1. Federal Government launches anti-rave offensive. Crackdown coming soon to your city.

DanceSafe needs your help! In New Orleans this week, a well-known rave promoter, James "Donnie" Estopinal, 32, of New Orleans club owner Robert J. Brunet, 37, of Metairie, and his brother Brian Brunet, 33, of Tampa, Fla. will turn themselves in to a federal court after having been indicted under a 1986 federal "anti-crack house" law. The indictments represent the beginning of what federal authorities have indicated will be a nationwide effort to shut down the rave scene in an effort to reduce drug use among young people. By equating raves with crackhouses, the government is asserting that drug use is the primary purpose for holding the events, and, in fact, is the central focus of the rave culture itself. If they are successful, it will be de facto illegal to hold or promote an electronic music event anywhere in America.

The defendants, who are not accused of any direct involvement with illicit drugs, are nevertheless facing 20 years in prison and $500,000 fines SIMPLY FOR THROWING RAVES.

The case has received widespread media coverage since the indictments were announced last week, as, for the first time in a generation, government forces have essentially declared war on an entire youth culture. The outcome of this case carries serious implications, not only for the rave community, but for young people everywhere. Eddie Jordan, the federal prosecutor who brought the case, told ABC News that he has already heard from US Attorneys around the country who are hoping to use this same strategy to arrest rave promoters in their own districts.

You can read the local New Orleans coverage of the case at www.mapinc.org.

As shocking as they seem, however, the arrests in New Orleans do not come as a complete surprise. Nearly one year ago, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) launched an intensive anti-rave media campaign, which has resulted in enormous coverage of raves and ecstasy by the national media. Six months ago, the DEA held a conference on "raves and club drugs" in Washington DC, during which numerous speakers claimed that raves were "nothing more than crack houses." The seeds for this crackdown, then, have been sown for some time.

You can read a report on the DEA Ecstasy Conference at www.cognitiveliberty.org.

The final justification, it seems, for this offensive came less than one month ago when the results of the latest National Household Survey on Drug Abuse showed that ecstasy use among young people had skyrocketed. Availability of the drug was also shown to have risen sharply. Thus, armed with enough statistics and rhetoric to frighten American parents, and enough media hype to push politicians to feed their budgets, the federal drug war bureaucracy swung into action.

But the chosen strategy - trying to equate raves with crackhouses - presents significant hurdles for the DEA. According to the 1986 law against crack house operators, a "crack house" is a place "created or maintained for the purpose of" conducting illegal drug activity. This may be difficult for federal prosecutors to show in any case. In New Orleans, it seems that the promoter and club in question took standard measures to prevent drug use from occurring. All patrons were searched upon entering, and those found with illegal drugs inside the club, or even suspected of having illegal drugs on them, were either ejected or arrested by the club's security. These are standard practices within the music industry, and hardly the actions of someone whose purpose was to provide a venue for people to use illegal drugs.

In singling out the electronic music events from other music events where drug use takes place, this indictment constitutes a serious violation of the First Amendment rights of a community's free expression and right to assemble. Music is a constitutionally protected form of free speech, and banning or"cracking down" upon the gatherings of one form of music culture is something that can and must be opposed.

Banning raves is unlikely to prevent youth drug use, but such a move IS likely to increase the risks of the use that does occur. In Florida, for example, six young people died last Spring when a batch of fake ecstasy tablets containing PMA passed through the state. None of these individuals who died purchased their pills at raves. In fact, the deaths occurred in the wake of "Operation Heat Rave," a concerted effort by Florida law enforcement and the state's drug czar's office to close down the rave scene there.

Perhaps if the rave scene had been allowed to continue, and the State of Florida worked with the industry to implement safe settings protocols and harm reduction measures, one or more of these young people who died would have come across a DanceSafe booth and learned to identify and avoid the deadly PMA Mitsubishi tablets going around.

Banning raves will not stop drug use, nor will it prevent deaths from misuse and abuse, but it will make it much harder for public health organizations who do outreach to drug users to get potentially life-saving information into the hands of those who need it. Check the DanceSafe website very soon for more information.

