However, the RAVE ACT can set a dangerous precedent beyond rave/hippie drug culture. The argument of "Ohh why doesn't our fascist government go and bust alcoholics whom drink to their liver pops, and drive while intoxicated" doesn't fly. We are beyond alcohol prohibition and alcohol is legal if you're 21 and over..There are DWI laws.
If someone was perhaps doing drugs at a metal show does that mean the whole SHOW gets raided and SWAT teams come in with tear gas? Does that mean a whole sub/counterculture gets criminalized for the acts of a few? Well any way, the authorities are probably more concerned about the "brootal" moshing at metal shows.Thankfully, in heavy music genres and extreme metal, that chemical "brain rush of adrenaline" is kept in the MOSH PIT, induced by the brutality of the music itself.. As opposed to drug induced euphoria or chemical induced mania of drug enhanced raves... . ... Although clubs like NYC's LIMELITE did get shut down for drug dealing and usage as that club hosted a few good metal shows.
Technically speaking by law, any one, not just ravers, can be arrested for being in the same house (or car) as someone who is in possession of illegal drugs. A cop doesn't ask "Hey son, who do these drugs belong to?" (if in a vehicle with a person in possession of narcotics) you're both busted and considered in possession, if even you're living or in the same house of someone in possession of narcotics. Even if you didn't buy or use the drugs or are not technically in possession, even if those drugs are someone elses, if you're over 18 and specifically if you're over 21.
20 years in prison is too looong for a dude who smoked a blunt at "Uncle Joe's barbecue"..That's WHY there are organizations against mandatory minimums. Shit, 20 years for smoking a blunt is a life time to some people, and that's more time that idiots that murder, or are guilty of statutory rape, or other crimes do. Ugh, the IRONY in this, is that these same politicians that legislated the RAVE ACT are sending kids off to war, and Bush's is extending our troops stay in IRAQ..
Techno is a progression from 70's the disco movement, which was killed by punk rock.. (as disco thankfully died from it's own drug/sex indulgences of the 70's) The Detroit electronic scene rocked the nation in the 80's and added hip hop as a by product with other elements of electronic... Industrial is the "darker" side of electronic as opposed to the happy/hippie, techno ravers. Industrials roots are in European goth rock,electronic and dark, subliminal sub cultures.
Music/Drug culture needs to separate itself from one another, or police itself as the (live) music culture will fail to exist.
Since when in 2K do people go to prison for 20 years for smoking POT..Smoking pot, that should be just a misdemeanour or violation.
Either legalize the less lethal/addictive drugs: (pot, hash, E) or see drug addiction as a medical/mental health condition and decriminalize addicts (offer free rehabs, detox's ect.) as in Europe..Mandatory Minimums seem to be excessive sentences in what could be a world of alternatives. Certain addictions can be treated, when in essence they are cutting education and rehabs in prison, plus parole. Now's the time to e-mail PATAKI..
Of course the blatant double standard and hypocrisy of the RAVE ACT is that it predominately targets raves and electronic music. However, huge hippie fests like the "Gathering of the Vibes" or even the "Rainbow Gathering" still exist in the underground of hippiedom.
God forbid some kid gets killed in a DRUG RAID while breakdancing to drum and bass..
JOKE about music fans (whom are co dependent on drugs at concerts) that feel that drugs enhance their musical experience:
What did the Grateful Dead fans say when they saw the DEAD sober? "Doood, the music sucks man".
Anti-Rave Bills
BackgroundThe RAVE Act which threatens to squash live music and free speech was passed in 2003 when it was tacked onto an unrelated child protection bill. In 2004 there were two additional pieces of legislation considered - the CLEAN-UP Act and the Ecstasy Awareness Act - that threatened to widen the laws to prosecute anyone who holds an event and fails to prevent illicit drug use.
Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) forced the controversial legislation, widely referred to as the "RAVE" Act, through both houses of Congress as an attachment to an unrelated child abduction - AMBER Alert bill (S151). The "RAVE" Act had not passed a single committee before being attached to the AMBER Alert bill. In addition, it was so controversial when it was introduced during the 107th Congress that two Senators withdrew their sponsorship.
