Posted on 08/22/2005 10:45:56 AM PDT by ActionNewsBill
Quote: First hand account from Knick of Evol Intent...
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 fudge 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 Frigging TEAR GAS is launched into the crowd.
People are running and screaming at this point. Girls are crying, guys are cussing... bad scene.
yep. That is wise. Could be someone didn't know about some permit the locals required, and did all the rest. Wouldn't be the first time something like that happened. Could be the local law enforcement didn't know they had the right permits due to a snafu. Could be someone withheld the paper work so something like this would happen. Could be someone withheld information to the organizers about getting a necessary permit so this would happen.
Personally, I wouldn't be surprised by any of the above.
Local TV report:
(KSL News) -- In Utah County police raided what they're calling a 'Rave' party in Spanish Fork last night.
Police say 250 people were at the party during the raid and that several thousand more had bought tickets. During the raid police seized weapons and drugs, including marijuana, ecstasy, psychadelic mushrooms, cocaine and alcohol.
Officers received a tip the party was to take place last night In the Diamond Fork area of Spanish Fork canyon. Surveillance video shows the party was to take place on both public and private land.
James Tracey, Utah County Sheriff: "There were multiple felony arrests in this event. Also, the land owners were charged with operating an illegal activity without a permit."
Police also confiscated counterfeit currency at the event and encountered a 17-year old who had overdosed on ecstasy.
Story from local Fox affiliate:
Utah County Sheriff's Deputies break up a rave in Spanish Fork Canyon, with some saying they used excessive force. Deputies say the organizers didn't have a permit to have a gathering of more than 250 people. They called in state and local SWAT teams to help control the crowd. Deputies say they found drugs, weapons, and conterfeit money. More than 60 people were arrested. Several party goers say the organizers did have security and medical personnel at the rave. The Sheriff's Office confirmed the event organizers had arranged for EMT's to be on hand. Several party-goers also say they think the Sheriff's office and SWAT teams used excessive force, with a few reporting guns being shoved in their faces. The event organizers and land owners are being charged in the incident.
Story from the Provo 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."
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A8.
You could do the same thing at every NFL tailgate and make the same number of arrests. These Ravers just aren't connected enough.
Sounds like they stumbled into the local High School....
I doubt it. This has the classic symptoms of an illegal Rave party. Luckily, the promoters make it easy to find them. In the old days, the cops never would have found it although it wouldn't have 1200 people there either.
According to the local reports, the owners of the property had done this before, and gotten away with it. Could be they didn't apply for permits they knew they wouldn't get...once you get out of Salt Lake, viewpoints change.
You don't apply for permits because the cops will come. The whole point of a rave is that it is a) hidden and b) fairly spontaneous. You have to prevent the cops from coming because you don't card people and you allow drug use.
Of course! Otherwise, it wouldn't be a rave.
But Spanish Fork isn't downtown Salt Lake, either...Less tolerant of that type of thing.
Although there was a brief comment by an organizer that they had all their permits, none of the local coverage seems to imply that there is proof of this.
But they had emt units on standby...
Who are you gonna believe: The authorities and the newspaper or Knick of Evol Intent?
Hard to say. "Knick of Evol Intent" looks sorta like English, but not quite. In any case, I don't know what it means, so I think I'm going to have to wait for a more reliable source to disagree with the press and the police.
Sickening. Hopefully the JBT's names will somehow make it to the internet.
Well, they could probably raid any shopping mall in America at noon on Saturday and find all of those things. ;)
"They likely were holding drugs, and I would bet the najority of the attendees were on drugs. Raves are cesspools."
And Rave sponsors are the gate keepers of hell. They don't care what happens or to whom as long as they sell loads of tickets and junk trinkets to the herded. I've never heard of a Rave without street drugs. Nuff said.
Care to enlighten me as to what was illegal about an undercover stakeout that witnessed illegal behavior at an illegal event and was then promptly shut down?
How do you know the event was illegal? Oh yeah, the police said so, and they never lie.
I doubt it. This has the classic symptoms of an illegal Rave party. Luckily, the promoters make it easy to find them. In the old days, the cops never would have found it although it wouldn't have 1200 people there either.
"AAAhhhhm inooosent, Ahhhh din't do it"
Me too...but I am not holding my breath yet while I wait...
Even the local paper most likely to be in the face of the local governments isn't at this point:
About 60 people were arrested Saturday night when police officers busted an illegal rave in Spanish Fork Canyon.
Those arrested were cited on a variety of charges including the possession of illegal narcotics, weapons violations, DUI, illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor, disorderly conduct, assaulting a police officer and drug distribution.
The youngest of those cited was 15 years old, said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Dan Gilbert.
Police in Utah County have monitored several raves this summer and have grown increasingly concerned about their legality and safety, Gilbert said. When detectives got word that another party was planned for Saturday, they set to work to make sure they got their point across that such activity was not welcome in their area.
"The Sheriff's Office will investigate and look into and find an illegal mass gathering going on, we will take the appropriate action to stop the party at that time," Gilbert said.
Investigators learned that no permit had been requested for a mass gathering which requires a bond and Utah County Commission approval for groups larger than 250, said Gilbert. Police learned around noon Saturday that the rave would be held in the Diamond Fork area of Spanish Fork Canyon and assembled about 90 officers from several agencies to enforce crowd control.
Undercover officers filtered into the party when the doors opened about 9 p.m. By 11:30 p.m. police confirmed that more than 250 people were in attendance and stormed the party. During their two hours at the DJ-driven dance party, undercover officers had observed a multitude of illegal activities including the sale and consumption of drugs such as cocaine, ecstacy, alcohol, methamphetamine and marijuana.
"The sale of drugs at these parties is so prevalent that at this particular rave party, drugs were offered to local off-duty emergency medical service personnel
who were contracted to be there," Gilbert said.
A 17-year-old West Jordan girl overdosed on ecstasy, police said. Most of the participants were between 15 and 30 years old and were from Spanish Fork, Springville, Provo, Payson, as well as Davis and Salt Lake counties, Gilbert said. Two security guards hired by the promotor were arrested for the possession of cocaine and ecstasy and Spanish Fork police made two DUI arrests as partyers drove out of the canyon, he said.
Most of the 400 or so ravers left peacefully.
But others were detained if they had been seen doing something illegal or showed visible signs of impairment, said Gilbert.
In a sweep of the area after the crowd had been controlled, which one raver said was executed with unnecessary force, police found a plethora of drugs and drug paraphernalia scattered on the ground, Gilbert said.
Brett George told Fox News 13 that officers stormed the party and treated attendees unfairly, including beating one man that was trying to film the bust with a video camera.
Police want parents of teenagers to know the dangers of illegal, clandestine rave parties. Gilbert said that in addition to heavy drug use, raves attract sexual assaults, violence, theft and promote unsafe driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
mwestley@sltrib.com
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