Surrey Heath.
Two raves have now been held in the space of a month and there are growing concerns that there are more to come.
In both of last month’s illegal parties hundreds of people descended on disused buildings on industrial estates in Camberley.
The first all-night party took place at the beginning of November and saw around 300 ravers take over the empty C-House building on Stanhope Road, part of the Yorktown industrial estate.
Music from the rave kept nearby residents awake most of the night and damage was caused to the building during the party, which continued into the following afternoon.
Despite attempts by council environmental health officers and the police, it was felt that there were too many people at the event to stop it.
Residents were then shocked to find themselves woken by more loud music just three weeks later.
Another illegal rave took place this time at empty industrial units off Admiralty Way estate, again in Camberley.
Around 400 people took over the site late in the night and stayed until noon the next day.
At the time Camberley police received criticism from residents for not putting a stop to the event.
But according to Inspector Martin Goodwin, the key is prevention rather than cure and police resources are being put into deterring the organisers of the raves from targeting Camberley.
“We are now being proactive in preventing future events of this nature. We are working with our partners in environmental health with the objective of identifying the organisers with a view to prosecuting them for the unlicensed events and preventing future parties.”
Insp Goodwin pointed to the number of unused buildings in Surrey Heath as a problem.
Working with the council, the police are in the process of contacting the owners of empty and disused ware-houses and industrial buildings in the area.
With the aim of preventing rave organisers breaking in to empty buildings, pressure is being put on the proprietors to increase security.
“Ideally it would be better if the buildings were occupied, but I know the council are trying to achieve that.”
Understanding the effect the raves have on people living nearby, he added that everything was being done to combat future events.
“I want to reassure the residents of Surrey Heath that we are doing everything we can to deal with this matter. Our Neighbourhood Specialist Officer for St Michael’s is instrumental in forging close links with members of that community who can gain valuable intelligence in achieving our objectives.”
http://www.camberley.co.uk/
US: Irate rave-goers plead not guilty in Racine bust – December 2002 Irate rave-goers plead not guilty in Racine bust
Published by JS Online - 2nd December 2002
Copyright: JS Online
Racine - Defiance was in the air Monday as most of the people who received $968 citations for attending a rave party in Racine rejected an offer to settle their cases for $100.
The dozens of not-guilty pleas filed Monday mean the city might have to hire a special prosecutor to handle potentially hundreds of Municipal Court trials.
Police had issued the "inmate of a disorderly house/controlled substances" citations to 441 people after breaking up the rave at a bar on Nov. 2. They also arrested three men on drug charges.
The Racine city attorney's office then offered to reduce the fine to $100 for anyone who pleaded no contest to the municipal citation.
But on Monday, when 206 of the young adults were scheduled to make their initial court appearance, only 19 pleaded no contest, were found guilty and paid the $100; 40 did not appear and were found guilty by default. That left 147, or more than 70%, who pleaded not guilty and demanded a trial.
The rest of the people ticketed are scheduled to enter their pleas next Monday and Dec. 16. If, as happened Monday, a majority pleads not guilty, the city could face having to schedule hundreds of trials. That could make it necessary not only to hire a special prosecutor, but also to pay overtime to police officers appearing as witnesses outside their regular shifts.
That added inconvenience for prosecutors is just what many of the people had in mind.
"I feel if everybody pleads not guilty, it will get thrown out," said Kurt Bohman, 27, who performed as "DJ Simple" at the rave and drove six hours from his Minneapolis home for Monday's court appearance. "It will clog up the court system. It already has."
Court officials had expected that no more than 100 people would plead not guilty Monday. As a result, officials were unable to immediately schedule a pretrial conference for about half of them. At those conferences, which begin Dec. 18, those cited will confer with a city prosecutor to try to settle their case before a trial.
Assistant City Attorney Scott Lewis said he had made the $100 fine offer because $968 was "a little steep." He said that he and other prosecutors would listen to each person's story at the pretrial conferences, but that dismissing even one case could put the city at risk of having to dismiss all of them.
Lewis, who entered his 25th year in the city attorney's office on Monday, said his office had not attempted to prosecute such a mass of people since more than 100 striking teachers were cited after a rally in the mid-1970s.
Ald. John Engel, chairman of the Common Council's Public Safety and Buildings Committee, said he agreed with offering to reduce the fines but said it was important that police took a hard line at the rave party in order to discourage future raves. Such parties are known for illegal drug use, and illegal drugs were found at the Racine party, he said.
"Are we turning into a rigid, hard-nosed community? I don't think so," Engel said.
Some of the rave-goers who were cited, however, said they think the days of the raves are numbered.
"The golden era of the scene has passed," said Daniel Kushner, 23, of Chicago, who pleaded not guilty Monday. "They've worn us down pretty well. There's no 'us' anymore."
http://www.jsonline.com/
UK: Ravers cause for complaint – December 2002 Ravers cause for complaint
Published by Camberley News and Mail - Saturday, 7th December
Copyright: Camberley News and Mail
MORE than 300 people took over a disused building on Saturday night for an organised, illegal rave which continued into Sunday morning.
Residents living near to Stanhope Road, Camberley, were woken in the middle of the night by loud music at the party which went on until 8am.
The large number of revellers came from outside the area and proved too much for environmental health officers, who were called in to try and shut down the event.
Surrey Heath Council received a number of complaints from residents living on the Yorktown estate and an on-call officer was called to the C-House building in an effort to stop the event.
One resident, who did not want to be named, told the News they were woken by the music at 2.30am and got up to investigate.
“My wife thought that a car was outside the house, playing loud music.
“It wasn’t, but I thought it might be a party at a house nearby. I thought I’d go and tell them to turn the music down.”
On further investigation it was clear the music was from the disused building, more than half a mile away in the industrial part of the Yorktown estate.
“I walked towards where the sound was coming from and looked in to the building and could clearly see a large gathering of people and two dancers with batons of fire.”
The resident, who was in touch with the council throughout the night continued: “The environmental health officer phoned to say he had been to the site on his own and decided not to go any further.”
The resident went on to say he had received another call from the officer, informing him he had returned with the police and asked party goers to simply turn the music down.
The resident criticised the council, saying that in his opinion, the officer wasn’t carrying out his duties “to the full extent at which he should be” and questioned why backup to stop the event wasn’t called for.
Chief environmental health officer Ken Stewart explained the council’s position and the action it takes regarding such events.
“What happened was an illegal event. It was not held on suitable premises, there’s been no application for a public entertainment licence and we are seeking the organisers of the event.
“If successful, we would want to take action against those persons for organising such an event in the borough and prevent it becoming a regular occurrence.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stop the event once it had started but in circumstances like this, unless it’s possible to get a large police presence you have no hope of closing it down.”
“We are in contact with the police and the owners of the building to make the best use of the building. It’s possible it could happen again unless we take steps to stop it.”
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