rave act in action:-(

[shanti]

http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/articles/2005/06/24/news/news03.txt

Sheriff squares off with festival promoter

By Vanessa Turner
Friday, June 24, 2005 12:26 PM CDT

A perceived crackdown by law enforcement officers at last weekend's Sierra Nevada World Music Festival infuriated concert-goers, signaling what could be the end of the annual event in Calaveras County.

Festival promoter/manager Warren Smith said the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, a three-day event featuring reggae artists from around the world, will most likely not be returning to the Calaveras County fairgrounds next year after Sheriff's deputies went on a "search and destroy" mission this past weekend.

"They did hundreds of illegal searches," Smith said. "They scoured. There was no due process."

Sheriff Dennis Downum opposes the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival being held at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds or in Calaveras County at all, but he insists that's not why his deputies were cracking down on concertgoers last weekend.

"If you're going to run and promote a festival that's built on drug use, you should expect some of your people to get arrested," Downum said.

With six deputies, including one undercover officer taking videotape, the Sheriff's Department arrested 17 people at the three-day festival that ran Friday through Sunday at the fairgrounds.


The filming was "just for our information," Downum said. "If the quality is any good, I'm going to try to put it on public TV. If there's criticism about us being there and working this event, then we can show the people why we were there. I think they would be very happy we were."

Smith said the sheriffs "probably have the right" to go undercover and film. "It's just probably part of their tools. But, they're not encouraging us to grow or stay there.

"The sheriffs knew if they did this that we would leave," he added.

Downum said he has no control over whether the concert leaves but made it clear he'd be happy if it did.



"You're darn right we'd like to see it go away," he said. "We don't see any need for bringing a bunch of people from Marin County up here to smoke dope."

"They were probably smoking marijuana," Smith admitted.

*snip*

[Vickers]

1. "I'd rather lose money than have people smoke a plant!"

:eyes:

[sam sarrha]

2. Petty Tyrants.. if not actual War Lords..I lived near there, the had a cop

who was illiterate and took his 8 year old daughter with him to write tickets ..she just wrote up a bunch for him during the week.
This guy was always on a Rampage.. He was God and delighted in tormenting anyone he thought was a hippie.. he 'tore' up our car looking for drugs at a camp site in Pinecrest, we were "Cook'n" on some Clear Light 'WindowPane'.. and had just smoked all the 60/40 Afghani Primo hash... we were laughing our ass off..my friend was rolling around on the ground histerical..

the Fat Pig got all pissed off and started his belligerent trip on him.. but we had managed:think: to draw a considerable crowd of about 60 people, at the Big campsite, it was a State Park... this gut had been throwing our stuff up in the air and up to 20 feet in a circle around the car.. it was hang in the trees... it looked like a Bomb had gone off.!!! the 2 of us had been on a 2 week camping road trip and we had a lot of shit in the VW Bus.. obviously a Hippie Van to him.. but we had short hair.

so the cop focuses his anger in my friend Stace, still holding his ribs and laughing hysterically between gasping for breath.. my friend stops and stands up and calmly says.. since when is it illegal to Laugh.?? or Having a good time after paying the park for this fine peaceful camping spot.. Where is your warrant to search my property.?? the cop stepped forward like he was going to bust his head.. then he looks up at the crowd pressing in behind us, it was a big crowd.. and then four cars, two Highway Patrol and two ranger cars with 2 people each.. the six cops made a circle around him and asked if he was through for the day.... he left.

then my buddy reaches into the old stump by the back wheel and pulls out the stash and we get back in the Empty Van and smoke some more hash.. and find 2 beers in the debre.. we look out the window and there is shit EVERYWHERE in a big circle around the bus and we start laughing again....

He later stopped the son of a state senator, and his girlfriend who was the daughter of a state Representative late at night below Pinecrest and Sonora on hwy108.. He tried to pull her out of the car and arrest her for prostitution, he was drunk and said he was going to take her in and "Work Her Over".. and kept repeating it.. It was a weekend and the State Highway Patrol was cruising the road to protect people from him.. they stopped and arrested him.. that ended it. that was 1969.

another bad cop in Modesto Rampaged and pistol whipped teenagers, for years till he beat up our friend, with a baton, a pistol and a Leather and lead sap. in front of Mango's Pizza Parlor.. the place emptied as it was being done in front of large windows.. they were all shouting as loud as they could..counting each time in choirs up to 43 blows.. it was a strong arm serious beating.. the cops came and took him away.. no charges or anything was was going to be done.. till they found out the guy they beat up was second in command of the Teamsters Union.. that was 1972

Nothing has changed.

[shanti]

5. oh my

so this is the SAME po po? the thing is that this festival has been peaceful for the past 3 years, and NOW they pull this crap? i was there and it is just the best, most mellow fest. these gestapo tactics were uncalled for.

[frictionlessO]

7. Were you at Big Trees??? I've been looked at pretty hard up there,

even being very friendly only seemed to piss this officer off more.

[bbernardini]

3. Here's the quote that really gets me:

"If you're going to run and promote a festival that's built on drug use, you should expect some of your people to get arrested," Downum said.

Yes, that's right...all music from foreign countries made by brown people is built on drug use, and has no historic or political signifigance whatsoever.

This ignorant asshole needs to go NOW.

[EnfantTerrible]

4. The great Raoul Duke warned us about these swine

Sounds like a chapter out of the search for the American Dream...

[Zhade]

6. Yeah, how dare people smoke a beneficial plant.

The idiocy in this country astounds me.

[wuushew]

8. Thats Joe Biden for you

what a tool