DanceSafe, in conjunction with the American Civil Liberties Union and a number of promoters around the country, have been working intensely during the last week to put together a plan of action, which we will be launching shortly.

What can you do to help?

Sign up to DanceSafe's email list (if you haven't already).

Forward this story to friends and tell them to sign up. We will need to have as many people as possible informed and ready to act if we are to effectively combat this strategy of oppression.

Donate to DanceSafe, either by credit card on our secure site or by sending a check to DanceSafe at: 1714 Franklin Street #100-333 Oakland, CA 94712 (NOTE: This is NOT the address for the lab. DO NOT send pills to this address) It will cost money to create and implement a legal, political and PR strategy to fight back, and even small donations will help. Note that small donations are used for our lobbying efforts and are not tax deductible. If you'd like to make a tax deductible donation, please contact us at donations@dancesafe.org.

Follow this story and the emerging efforts to fight back via DanceSafe E-News and on our site. Stay informed! Get involved! Stand up for your community and your culture!

2. New Pill Results Are In

DanceSafe's laboratory pill testing program results are in for the first half of January, 2001. The pills tested include 18 samples from 11 states. View Results. To send in a pill for evaluation, please follow the instructions here.

3. Central Florida's DanceSafe Chapter, Future Tribe Project Thrives Under Pressure

By David Curiel, FTP

In the winter of 1998, a group of raver activists banded together in an effort to promote the positive aspects of the rave culture. We became the Future Tribe Project (FTP). FTP was created in hopes of uniting the Florida ravers through community service, promoting health and safety, and involving ravers in the electoral process.

One of FTP's first activities was to collect toys for a toy drive organized by the Hollywood, Florida Police Department. Our donation of over 100 toys had a big impact and was covered in a local newspaper, and gave us a chance to show the general public that we ravers actually cared about the larger community. Since then, FTP has been involved in numerous community volunteer programs like Habitat for Humanity and Adopt-a-Highway, as well as helping in retirement homes for the elderly. Our volunteerism is motivated by a desire to live our daily lives by the universal timeless ethical values of PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity and Respect) embraced by the rave community.

During the early days of FTP it became clear that our work would have political implications. Many anti-rave laws had been passed in Florida that jeopardized our basic constitutional rights. Because of the war on drugs, racial profiling and illegal searches are commonplace police practices in our state as in so many others.

In the summer of 1999, Florida law enforcement launched Operation Heat Rave. Clubs were raided all over the state. From the 1,300 people arrested, only around 30 were actually charged, but the effect was disastrous for the community. In response, FTP organized voter registration booths and made efforts to educate our community about candidates that were sympathetic to our cause in hopes of motivating more ravers to hit the polls.

That same summer, an Anti-Rave Task Force was created in Florida that shut down many raves and venues. The amount of emergency 911 calls from clubs and raves as well as the "rave- related" deaths reached alarming numbers. It then became evident that one of the things we needed to focus on was educating our peers about their responsibility to themselves when using mind-altering substances. As members of a community, everything we do affects and reflects on others.

FTP soon learned that many of the overdoses were caused by a lack of information about drugs and the safety issues surrounding the late night dance culture. It was obvious that people weren't going to respond to "Just Say No," and we didn't want to pass judgment on anyone, but we knew that we had to take some action to minimize the number of people getting hurt. We wanted to present our peers with unbiased information and promote moderation and self- awareness. We began to pass out flyers at parties, and becoming a part of DanceSafe was the logical next step to take. DanceSafe provides us with leadership, structure, and the accurate, non-biased information we need.

