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California Clubs RAIDED by the DEA & ABC!!!!
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| Punkaweedus |
(Here is an email I wrote to many of my friends here in LA. I figured you all might want to know about it as well....)
Hey,
Just wanted to bring this to your attention. Apparently on Friday night, club 1015 (Spundae in SF) was raided by the DEA and ABC under the umbrella of "Operation X-Out", an attempt to rid California nightclubs of Ecstasy use/sales. This happened at Spundae @ Circus in L.A. on Saturday night as well, where allegedly 10,000 pills were confiscated and 25 ppl, including 6 Circus employees, were arrested. The following links provide more detail:
www.abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/120902_nw_club_raid.html
www.cnn.com/2002/US/West/11/22/club.drugs.ap/index.html
http://pub80.ezboard.com/fspundae44...icID=6287.topic (this one is from the Spundae messageboard)
What the govn't will now attempt to do is get the liquor license revoked for every "rave nightclub", basically shutting the venue down. No alcohol sales = no customers = no profits. This is probably going to end up being very detrimental to our scene, many if not most of the clubs we attend weekly are going to face the same investigations, if they haven't already. The stereotype of "techno music" and "techno clubs" and "raves" are all being used against us by the govn't, and with great effect. I know that there are huge drug sales & consumption at these clubs, no one can deny or refute that. And sadly this is probably what will be the eventual end of this scene, at least for clubbing. However, Gene La Pietra, owner of Circus & Arena clubs, will be making a statement in defense of his clubs this afternoon. Check tonite's local news broadcast, I'm sure the media will put some horrible spin on everything and make it even worse than what it already is.
Anyways, just wanted to give you a heads up.
-Mark |
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| Juricimo |
what a bunch of . it really pisses me off...oh well....kinda ironic a group in my biz & society class today did a 30 minute debate on legalizaton of drugs.
DEA
:rolleyes:
>JM< |
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| sebby |
That sucks. Trance/Techno music doesn't necessarily lead to drugs. It's great music!!! I can't live without this music. It's my life. Clubs like Spundae, Giant and many others provide great events for trance lovers to untie and have fun. We're all there because of the music. Drugs are optional.
I admit, I used to take pills, but now I realize that I don't need them anymore. Music, especially trance music is what I need. This is taking away our freedom. Next thing you know, We're gonna get pulled over by the police for playing trance and every other electronic music out there.
If we're allowed to listen to the music, then why can't we unite and have fun. Admit it guys, drugs are everywhere. You either choose to do it or you don't.
Maybe if we all chip in and speak up for what we believe in we could make a difference. Come on guys!!! Express your feelings!!! Maybe this thread will be used in the courtroom to show the world that we listen to the music and that drugs are just something that will always be around.
To stop drugs, you need to raid the labs and shipments, not the clubs. I don't know what else to say. Your turn guys. |
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| Punkaweedus |
While it would be nice to say that drug users are not the problem, I think they need to take more responsibility for their actions. We could debate on the real legality of drugs, whether or not they should be legal. But the fact is that the govn't says they are illegal, and the police have a duty to enforce this law. Until these laws change, arguing about the legality of drugs is futile.
What we do need is for the morons who sell drugs at clubs to realize that they are hurting our scene. Electronic Dance Music has already been stereotyped as "drug music" since day one, and clubs playing such music are referred to as "raves". This is not the case, and we know this. But for the common public who knows no difference between EDM genres, the difference between a rave and a club, and only sees what the media portrays of this scene (ie drug induced children @ underground raves), it's obvious why society and the police have such a backlash against us. We're seen as the people doing ecstasy and dancing til 4am in a drug induced state, oblivious to the rest of the world.
We also need for the average clubber to take more responsibility for themselves. Be able to handle what you consume, be it alcohol or drugs. Being so completely ed up that you cannot walk/talk is NOT okay at a club. A club is a public place, not your home. Just because you feel safe and secure in a club, does not mean you are free to do as you choose. I'm tired of seeing the cracked out ppl sitting against the walls passed out at clubs. If you got that wasted that you cannot stay conscious, your friends have a responsibility to take you home. You do not belong at a club in that state. And think about this: To an outside person coming to this club, what do you look like???? On more than one occasion I have brought ppl that are new to this music to clubs such as Spundae. And frankly many of them have said it is a drug den, or at least appears that way.
I am not saying I am for or against drug use, especially E. I will fully admit I have done it, and probably will again in the future. However, I am responsible about it, I do not take 4 pills in one night. We all as a music community need to be more responsible and cautious of our actions. We need to be aware that the govn't IS watching us closely. We need to understand that the media has already placed a stereotype label on us as ed up ravers, even when this is not the case. I am no raver. And the presence of drugs at our clubs, especially E, only add fuel to the media's fire. |
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| sebby |
| Well said Punkaweedus!!!;) |
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| cheesenip |
| funny how electronic music is the only genre that has these problems. LOL. These club owners CAN do things to prevent drug use in their venues. Seems like they don't care enough to take action. |
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| Bryant |
| I agree with everyone's post here, also, I find it ironic that the electronic music today is what rock music went through back in the 60's. |
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