Europa... Um cantinho do céu.
WAR AGAINST ELECTRONIC MUSIC
HOW THE BIG BROTHER TRIES TO STOP THE SCENE
In the past few years, there has been a steadily increasing war against the Electronic Music community in the U.S. associated with the everlasting Drug War. The government has passed several laws and tried many measures to stop the Electronic Music Culture in general. The laws and measures used are at times ridiculous and other times seemingly unconstitutional and discriminatory.
There has been an ongoing War in the U.S. against drugs that started in the 1980¥s under the Reagan administration, which has so far been a failure in all senses considering the use of drugs has continued to rise. The War first started against the use of crack and cocaine, which were the two main drugs of choice at that period. Now, the war is focused towards ecstasy because it has the fastest rising usage rate. The drug was actually made illegal in 1985 in the U.S., but was still a fairly underground drug just mainly used in night clubs.
Now, the government is using the old laws against crack and cocaine to combat the use of ecstasy. The main law that has been dusted off is the 'Crack house Law'. The law was originally used in the 80's when people would have crack in their homes. The law was made to prevent people from claiming innocence by ignorance. In connection with the electronic music scene: this law would give promoters up to 20 years in prison if the government was able to prove that the promoters knew about the drugs in their event or that there was considerable reason to suggest that they knew. The evidence of drug use in these cases would be a pacifier, water (to be used against dehydration with use of ecstasy because people don¥t get dehydrated from dancing of course), masks, glowsticks, plastic jewelry, massage tables (????) and chill-out rooms ( they think the only way to chill-out means by taking drugs). Fortunately on February 5, it was ruled in federal court that these types of items can't be banned and was a victory for the American Civil Liberties Union.
Another measure against the use of ecstasy is Bill S.2633, which is the 'Reducing America's Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act' or (R.A.V.E. Act). It's an addition to the 'Crack House' laws and says that if there is evidence of drug use at an event, the promoter of the event can be fined up to $250,000 with 20 years in prison and another penalty of $500,000 even if the promoter is not aware of the drug use or uses efforts to keep drugs out of the event. The law for this hasn't been passed yet, but is currently in the senate even if it does seem a bit drastic.
This bill is so vague about what characterizes a rave that it calls a rave "an all-night, alcohol-free dance party typically featuring loud, pounding dance music". This is causing a big scare not only among rave promoters, but also anyone else who wants to have an electronic music event or maybe even a wedding or small get-together. They are also afraid to have drug awareness information and medical help at events for fear that this could incriminate themselves. The Dance Safe Organization is an organization to curb the deaths of people taking drugs. They pass out information at events and test the ecstasy to make sure that it is safe. They have also been called advocates for drug use, unbelievably, and have been invited to attend fewer and fewer events as a result.
As absurd as these efforts against the dance community are, it gets worse. Recently, in New York and Florida there have been laws against dancing. Yes, dancing. In New York, the law is based on Cabaret Laws formed in 1926 aimed against Jazz music. The law requires that the owners of a venue have to obtain a Cabaret License in order that the people may dance. To get the permit is also very expensive and takes a long time. In Florida also, there was a 9-month ban on dancing in any new clubs. The illegal forms of dancing have been characterized as "moving rhythmically" and even "twitching". Ridiculous but true.
In Chicago, they are also making it harder to obtain permits. The promoter must obtain a Public Place of Amusement License in order to hold an event and if they don't they could face a $10,000 fine. Also, the law says that they must have a 2 a.m. closure time unless the event has less than 100 people or has no cover charge. The law is obviously aimed against raves and other electronic music events. Another anti-rave law passed in Chicago as well as other cities is that no party that holds 100 people or more with a DJ is illegal. Again, unbelievable but true.
In California, the permit tactic is used again. The promoter has to obtain a place of entertainment permit and in San Francisco one must obtain a public assembly permit. On top of this, a recently considered bill stated that any promoter of an electronic music event must submit 30 days in advance, proof that they can recognize and prevent illegal use of drugs and drug paraphernalia. This would cause the promoters to have even more scrutiny by the government and is used as a tactic to prevent promoters from putting on electronic music events by making the process harder for them. Also in San Bernandino, California, a club owner was paid $80,000 to no longer allow rave events at his venue in a court settlement. Sounds like bribery to me.
Perhaps the mildest measures are age and curfew laws. In some states, it's illegal to attend a rave party if under the age of 16. Also, they curfew laws generally are for 2 a.m. So, the whole concept of a rave party or electronic music event as an all night dance party is virtually destroyed, which is not so bad if you are really satisfied with enjoying music for a few hours after paying the typical $20-$50 for an event.
All of the laws are in affect, a culture war. Of course it's understandable to want to control deaths and curb the use of illegal drugs, but with these laws, it is highly likely that the deaths will become more numerous because the drugs will go further underground and without regulation and education they become much more dangerous. Instead of providing education, the U.S. government treats people as criminals. Promoters are treated like drug lords and people who gather peacefully to enjoy music and dance are being denied of their human rights. Things like dancing and music are a form of expression and for some a spiritual and enlightening experience that have been present in the human culture since its first existence. Who wants to live in the 21st Century without dancing and music?
