Utah Party Raided: Civil Rights Violated

[Croosch]

Posted By Knick of Evol Intent on 404Audio:

"Last night, I was booked to play an event about an hour outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. The hype behind this show was huge, they presold 700 tickets and they expected up to 3,000 people total. The promoters did an amazing job with the show.. they even made slipmats with the flyers on them to promote in local shops.

So, we got to the show around 11:15 or so and it was really cool. It was all outdoors, in a valley surrounded by huge mountains. They had an amazing light show flashing on to a mountain behind the site, the sound was booming, the crowd was about 1500 people thick and everything just seemed too good to be true really. Well...

At about 11:30 or so, I was standing behind the stage talking with someone when I noticed a helicopter pulling over one of the mountain tops. I jokingly said "Oh look, here comes big brother" to the person I was with. I wasn't far off.

The helicopter dipped lower and lower and started shining its lights on the crowd. I was kind of in awe and just sat and watched this thing circle us for a minute. As I looked back towards the crowd I saw a guy dressed in camoflauge walking by, toting an assault rifle. At this point, everyone was fully aware of what was going on . A few "troops" rushed the stage and cut the sound off and started yelling that everyone "get the fuck out of here or go to jail". This is where it got really sticky.

No one resisted. That's for sure. They had police dogs raiding the crowd of people and I saw a dog signal out a guy who obviously had some drugs on him. The soldiers attacked the guy (4 of them on 1), and kicked him a few times in the ribs and had their knees in his back and sides. As they were cuffing him, there was about 1000 kids trying to leave in the backdrop, peacefully. Next thing I know, A can of fucking TEAR GAS is launched into the crowd. People are running and screaming at this point. Girls are crying, guys are cussing... bad scene.

Now, this is all I saw with my own eyes, but I heard plenty of other accounts of the night. Now this isnt gossip I heard from some candy raver, these are instances cited straight out of the promoters mouth..

- One of the promoters friends (a very small female) was attacked by one of the police dogs. As she struggled to get away from it, the police tackled her. 3 grown men proceeded to KICK HER IN THE STOMACH.

- The police confiscated 3 video tapes in total. People were trying to document what was happening out there. The police saw one guy filming and ran after him, tackled him and his camera fell, and luckily.. his friend grabbed it and ran and got away. priceless footage. That's not all though. Out of 1,500 people, there's sure to be more footage.

- The police were rounding up the staff of the party and the main promoter went up to them with the permit for the show and said "here, I have the permit." The police then said, "no you don't" and ripped the permit out of his hand. Then, they put an assault rifle to his forehead and said "get the fuck out of here right now."



Now.. let's get the facts straight here.

This event was 100% legal. They had every permit the city told them they needed. They had a 2 MILLION DOLLAR insurance policy for the event. They had liscenced security guards at the gates confiscating any alcohol or drugs found upon entry (yes, they searched every car on the way in). Oh, I suppose I should mention that they arrested all the security guards for possession.

Oh another interesting fact.. the police did not have a warrant. The owner of the land already has a lawsuit against the city for something similar. A few months ago, she rented her land for a party and the police raided that as well. And catch this, the police forced her to LEAVE HER OWN PERSONAL PROPERTY. That's right. They didnt arrest her, but made her leave her own property!!!

Don't get it twisted, this is all going down in probably THE most conservative state in the USA. And this is scary.. a gross violation of our civil liberties. The police wanted this party shut down, so they made it happen. Even though everything about this event was legal. The promoters spent over $ 20,000 on this show and did everything they had to to make it legit, only to have it taken away from them by a group of radical neo-con's with an agenda.

This was one of the scariest things I have ever witnessed in person. I can't even begin to describe how surreal it was. Helicopters, assault rifles, tear gas, camoflauge-wearing soldiers.... why? Was that really necessary?

This needs to be big news across the USofA. At least in our music scene (edm as a whole)... this could happen to any of us at any time. When we're losing the right to gather peacefully, we're also letting the police set a standard of what we can get away with. And I think that's BULLSHIT!

The system fucked up last night... They broke up a party that was 100% legal and they physically hurt a lot of people there at the same time. The promoters already have 6 lawsuits ready to file with their lawyers and the ACLU is already involved.

I'm sure some pictures (and hopefully some video) will surface soon. I'll make sure to post them up here on 404, so you can see the Police State of America at work.

Evil or Very Mad


p.s. - there are more stories of police brutality that i'll post up later. gotta hit the airport soon. can't wait to get the fuck out of this shit hole state
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Video here---> http://homepage.mac.com/apexgrin/FileSharing2.html (original)
http://www.angrymobclan.com/facism.mov (different location)
http://www.unnet.net/crap/facism.mov (different location)

You have to watch the whole video... and keep in mind that this was before the teargas was shot into the crowd.
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My thoughts:

Some of you may believe this issue doesn't involve you... but you're wrong, this just goes to show what direction the US is moving. People were enjoying music, regardless if they were doing drugs or not NOBODY should be mauled, tasered, beaten or having a gun pointed at them. It's a sad world we live in today... A world which allows you to purchase a gun easier than you can throw an electronic music event. I've been involved in the "rave scene" since I was 13 and instances like these have been occuring since 97' but most of the previous raids were all legit raids on illegal events (still doesn't give the right to beat people) this party had all the proper permits, licsensed security guards and a great insurance policy. It's all bullshit... they call it freedom, I call it fascism
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More links and personal experiences with this event can be found here http://www.utrave.org/

[Croosch]

One camera managed to escape... all the other cameras and camcorders were confiscated and their owners arrested. I got a chance to talk to the kid with video camera... he actually tried to run, he was tackled and arrested but his friend managed to escape with the camera.

