Five years ago, my friend Josh and I decided that we wanted to break into the raver community. It was the weekend of Halloween 2000 and we were determined to make it to a party -- any party. Without a car, we were entirely dependent on the kindness of strangers. But Josh managed to find us a ride and, as I smooshed into the backseat of a vehicle driven by people I didn't even know, I started to feel the first tingles of anticipation.
Almost 2 hours later, after countless wrong turns and ridiculous attempts to find out the location of the party, we finally found ourselves in a darkened corner of one of San Francisco's many warehouse districts. But the darkness was quickly dispelled by several flashing red and blue lights. The police had arrived to destroy our fun -- before we even got in the door.
As the years passed since that evening, I would come to find that the cops were not an uncommon (albeit uninvited) guest at many parties. Sometimes it would happen like I described it above -- I'd never even make it in the door. Other times, I was just beginning to break a sweat on the dance floor. But, even if a party goes off without a hitch, the fear of police descending on a party is ever present.
Before Hurricane Katrina gave the media something to REALLY sensationalize, there was a little stir about a party in Utah. By far the most over-the-top shutdown of a rave I have ever read about, this attack has been labeled "fascistic" -- and for good reason. Just watch the video at the bottom of the link if you have any doubts.
Before you start thinking that police brutality and unreasonable action against party-goers are yet another thing we can blame the Bush administration for (despite how tempting and fun that sounds), check out this article on a party in the Czech Republic that met with similar riot-gear-enrobed police. See? It's not just endemic to the good ol' U.S. of A.
So what's going on here? Why is law enforcement so keen to shut down these events with an overwhelming use of force? After all, a rave with a permit is no more or less "illegal" than your garden variety nightclub, and you don't see too many Robocops pounding down the doors of clubs, do you? What is it about a party that makes it so much more attractive to the fascistic, paramilitary wing of the government? They could be out stopping murder, rape or thievery. Instead, they're handcuffing and beating party-goers, confiscating records and electronic equipment and destroying the spirit of the youth. Why do they want to shut down the fun?
These are the questions I'd like to address over the following weeks. I will be talking about dance music, its history, the culture of hedonism (always an enjoyable topic) and drugs and why these -- in the guise of the rave -- pose such a threat to governments the world over. Unless, of course, another hurricane gets in the way.
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