Due to the regressive attitude towards drug use in Florida, pill testing is absolutely out of the question. Because we cannot provide this service, our work is focused on raising awareness through peer education. Because raves have been systematically all but eliminated in Florida, we've been forced to find other ways to provide harm reduction information and connect with our community. We have put together free daytime park gatherings which provide a laid-back atmosphere where we can interact with people one on one. We feel a sense of responsibility as "old-schoolers" to be there for our peers. As individuals, we at FTP feel that the rave culture has contributed greatly to our lives. We will continue to do our best to make our scene a healthier, safer one. Ultimately, we hope to do our part in raising collective awareness and harmony, promoting the spiritual advancement of rave culture. FTP is on the web at http://www.ftpcfl.cjb.net You can find other contact information for them and other DanceSafe chapters at http://www.dancesafe.org/findachapter.html

4. Say What? Tips on Hearing Protection

By Sylvia Thyssen, DanceSafe Natl. Office

The dangers of drugs are well-publicized, and more and more people are aware of the risks of dehydration and heatstroke. But one of the greatest dangers of rave and danceclub culture is prolonged exposure to loud music. Taking responsibility for protecting yourself today will help reduce the risk of hearing damage and loss later in your life.

Promoters and club owners also have a responsibility for helping to make their venues safer for patrons. Although sound levels are monitored by police for their potential as a public nuisance, monitoring sound levels inside establishments for the protection of the patrons' hearing is not a priority for public health departments. Following the simple recommendations below will make a big difference for your hearing health!

AVOID dancing next to the speakers. Having a distance of at least 10 feet between you and a speaker is extremely important. As your distance from the speaker decreases, risk of damage increases exponentially.

LESS exposure to loud music is better. Taking breaks of 30 minutes or more in a room where sound levels are less than 90 Dcb is extremely useful in lowering the risk of hearing loss.

EXHAUSTION and high ambient temperature increase the risk of hearing loss. Taking breaks from dancing and drinking adequate water helps protect your ears from metabolic exhaustion that can lead to damage. ASK your doctor about your prescription medications and whether they make your ears more sensitive. Certain medications can increase the chance of damage from exposure to loud music.

CHECK your family history. Hereditary risk can play a role in the chances of developing hearing loss.

OVERALL physical health affects your risk of hearing loss. Decreased blood flow to your muscles leaves you more at risk. Exercising regularly improves your resilience.

SHORT term hearing loss -- like what you experience for a few hours after you get out of an event -- is a risk factor for long-term hearing loss. No one can stress this one enough: wear earplugs -- wear earplugs -- wear earplugs -- wear earplugs -- WEAR EARPLUGS!

Recommended devices for protecting your hearing:

CUSTOM EARPLUGS (around $150) offer the best protection. They are made from a imprint of your ear canal, which makes them very comfortable to wear. They also decrease all frequencies equally, so the music won't be distorted. See www.hearnet.com for information about these earplugs.
ER EARPLUGS (around $20) reduce decibel levels the same across the frequency levels. Users say they aren't as comfortable as custom plugs, but they are still extremely useful (as well as more affordable).
INDUSTRIAL FOAM EARPLUGS (cheap) decrease high frequency sounds, making speech and music sound muffled. They are less comfortable and they distort sound to an extent; however, they are very useful and should be used when other options aren't available. They are the most commonly available type of earplug, and many DanceSafe chapters hand them out for free!
COTTON AND TOILET PAPER are of no use in the protection of your hearing.

For Promoters and DJs:

PROVIDING chill out rooms with quieter music is really important. Chill out rooms allow patrons to take breaks which are an essential way to help prevent hearing loss.
INCLUDING a physical barrier between patrons and speakers at 10-20 feet and/or lifting speakers off the ground helps protect patrons from exposure to especially dangerous levels of sound.
LIFTING speakers off the ground. When you put speakers on the ground, you lose 8 decibels of the low frequency sound. DJs often adjust their sound levels to compensate for this loss. Lifting speakers helps in two ways: it prevents patrons from getting too close to speakers, and it prevents this distortion that causes DJs to increase sound levels unnecessarily.
DJs should keep down midrange frequencies. This helps lower risks of hearing loss, as well as allowing patrons to hear each other talk so they don't have to shout (which increases noise in the club, which causes the DJ to turn the sound up, etc.).

For more information about protecting your hearing, check out the excellent resources at www.hearnet.com. These suggestions were adapted from a presentation given by Phil Coffin at the Harm Reduction Conference, Miami, October 2000.

