Pubdate: Tue, 21 Feb 2012
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2012 The Edmonton Journal
Contact: 
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html
Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Lewis Kelly
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raves.htm (Raves)

RAVES BACK ON, UNDER EXTRA SCRUTINY

Larger Security Presence Keeps Eye Out for Drugs

Two men dressed as giant bananas and more than 5,000 other electronic 
music enthusiasts attended Frequency on Sunday night, an all-night 
dance event organized by Boodang Music Canada.

The marathon party at the Shaw Conference Centre, which ended at 6 
a.m. Monday, served as the first test of city council's recent demand 
that Edmonton's rave organizers take steps to curb alcohol and drug 
abuse at events.

"We try our best to prevent any drugs from coming in," said Viet 
Nguyen, operating partner with Boodang. But he acknowledged keeping 
illegal drugs completely out of events like Frequency may not be possible.

"Honestly, it's a lot of stress for me," Nguyen said. "Pretty much 
everything possible we could do, we have done. At this point, it's in 
the hands of the people who come to the shows. If someone wants to do 
something, they're going to try their best to do it."

Police and Shaw security workers searched attendees as they entered 
and monitored patrons once inside. Those managing three "security 
towers" on the dance floors watched for overdoses and exchanges of contraband.

Early Monday morning, Sgt. Nicole Chapdelaine, who was in charge of 
emergency services for the dance, knew of no accidents requiring 
medical attention, though several arrests had been made.

Chapdelaine, co-ordinator of the police public safety compliance 
team, agreed with Nguyen that an increased security presence appeared 
to deter some unsafe activities.

"It's larger," she said of the security forces at the show. "We won't 
give numbers (of officers and security guards), but it's larger. If 
someone's acting up, we have the numbers here to deal with people 
effectively and send a strong message."

The party went on amid concerns over ecstasy "tainted" with PMMA, a 
drug which acts much slower than ecstasy, potentially inciting a 
fatal overdose in users who keep popping pills before feeling the 
late effects. Police have linked at least 12 recent deaths in B.C., 
Calgary and Red Deer to the PMMA ecstasy.

Chapdelaine said the contents of any illegal drug are uncertain.

"That's a risk everyone takes when they decide to use any kind of 
drugs, not just ecstasy," she said. "You don't really know exactly 
what you're getting. It's better to not even chance it.

The events can also present other safety risks. Karen Smith, 
executive director of the Edmonton's Sexual Assault Centre, said the 
organization receives 30 or 40 calls about sexual assaults on 
weekends with major electronic dance affairs, compared with 
approximately 15 on weekends with no raves. Smith said Boodang 
solicited posters and brochures from her organization to use at Sunday's party.

"I think it's a really positive step for them; we've never been asked 
to do that before," Smith said. "I'm very hopeful that young men will 
get the message that sexually assaulting a young woman is not only 
wrong morally, it is illegal."

Boodang displayed the materials in the venue lobby, along with free 
water for partiers and other pamphlets on the dangers of drug use. 
Three" registered nurses staffed the "harm reduction booth," Nguyen said.

Late last year, city council inadvertently passed a bylaw prohibiting 
alcohol sales at all-night dance parties. In January, it voted to 
remove the rule, but Mayor Stephen Mandel cautioned event organizers 
to take steps to improve safety at their events or face future regulation.

Chapdelaine expressed hope that the rave community will organize 
itself and stamp out unsafe activities.

"I hate to see any type of entertainment not be able to go on. We 
want to have places people can go. We're just really starting to 
understand these, as a city. But at some point it's no longer OK for 
us just to sit back and hope no one else gets seriously injured or killed."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom