Elonka wrote:

"No citizen should be subjected to criminal charges for a crime he might commit. This is a fundamental principle in our society: One does not take blame for what might happen, only for violations of the law that he actually commits."

Well said.

I've been following this story about police shutting down a rave in Utah, and I have to admit concerns. If it was shut down because police observed actual illegal drug activity, that's one thing, and I'm okay with it. If, on the other hand, it was shut down because, "It was a rave, and there's usually drug activity at a rave, so we shut it down on general principle," then that's an entirely different matter, and I'm completely opposed to it.

Continuing to watch as the details unfold . . .

Elonka

I have concerns as well. Do you remember the RAVE act? Reducing Americans Vulnerability to Ecstasy. The original bill that was defeated, but it snuck into the act that ushered in the AMBER Alert program a few months later.

The original RAVE act can be found here:

http://www.emdef.org/s2633/

Here's what I object to:

...
(a) IN GENERAL- Section 416(a) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 856(a)) is amended--

(1) in paragraph (1), by striking 'open or maintain any place' and inserting 'open, lease, rent, use, or maintain any place, whether permanently or temporarily,'; and

(2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:

'(2) manage or control any place, whether permanently or temporarily, either as an owner, lessee, agent, employee, occupant, or mortgagee, and knowingly and intentionally rent, lease, profit from, or make available for use, with or without compensation, the place for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, storing, distributing, or using a controlled substance.'.

...

You can tell by the verbage of the bill that they are focusing solely on electronic music events. The law can be strictly applied to any public venue really. A football game could be a place where people use a controlled substance.

RE: Can Police Shut Down a Rave for what *Might* be Happening There?