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EMDEF: America's War on Electronic Music Continues

Author: Jonty Adderley
Friday, October 19, 2001
American authorities' attempts to destroy US club culture are intensifying, EM:DEF spokesperson Will Patterson said this week, with promoters being increasingly targeted.

"The government has spent literally millions of dollars on a campaign that associates electronic music with drugs, specifically with club drugs. Having had that campaign, their goal now is to prosecute the people who throw electronic music events," Will told Skrufff's Jonty Adderley. "And they don't seem to be backing down."

Will was speaking on behalf of EM:DEF, the Electronic Music Defence and Education Fund, which was set up 6 months ago to help club owners under threat from the so called crack house laws. 6 months on, authorities are increasingly switching to local bylaws to prevent any parties from happening, said Will.

"It seems like the crack house law in particular is already being used less. Examples (of local bylaws used) might be passing ordinances (local regulations) that make it impossible for a promoter to stage an event that they've already planned, or seeking an injunction against an event under an existing ordinance, even if the ordinance doesn't relate to the event," he continued.

One such party recently ruined by the new police tactics was one scheduled for a club in Harvey, Illinois, which was the last venue anywhere near Chicago to still allow raves.

"The City of Harvey passed an ordinance 12 days before the event, which made the event illegal," Will explained. "Two days before the event, the manager was notified of the ordinance, he went in to apply for a permit and the City said, 'We don't know how to process the application because it's too new.' So they weren't able to have the event in Harvey and had to move it to a place 100 miles away."

"We made it pretty clear in our ordinance that this (party) wasn't going to happen," Harvey police Commander Mike Landini confirmed in an interview with local newspaper the Munster Times. "I don't think they'll want to come down here and try it again. They can go where they like to have these parties, but they are never coming here again."

With many other high profile electronic events being disrupted in the last month from Houston to Los Angeles, the prognosis for America's electronic music industry appears dire. Will suggested clubbers should follow the example of the San Francisco Late Night Coalition, who recently managed to overturn one of the permit regulations intended to prevent parties.

"Becoming politically organized is a good way to help your local community," he advised. "For EM:DEF our big hope remains that people who go to parties will donate $15 to EM:DEF. There's a lot that we can do in terms of challenging what's going on around the country but there's not a lot we can do without financing."


EM:DEF:

The Electronic Music Defence and Education Fund (EM:DEF) is a legal defence fund, providing legal and financial assistance to individuals targeted by the government's growing war on electronic music professionals. Through financial assistance to defendants in New Orleans, EM:DEF helped to successfully ward off the use of the 1986 crack house law brought against venue managers and a promoter in New Orleans.

http://www.emdef.org (Donations and updates on the War on Clubs here)

http://www.wtp2001.com (EM:DEF Dance Festival,Southern California-October 20th )

http://www.thetimesonline.com (Munster Times, US)

http://www.sflnc.com (the San Francisco Late Night Coalition)
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