On one of the victims shown you'll see a spark... that's when he was tasered WHILE he was being beaten by three cops.

This is the US law enforcement agency at it's best.

[Toxic::Joka]

Talk about a Orwellian society..

Btw, Are the authorities entitled to demand someone put their camera down in the USA?

[Supernatural Pie]

Bill of Fucking Rights:

Number 1.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom … of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Number 4.

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Number 8.

"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."




What the fuck...

[KGB]

Just saw the first quicktime movie and I have to say I'm pretty
amazed about the excessive show of force used here.
I hope this footage will stur something up, cause you really don't want
your country turning into a marshal law state.

[core.C o k e]

welcome to the real world guys..
nice isnt it?

[BTs_GhostSniper]

Just out of curiosity, what agency were the police forces with?  Where exactly was this located at (I mean, was it a place where this was a legal activity, are permits needed to do it, etc?)?  Not saying that the people here did anything wrong, but there are usually two sides to every story, and right now we are only hearing one side.

[BTs_FahQ2]

haha, yeah, these weren't cops sent to shut down a party.  These guys are wearing tactical gear suited up for a reason.  Maybe part of a sting? or something further.  No police agency that I know of would go to these lengths to shut down a "social gathering", the costs are way too much.  From the looks of it, they were looking to bust people as part of some drug enforcement, also by what you stated on most of the charges were.

I would have to see some police reports and legal briefs to actually say something wrong was done here.  Shit, I have been to enough parties to know that when the cops come, you don't say shit or do anything wrong or they will take you down and arrest you.  That is a rule of thumb here in LA, and people here get shot on a daily basis, unlike utah.  Besides, Utah man, most places don't even sell liquor let alone have raves where 80% of the people would be on some type of drug.

[Croosch]

You want police reports? how can you even trust the police after they tried to hide all evidence... tackeling everybody with a camera. I haven't trusted our government ever since the rave act was passed in 03'. I attended a couple protests downtown and whatnot... they connect ravers (like myself) to terroists and we are treated as such. We live in a bull shit, single sided world run by the dictators we call our leaders, the same ones we elected (and no, I'm not just talking about George Bush).

The news won't cover the side of the story that kids got beat and bruised.

GS, the promoters did have all of the correct permits, liscenced security guards and everything needed to throw a legal party... the party was thrown on private property... the police DID not have a warrant... the security guards were chekcing every kid who went through the doors including every car. And they were all arrested for possession, because the confiscated drugs were still on them... who else would hold onto the drugs?

And from how I understand it, it was members of the swat team and some police in full riot suits. Though some say it was the national guard or the army, the promoter himself said it wasn't.

It's sad because this is a way of life for hundreds of thousands of kids across the world. They live by Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. These parties are our sanctuary... some mistake us all for being drug addicts but that's not the case, every raver is not connected with drugs... it's no different from a rock concert where underage kids drink or do drugs, but would one of those ever be brought to this level? HELL NO... This is one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed, it only goes to show which direction our country is moving. We declare war on everything, terrorism, education, ravers, etc. now they're declaring war on our freedom.

This isn't a republican/democrat battle either, it was a democrat that started the 'RAVE Act', though that saddens me, it makes me realize that this issue cannot be completely blamed on the republicans but our whole fucked up government.

[cO.libre]

just a little preview of what our government is coming to ..

[Civrock]

Yeah... I'm sure they sent helicopters and SWAT teams just for fun, to ruin some kids' party. That is really fucked up.

[Croosch]

Yeah... I'm sure they sent helicopters and SWAT teams just for fun, to ruin some kids' party. That is really fucked up.

They've been doing this since 97' to Electronic music parties "raves".

You CANNOT tell me that their are some rockers out there that don't do drugs which would lead me to believe that their would be rockers on drugs at a concert...

We're accused of being terrorists for christ sake...

sorry, I may not be making sense right now... I'm extremely pissed off, been up all night emailing fox, cnn, civil liberties rights.... etc. etc. etc.

What's happeneing is bullshit, and if you can't see it I don't know what's wrong with you... NOBODY deserves to be tackled and beaten by 3-5 men in riot sutis, NOBODY. The girl in the red shirt in the video was 100% sober and DID NOT resist. Her friend and the girl who was standing right next to her was with her the whole time couldn't do anything except watch her get kicked in the stomach and hit in the face... all she could do is scream. Fuck that, and the police reopt that they didn't use any excessive force... liars... so basically FUCK the police, FUCK the swat, FUCK our government.

