Stark raving mad (Police raid at the Utah rave)

[kskiska]

Why did Utah police this summer storm a harmless and legal rave with guns and dogs, terrorizing partygoers? You don't see them busting down the gates at NASCAR races or concerts by Crosby, Stills and Nash.

By Farhad Manjoo

Sept. 26, 2005 | Close to midnight on a Saturday evening late this summer, a police helicopter crested over a ridge in a desert canyon near Salt Lake City, descended into a low hover over a private ranch, and lit up the area with floodlights. Below, about 1,000 young people were dancing to electronic music at a legal, long-planned rave. They had no idea the police in the sky were armed to teeth and had them surrounded.

Suddenly, cops on the ground stormed in to stop the whole thing. About 90 uniformed officers, equipped with guns, dogs, Tasers and tear gas, marched like a conquering army into the crowd. They shut off the music and ordered people to leave; anyone who gave them trouble -- anyone who merely asked what was going on -- was dealt with harshly. People in the crowd reported being brutalized, terrorized with guns, dogs and other weapons. A two-minute video of the event shot by a videographer named Jeff Coombs shows officers surrounding selected members of the crowd, forcefully pushing them to the ground, and arresting them.

Raves have been a cultural phenomenon for more than a decade. The high-energy dance parties, both organized and improvised, have taken place in countless places -- clubs, warehouses, rooftops, ranches -- across the country without incident. Yet raves clearly upset something in rural Utah. Utah County Sheriff James Tracy says he broke up the rave to stop rampant drug use, sexual abuse and dangerous health conditions. But in the month since the raid, details have emerged in interviews with attendees, in press reports and in court that vindicate the ravers and paint a disturbing picture of excessive police force.

In August, rave organizer Brandon Fullmer filed suit against Tracy, asking a federal court to prevent the Utah County sheriff and other officials from closing down any future legal raves. But despite his outrage over the sheriff's actions -- and the larger outrage in the world beyond Utah -- it now appears that the authorities in the county will face no trouble for the raid. County officials have sided with Tracy and on Thursday a federal judge in Salt Lake City denied the rave promoters' demand to enjoin the sheriff from closing down any future legal raves in Utah County.

more…
http://salon.com/news/feature/2005/09/26/rave/index.html

[lvx35]

1. I saw the footage.

It was scary. Pretty clean cut kids walking around talking about music, and then these guys in camo with guns show up. And you can here the conversation:
"Dude, its got to be a joke"
"No man, I don't think so, those guns are real"
Then a girl screaming as she gets dragged to the ground by cops/dogs. Horrible.

[ToolTex]

2. So? What's the big surprise- It's Utah.

The only State in the Union that is founded to support a religion, and does.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Suggested SOP for Ravers:

I'm just throwing this into the mix as a suggestion. Feel free to add, criticize, or modify.

1. No drugs, alcohol, or contraband. Pre-dose with favorite poison at home, not at the rave.


2. Ravers bring cameras; video cameras if possible.


3. Organizers place as many webcams with broadband access as possible; solicit donations of webcams from ravers.


4. Organizer retains a legal team (pro bono if possible) off-site for a quick blitzkrieg of the local DA's office.


5. Several "neutral observers" (background-checked and bonded) should be in attendance at the Rave.


6. Legal team prepares to initiate several hundreds, or thousands, of lawsuits and civil rights actions on provocation. Each Raver should (ideally) file civil, criminal, and damages lawsuits.


7. Rave organizers nationally should plan to deluge Internet, news media with information about such busts.


8. Establish some Raves for political action.


9. Make busting a Rave a politically suicidal activity.

Unfortunately, most people these days are too damn passive to organize; but organizing to make Raves safe may be an exception.

--p!