Electronic music community to protest bill:
- A coalition of members of the music community have come together to protest the unconstitutional R.A.V.E act now being considered by the US Senate. The R.A.V.E. (Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy) Act, bill number S.2633 would expand the federal "crackhouse" statute. Water Bottles, Glowsticks and chill out rooms could be classified as "drug promotion." Business people, promoters, venue owners and even homeowners will be liable for any drugs used on their premises.
Clearly such a sweeping change in the law requires a response. The Los Angeles protest will take place September 6th from 3pm - 8pm on the Northwest Lawn of the Westwood Federal Building at 11000 Wilshire Blvd.
Numerous luminaries of the LA and international DJ community including Doc
Martin, Richard Humpty Vission, Garth Trinidad, Colette, Curious, Daniel, Kid Dragon, Freddy B and others will DJ. The event has been organized through a coalition of organizations in LA's world renown electronic music community including: Hi-Roller, Rock The Vote, Green Galactic, EM:DEF, V Squared Labs, Project Sweatshop, PAS, WAX, Sound Lessons, Insomnia, Good Stuff, Junglist Platoon, B3 Cande, eventvisuals.com, and Solid.
The R.A.V.E. Act was introduced in the Senate on June 18th and passed the Senate Judiciary Committee a week later, without a public hearing or recorded vote. It has been placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar and could come up for a full Senate vote in September. A number of organizations including civil liberties groups, business associations, and groups associated with the rave community, are working to defeat the RAVE Act or amend it to better protect innocent business owners, free speech, and public health. Tens of thousands of voters have signed petitions, and faxed or called their Senators to oppose this Act. Protests in opposition to the RAVE Act will be held simultaneously in cities around the country, including a rave and protest on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol on September 6th.
Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) is the primary sponsor of the bill, but it is also being co-sponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). The R.A.V.E. Act expands the federal "crack house statute" to make it easier for the federal government to fine or imprison businessmen up to 20 years in federal prison if they fail to prevent customers or tenants from selling or using drugs on their premises or at their events. The RAVE Act increases the civil and criminal liability that business owners and event promoters could face if customers commit drug offenses on their property.
Article comments
1 - Joanne McNeil
There will also be a protest in Washington DC on the West Lawn of the Capital Building. Details are on ROAR's (Raver Organizing Against the RAVE) website
2 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Joanne!
3 - TalkLeft
For more on the reasons to oppose the RAVE Act and on the RAVE protests, visit TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime.
http://www.talkleft.com/archives/000789.html#000789
4 - anna
one more solid coultering of the rave act:
http://archives.annatopia.com/00000211.html
i think a lot of the anti-RAVE posts forget to mention that the law will apply to -all americans- and darn near every peice of property in this country.
5 - Subversive Woofer
Part of the reason this new version of the RAVE act was able to pass is because many of these old conservatives think that this legislation will not affect their music scene. It will only cause trouble for those nasty little ravers, punks and hippies.
Well, I think if this little bit of legislation goes all the way through, then everyone hurt by this act should MAKE it affect their music scenes! In protest, people could sneak joints into opera houses, concert halls, and John Tesh concerts... then LIGHT EM UP!!! YEEHAW!~
It might help to have someone planted who can loudly complain and insist that the venue be held responsible for their actions too.
Then the venue owners for ALL concert halls will have to be tried under the new laws and that will get everyone pissed. This would be sure to get some action happening to repeal this terrible new legislation should it be fully passed instead of just upsetting a bunch of little ravers that no one will listen to.
:D
6 - Kina
the thing is... if you get any random group of ppl together.. a certain percentage of the group will probably use drugs the bigger the group the more ppl using drugs and the younger the group the higher the percentage so i would be willing to bet money some ppl going to the opera halls and john tesh concerts already are going to use drugs : a bored house wife taking non prescribed valum to deal with her husband all night or a rich couple doing a line of coke in their limo before they get there. though i dont mean to stereotype those kinds of events anyways.. i mean i love operas. but your right they need to see how broad and ridiculouse it is. maybe throw them in jail for 20 yrs cause their kid smokes some weed
7 - nima
i think this law is one of the most stupid things i have ever heard. i go to raves and i have never used drugs, i go for the music. now they are telling us to not even listen to electronic music (yeah right!!) if they want to stop people of using or buying and selling drugs, i do not think this is the right way. they need to stop it from where is it starts and find the base of it. have funn stopping raves and raves and the music mofos.