If you would like further information or would like to know how to help, good resources are:
The Electronic Dance Music and Education Fund
ACLU- American Civil Liberties Union
Dance Safe
Escrito por Naomi Niles
Publicado em http://www.intuitivemusic.com/content/view/44/43/
HOW THE BIG BROTHER TRIES TO STOP THE SCENE
In the past few years, there has been a steadily increasing war against the Electronic Music community in the U.S. associated with the everlasting Drug War. The government has passed several laws and tried many measures to stop the Electronic Music Culture in general. The laws and measures used are at times ridiculous and other times seemingly unconstitutional and discriminatory.
There has been an ongoing War in the U.S. against drugs that started in the 1980¥s under the Reagan administration, which has so far been a failure in all senses considering the use of drugs has continued to rise. The War first started against the use of crack and cocaine, which were the two main drugs of choice at that period. Now, the war is focused towards ecstasy because it has the fastest rising usage rate. The drug was actually made illegal in 1985 in the U.S., but was still a fairly underground drug just mainly used in night clubs.
Now, the government is using the old laws against crack and cocaine to combat the use of ecstasy. The main law that has been dusted off is the 'Crack house Law'. The law was originally used in the 80's when people would have crack in their homes. The law was made to prevent people from claiming innocence by ignorance. In connection with the electronic music scene: this law would give promoters up to 20 years in prison if the government was able to prove that the promoters knew about the drugs in their event or that there was considerable reason to suggest that they knew. The evidence of drug use in these cases would be a pacifier, water (to be used against dehydration with use of ecstasy because people don¥t get dehydrated from dancing of course), masks, glowsticks, plastic jewelry, massage tables (????) and chill-out rooms ( they think the only way to chill-out means by taking drugs). Fortunately on February 5, it was ruled in federal court that these types of items can't be banned and was a victory for the American Civil Liberties Union.
Another measure against the use of ecstasy is Bill S.2633, which is the 'Reducing America's Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act' or (R.A.V.E. Act). It's an addition to the 'Crack House' laws and says that if there is evidence of drug use at an event, the promoter of the event can be fined up to $250,000 with 20 years in prison and another penalty of $500,000 even if the promoter is not aware of the drug use or uses efforts to keep drugs out of the event. The law for this hasn't been passed yet, but is currently in the senate even if it does seem a bit drastic.
This bill is so vague about what characterizes a rave that it calls a rave "an all-night, alcohol-free dance party typically featuring loud, pounding dance music". This is causing a big scare not only among rave promoters, but also anyone else who wants to have an electronic music event or maybe even a wedding or small get-together. They are also afraid to have drug awareness information and medical help at events for fear that this could incriminate themselves. The Dance Safe Organization is an organization to curb the deaths of people taking drugs. They pass out information at events and test the ecstasy to make sure that it is safe. They have also been called advocates for drug use, unbelievably, and have been invited to attend fewer and fewer events as a result.
As absurd as these efforts against the dance community are, it gets worse. Recently, in New York and Florida there have been laws against dancing. Yes, dancing. In New York, the law is based on Cabaret Laws formed in 1926 aimed against Jazz music. The law requires that the owners of a venue have to obtain a Cabaret License in order that the people may dance. To get the permit is also very expensive and takes a long time. In Florida also, there was a 9-month ban on dancing in any new clubs. The illegal forms of dancing have been characterized as "moving rhythmically" and even "twitching". Ridiculous but true.
In Chicago, they are also making it harder to obtain permits. The promoter must obtain a Public Place of Amusement License in order to hold an event and if they don't they could face a $10,000 fine. Also, the law says that they must have a 2 a.m. closure time unless the event has less than 100 people or has no cover charge. The law is obviously aimed against raves and other electronic music events. Another anti-rave law passed in Chicago as well as other cities is that no party that holds 100 people or more with a DJ is illegal. Again, unbelievable but true.
In California, the permit tactic is used again. The promoter has to obtain a place of entertainment permit and in San Francisco one must obtain a public assembly permit. On top of this, a recently considered bill stated that any promoter of an electronic music event must submit 30 days in advance, proof that they can recognize and prevent illegal use of drugs and drug paraphernalia. This would cause the promoters to have even more scrutiny by the government and is used as a tactic to prevent promoters from putting on electronic music events by making the process harder for them. Also in San Bernandino, California, a club owner was paid $80,000 to no longer allow rave events at his venue in a court settlement. Sounds like bribery to me.
Perhaps the mildest measures are age and curfew laws. In some states, it's illegal to attend a rave party if under the age of 16. Also, they curfew laws generally are for 2 a.m. So, the whole concept of a rave party or electronic music event as an all night dance party is virtually destroyed, which is not so bad if you are really satisfied with enjoying music for a few hours after paying the typical $20-$50 for an event.
All of the laws are in affect, a culture war. Of course it's understandable to want to control deaths and curb the use of illegal drugs, but with these laws, it is highly likely that the deaths will become more numerous because the drugs will go further underground and without regulation and education they become much more dangerous. Instead of providing education, the U.S. government treats people as criminals. Promoters are treated like drug lords and people who gather peacefully to enjoy music and dance are being denied of their human rights. Things like dancing and music are a form of expression and for some a spiritual and enlightening experience that have been present in the human culture since its first existence. Who wants to live in the 21st Century without dancing and music?
If you would like further information or would like to know how to help, good resources are:
The Electronic Dance Music and Education Fund
ACLU- American Civil Liberties Union
Dance Safe
Escrito por Naomi Niles
Publicado em http://www.intuitivemusic.com/content/view/44/43/