5. Movie Review: Traffic

By J.T. for DanceSafe E-News

Steven Soderbergh's new movie Traffic is, above all else, an indictment of the U.S. Government's failed war on drugs. Because recent events in New Orleans suggest that raves and nightclubs are about to become the latest front in that war, anyone concerned for the welfare of their scene should consider "Traffic" an obligatory homework lesson.

While Soderbergh never comes out directly and tells his audience that the drug war must end, there are moments in the film which capture the essence of the policy's absurdity as well as anything that could be shouted from rooftops or written on subway walls. At one point, the 16 year-old blonde daughter of the nation's new "drug czar" (Michael Douglas) looks out over the faces of the adults in her 12-step meeting and says, matter-of-factly: "I don't know if I'm an alcoholic. I don't really like to drink. For someone my age, its easier to get drugs than alcohol." Her words are borne out by surveys in which high school age youth say marijuana is far more available to them than alcohol.

There can be no doubt that Traffic is a stinging indictment of our current policies, and of the bureaucrats charged with enforcing them. At one point, Douglas' character asks his adivisers for "new ideas" to combat the drug problem. The silence that follows says more about the drug war than all the canned speeches Barry McCaffrey ever delivered. But the film, like most mass media, can only look backwards.

Traffic's three interlocking stories deal primarily with prohibition's inability to control the heroin and cocaine markets. Ironically, the film's release comes just days after the government's latest teen survey showing that while use of these substances has levelled off or dropped, the use of newer, chemically-based substances such as ecstasy is climbing fast. (Don't let anyone tell you that the government isn't riding the crest of the wave.)

The new drug war, against the newest demon drug, was officially launched this week when President elect Bush noted the rise in ecstasy use and called the issue a top priority for his administration. Of course, there is nothing that indicates that the government's enforcement efforts will be any more effective than the ones that have already made the U.S. the world's leading incarcerator of its own citizens. With more than 2 million behind bars, about 25% of those for non-violent drug offenses, cocaine and heroin are cheaper, more pure and more easily available than ever in cities and towns across America. Like the none too fictional advisors in the film, don't expect anyone in the Bush administration to have any new ideas about how to deal with this issue.

But Traffic is more than a social statement, it is also a terrific movie. Sonderberg's use of lighting and filters, of hand-held cameras and extended takes make the movie aesthetically interesting. His characters -- in a movie packed with characters -- are also impressive, as he resists the urge to create good guys and bad guys. In the end, everyone who populates the world of Traffic is complex and sympathetic in their own way.

There are long stretches of the film, in fact, when one is not certain exactly who is working with whom.

And that's the point, it seems. Everyone is stuck in a cesspool of corruption and unintended consequences. A conversation between a stool pigeon and the agent protecting him makes the point nicely. The con informs the fed that the only reason he was caught was that someone in Mexico was trying to clear the way for a rival cartel. "So you see," he tells the agent, "you're working for drug dealers too."

As the electronic dance community braces for the next phase of America's longest war, a phase in which it is becoming clear that their scene is the primary target, Traffic bades us sit up and take notice. Because prohibition, the film seems to say, is not a rational drug control strategy. And because war -- politically attractive as it may be -- should not be a domestic policy.

6. "State of Ecstasy" Conference Registration

Get it straight from the researchers' mouths! Learn the facts about MDMA, or Ecstasy, at "The State of Ecstasy: The Medicine, Science and Culture of MDMA" conference on February 2, 2001, in San Francisco, CA.

In this one-day conference, experts will convene to discuss clinical and therapeutic uses, scientific research into potential neurotoxicity, and the culture of Ecstasy, including recreational use and raves. The goal of the conference is to formulate pragmatic recommendations for advancing the state of knowledge and health policy about MDMA.

Visit the website for all the information you need to register, plan travel and book hotels near the San Francisco venue. Register now to guarantee yourself a seat at what will prove to be an exciting and valuable conference. Continuing education credits will be available to a number of professions (pending).

The contents of E-News are (c)2001 DanceSafe and Respective Authors unless otherwise noted. Permission is hereby granted to freely reprint & reproduce DanceSafe E-News as long as proper credit is given, including links where appropriate.

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