Dennis RomeroThe city of L.A. is considering a ban on raves at the downtown Convention Center, which it runs.
Interesting, because the Convention Center doesn't host raves. And it could come under the control of Anschutz Entertainment Group, the LA Live-owning company that wants to use part of the property to build an NFL stadium.
AEG and its concert subsidiary Golden Voice (of Coachella fame) aren't exactly known for throwing all-night dance parties either. So what's the point?
We're not really sure. Headlines maybe. (Yeah, we got suckered).
Actually, a rave-like concert (featuring trance DJ Tiesto) was scheduled there last Halloween weekend until the Convention Center pulled the plug, ostensibly because the same promoter, Insomniac Events, was in hot water for its problem-plagued Electric Daisy Carnival rave at the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum.
The promoter is now suing the Convention Center and the city.
That two-day June party set off a shitstorm of bad press for raves after more than 200 medical emergencies were reported, young people were injured in a crush of inside-the-park gatecrashing, and a 15-year-old girl later died from an ecstasy overdose.
EDC scenery.; Credit: Caesar Sebastian
The proposal (PDF) by Councilwoman Janice Hahn, which was forwarded to this week to the City Attorney and other officials for vetting (PDF), cites the problems at EDC (and gets the crowd numbers wrong, which the LAPD estimates at about 160,000, not 185,000):
… During the two-day event in 2010, about 120 people were taken to the hospital, mostly for drug intoxication. An independent review found that several people were injured when a crowd overwhelmed security officers and stampeded the field, scaling two fences.
The City cannot afford to sacrifice public safety and the lives of its residents simply for the purpose of increased revenues.
I THEREFORE MOVE that the Convention Center, with the assistance of the Police
Department and the Fire Department be directed to report with recommendations for banning raves at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The motion was seconded by Councilman Tom LaBonge. At a luncheon this week Hahn explained her feelings about all-night raving (via the Downtown News):
I know there's a First Amendment issue there and I know we can't ban certain kinds of music, but I think we need a policy and we need a checklist before we book anything at our Convention Center, and we need to find out how many resources that is going to cost.
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