The "RAVE" Act makes it easier for the federal government to prosecute innocent business owners for the drug offenses of their customers - even if they take steps to stop such activity. The "RAVE" Act attached to the AMBER Alert legislation passed both the House and the Senate despite the fact there had been no public hearing, debate or vote in Congress this year. Due to overwhelming opposition to the "RAVE" Act, legislators were forced to remove some of the most egregious language before it passed. For example, the word "rave" was removed from this version of the bill. Also, the original bill suggested that prosecutors should view the sale of water and the presence of glowsticks or massage oil as evidence of drug use. These preposterous "findings" were removed in large part due to activists who sent nearly 30,000 faxes to their Senators between January and April 2003, urging them not to support such dangerous legislation. The AMBER Alert billwith the "RAVE" Act attachment was signed into law by President Bush on April 30, 2003. Click here for a legislative history of the RAVE Act.
The Consequences
The Rave Act has the force to stop licensed and law-abiding business owners from hosting events out of fear of massive fines and prison sentences. Shortly after the act became law, a federal agent in Montana usedit to shut down a benefit to raise money for Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The DEA agent told managers of the Eagle Lodge in Billings, Montana that the Lodge could be fined $250,000 if anyone smoked marijuana during a planned benefit to raise money for a campaign to pass a medical marijuana law in Montana. The Eagle Lodge canceled the event.
The law applies to any business owner, including bar owners, motel owners, concert promoters, and cruise ship owners. Because of its broad language, the law could even potentially subjectpeople to twenty years in federal prison if guests smoked marijuana at their party or barbecue.
The Man Behind the Plan
The Drug War isn’t a purely Democrat or Republican issue. Members of both parties support punitive policies, perpetuating the stigmatization of drugs and drug users. A Democrat, Senator Joe Biden, introduced the Rave Act in the Senate in 2002. Biden’s RAVE Act was co-sponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Charles Grassley (R-IA), JosephLieberman (D-CT) and Strom Thurmond (R-NC) - with pressure from the Drug Policy Alliance counter-campaign two of the original co-sponsors of the bill, Richard Durbin(D-IL) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) withdrew their support for thebill because it was too broad and goes too far.
The Drug War is Biden’s pet issue, one he pays close attention to. Senator Biden was one of the original drafters of the legislation that created the Office of National Drug Control Policy, an anti-drug office of the White House. In addition, Biden helped to craft the original crack-house statute designed to punish owners of properties on which drug offenses take place and co-sponsored legislation that created federal mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses. Then Biden turned his attention to ecstasy and raves, most likely in response to media hype about the "dangerous drug parties" corrupting our nation’s young people. His reaction may have been in order to win votes, to keep his constituents happy or because he truly fears for the lives of America’s youth. Most likely it is a combination of all these factors. Politicians are known to react viciously when faced with new "dangers": for example, "crack" in the '80s.
DEA vs Electronic Music
Since its beginnings the electronic music dance phenomenon has been condemned by forceful politicians, sensationalist media and concerned parents. Today, electronic music parties are being directly targeted by law enforcement. It is the official position of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that a rave is nothing more than a venue for drug sales, distribution and use and consequently, the agency has sought to criminally prosecute electronic music concert promoters under the federal "crack house" statute and encourages local authorities to do the same.
What Can We Do?
Thanks to thousands of our supporters who sent faxes to the Senate and attended protests around the country, Drug Policy Alliance and its coalition of partners were able to stop earlier versions of the proposed federal legislation. More recently, you helped shine a spotlight on undemocratic and discriminatory arrests at a nightclub in Michigan when 3,000 of you contacted the Flint mayor and city council.
The Alliance will continue to fight to protect property owners, prevent any further criminalization of dance and music events, mobilize opposition and advocate amending this dangerous law. We will maintain support for the Electronic Music Defense Education Fund EM:DEF, hold public forums on rave culture and drug war harms, work with business owners to protect their rights, and maintain connections to dancers, performers and youth advocates working to draft model legislation regulating electronic music dance events in a manner that protects First Amendment freedoms and promotes the health and safety of all involved. If the Illicit DrugAnti-Proliferation Act has been used to intimidate, threaten or prosecute you, fill out an incident report to inform EM:DEF, the Drug Policy Alliance, and the ACLU.
Donate to Drug Policy Alliance's fight to help overturn this bad legislation.
Learn more about what you can do to help fight the RAVE
More about the RAVE ACT 2002/2003 from the electronic music defense fund:
News and Information
Nov 2003
'Ecstasy Awareness Act' Targets Electronic Dance Music Not Drugs (H.R. 2962)
This bill would make it a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and $2,000,000 in fines for "whoever profits monetarily from a rave or similar electronic dance event, knowing or having reason to know that the unlawful use or distribution of a controlled substance occurs at the rave or similar event". Using EM:DEF's Action Center, it only takes two minutes to write your elected Representative about H.R.2962.