[cottonmouth]

This kinda shits been happening since the sixties yo.  Ravers are not the first people to experience this bullshit. 

[Croosch]

This kinda shits been happening since the sixties yo.  Ravers are not the first people to experience this bullshit. 

You're correct, my dad went through the same thing as a 'hippie'... but the government chooses who they want to harrass at a given time... the 90's and 00's seem to be pointed at the ravers.

As a raver this is only going to make me stronger... this is only going to make our scene stronger... this is only going to make our music stronger. Every raver in the world knows about this by now, I've seen replies from every state in the US, Canada, Italy, England, Australia, Japan and we're all fighting this together, chances of winning are slim. But it's a fight worth fighting.

September 10th I'm starting my protest by going to a party just like the one raided on August 20th... I'm going in a full DEA uniform wearing all my 'kandi gear' beads, glowsticks and whatever else... or what the government refers to as drug parafanelia.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

Are you the guys that suck on baby pacifiers, too?  Just wondering...I've seen kids doing that lately and I have no idea why.

[Civrock]

You're such a rebel, Krush!

[Kangaroo]

If this is the same party you are talking about it seems to paint a different picture.
But then there are always two sides to one story!


   Monday, August 22, 2005 - 12:00 AM   |

Police shut down major rave near Diamond Fork

Michael Rigert DAILY HERALD


Police in Utah County pulled the plug on a major rave party Saturday night in Spanish Fork Canyon as the underground event threatened to get out of control.

The Utah County Sheriff's Office learned Saturday at noon that an area promoter had planned a rave party for later that night at Child's Ranch, a site just inside the Diamond Fork area of Spanish Fork Canyon.

Before that, all police knew was it's date and that it would be located "an hour and 15 minutes southeast of Salt Lake City."

Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Darren Gilbert said from previous experience with several sizable raves in Utah County this summer, a large amount of drug use and underage consumption of alcohol takes place, in addition to the dancing and loud music.

"Reports of sexual assaults, overdoes, firearm violations, vehicle burglaries," also are par for the course, he said.

Saturday's rave kicked off at 9 p.m., and by 10 p.m. undercover detectives with the Utah Major Crimes Task Force had observed "numerous illegal activities" involving drugs and alcohol. They also verified that more than 250 people were at the party in violation of county statutes.

By 11:30 p.m., more than 90 law enforcement officers and SWAT team members from Utah County, Provo, and the Utah Department of Public Safety shut down the party. At least 60 arrests were made for weapons offenses, DUI, illegal underage consumption of alcohol, possessions of marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy. Arrests also were made for resisting arrest, assault on police officer and disorderly conduct.

Gilbert said of those arrests, 21 individuals were booked into the Utah County Jail.

A 17-year-old West Jordan female had overdosed on ecstasy. She was treated by EMS personnel and released to her parents.

Gilbert said a large number of the rave's participants were local teenagers from Spanish Fork, Springville, Provo and Payson. Many also were from the Salt Lake and Davis county areas.

He said rave party drugs were offered to a local off-duty emergency medical service personnel who were contracted to be at the rave. Two security personnel hired by the promoter also were arrested for possession of cocaine and ecstasy.

The Utah County Sheriff's Office said in addition to all the illegal activity at the rave, the promoter failed to obtain a permit, bond and approval of the County Commission. The county's mass gathering ordinance -- created in recent years to control events like rave parties -- prohibits gatherings of 250 more people without county approval.

Gilbert said things could have easily gotten out of hand like they did at a similar rave party in the south county area near Little Mob, which was attended by 3,000 partying teens and young adults.

"There's no doubt in my mind that this one could have been at 2,000 plus (people)," he said. "That's why we hit it so early."

Police said promoters use Web sites and flyers to get word out about their underground parties and sell tickets for $20 a pop. On the day of the scheduled party, ticket buyers log on to the site and get a map and directions.

Gilbert said the promoter of Saturday's rave was in attendance and will be served a long-form summons to appear in court for numerous violations. Detectives interviewed females who attended a prior rave party in the Utah County area in the past month who claimed to have been sexually assaulted.

"These females states that the combination of drugs and alcohol made them fear for their safety due to the groping and sexual assaults that occurred during the rave party," Gilbert said. "In the last year alone one near-fatal shooting was investigated by (the sheriff's office) at a similar party."

 
 

[bronto]

you'd think with all the freedom preaching over here, they'd at least have a little.

[KGB]

So they are still fighting the "WAR on Drugs". I thought they won that one and moved on ? 

[Croosch]

If it was such a peaceful raid as that article claims why were all cameras and video camers seized? if you watch the one video that made it out you'll see that the people who were attacked didn't do shit.

And they also claim that they didn't have all the correct permits... I've talked to the producer himself and every permit they needed, they have. He showed me the permit codes and everything... they have attorneys working on the case as we speak.

teargas and assult rifles for a dance? are you kidding me?