ACLU Challenge California Anti-Rave Bill

Civil liberties campaigners the ACLU are calling on people to take action and protest against anti-rave laws coming into force in California by writing to US lawmakers.

"Why do our lawmakers find youth culture so frightening that they're trying to suspend the Constitution in order to shut it down-" The ACLU ask.

"That's exactly what AB 1941 does: it picks out one type of speech event, a rave, and makes it harder to hold one than to hold another similar event, such as a wedding party, a folk music festival, or a religious concert."

The offending bill (AB1941) will only apply to promoters of "electronic music dance events" with more than "500 patrons" and will force them to apply for permits which will require them to prove they're "sufficiently knowledgeable about illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia."

"It is not the government's job to judge what kind of music people should listen to, what kind of clothes and accessories they should wear, or what kind of dance party they can attend," the ACLU claim.

"Please tell your legislators that singling out youth culture won't solve social problems such as drug abuse and drug addiction. Oppose AB 1941. California doesn't belong in the business of picking people's cultural styles for them."

http://ga1.org/campaign/rave_rights (Write to your local [US] legislator)

http://www.emdef.org/laws_and_cases.html
Tags