'Ecstasy Awareness Act' Targets Electronic Dance Music Not Drugs (H.R. 2962)
This bill would make it a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and $2,000,000 in fines for "whoever profits monetarily from a rave or similar electronic dance event, knowing or having reason to know that the unlawful use or distribution of a controlled substance occurs at the rave or similar event". Using EM:DEF's Action Center, it only takes two minutes to write your elected Representative about H.R.2962.
Nov 2003
'CLEAN-UP Act' Could Devastate Entertainment Industry (H.R. 834)
This bill makes it a crime — punishable by 9 years in federal prison — to promote "any rave, dance, music, or other entertainment event, that takes place under circumstances where the promoter knows or reasonably ought to know that a controlled substance will be used or distributed." Take action and write your Representative. H.R.834 info
'CLEAN-UP Act' Could Devastate Entertainment Industry (H.R. 834)
This bill makes it a crime — punishable by 9 years in federal prison — to promote "any rave, dance, music, or other entertainment event, that takes place under circumstances where the promoter knows or reasonably ought to know that a controlled substance will be used or distributed." Take action and write your Representative. H.R.834 info
Sept 2003
TECHNO PARADE 2003 - Paris, France - September 13, 2003
Techno Parade is an annual event organized by TECHNOPOL, a French association for the defense and promotion of Electronic Music, Art, and Culture. This year over 300,000 people took to the streets of Paris to assert their rights. TECHNOPOL website and English translator for TECHNOPOL's website
TECHNO PARADE 2003 - Paris, France - September 13, 2003
Techno Parade is an annual event organized by TECHNOPOL, a French association for the defense and promotion of Electronic Music, Art, and Culture. This year over 300,000 people took to the streets of Paris to assert their rights. TECHNOPOL website and English translator for TECHNOPOL's website
Sept 2003
ROAR! 2 - Capital Grounds, Washington D.C. - September 6, 2003
A demonstration against the assault on music and a festival for our civil liberties organized by ROAR! Featuring djs: Junior Vasquez, DJ Craze, D:Fuse, Jesse Saunders, Polywog, Reid Speed, The Zelch Brothers, Apple Rochez, Proxxy, Implicit, and more. Guest speakers from the American Civil Liberties Union, Drug Policy Alliance, Students For A Sensible Drug Policy; and industryspeakers Sam "The Man" Burns (DJ Hut), Amanda Huie (Buzzlife), Keith Haas (2AM Artist Manage
ROAR! 2 - Capital Grounds, Washington D.C. - September 6, 2003
A demonstration against the assault on music and a festival for our civil liberties organized by ROAR! Featuring djs: Junior Vasquez, DJ Craze, D:Fuse, Jesse Saunders, Polywog, Reid Speed, The Zelch Brothers, Apple Rochez, Proxxy, Implicit, and more. Guest speakers from the American Civil Liberties Union, Drug Policy Alliance, Students For A Sensible Drug Policy; and industryspeakers Sam "The Man" Burns (DJ Hut), Amanda Huie (Buzzlife), Keith Haas (2AM Artist Manage
Jan 2003
Racine Citations Dismissed
The ACLU does it again! The city of Racine agreed to dismiss all the disorderly house citations. Police in Racine Wisconsin raided a benefit show and issued all persons in the "techno room" a $968 citation for being "inmates of a disorderly house with narcotics." Event attendees who were not in the techno room were allowed to leave the venue unmolested. read story
Racine Citations Dismissed
The ACLU does it again! The city of Racine agreed to dismiss all the disorderly house citations. Police in Racine Wisconsin raided a benefit show and issued all persons in the "techno room" a $968 citation for being "inmates of a disorderly house with narcotics." Event attendees who were not in the techno room were allowed to leave the venue unmolested. read story
PREVIOUS HEADLINES
The RAVE Act S.2633 / H.R.5519
The RAVE Act - Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act of 2002 (S.2633/H.R.5519) targets music promoters and venue managers rather than drug users or drug dealers. Punishing innocent businessmen and women for the crimes of their customers is unprecedented in U.S. history. Business owners, medical professionals, legal experts, and electronic music fans are concerned that the RAVE Act is a threat to civil liberties, public health, and freedom of expression. more info
Thanks-Tee Stay Metal and Stay Brootal-\m/ -l-
Have you ever been experienced?, well I have..-Jimi Hendrix
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