Busting a Rave


Did they break the law or not?
This happened in my backyard, so to speak.

Here's an article from the Salt Lake City Tribune.

Saturday's party, named Versus II, had been tracked by police for several weeks, Gilbert said. Police planned the bust when they discovered that the rave's promoters had not filed for a mass gathering permit through the County Commission office.

To have more than 250 at an event without that permit is a violation of the law, Gilbert said.
 
Party promotor Brandon Fullmer said he purchased a mass gathering permit through the UtahCounty Health Department about three weeks ago. The purchase of that permit, which ensures water, sanitation and medical services, was confirmed by County Health employee Jay Stone.

Fullmer did not know that a similar permit, which requires a security plan and event details, needed to be acquired.

<snip>

Among those arrested for drug possession were several security guards hired by Fullmer to patrol the event. Guards at security check points confiscated alcohol and drugs as ravers filed into the party, Fullmer said.

"[Security guards] have no legal statutory authority to take and hold controlled substances. It's against the law for them to have them," Tracy said.

So it is illegal for the guards to take away illegal substances?

Here's a later one from the Provo Daily Herald.

Had authorities permitted the party to continue, event promoter Brandon Fullmer of Salt Lake City-based Uprock Records said the party was scheduled to conclude at 6:30 a.m. Sunday -- a couple hours short of the limit set for the permit. Privately contracted security personnel as well as the sound technician (from Salt Lake-based Performance Audio) both confirmed they were contracted for that same time period. Fullmer and landowner Trudy Childs have retained a Salt Lake attorney who has filed formal legal requests for copies of all related documents from the health department, county attorney and commissioners.

"I didn't need a permit," Fullmer said. "What they did was wrong. And there will be justice."
Nonsense, countered Utah Sheriff Jim Tracy. Based on 700 presold tickets and organizers' anticipated crowd of thousands, he said authorities quite reasonably expected partygoers to linger to 9 a.m. and beyond.

"People are up all night partying hard and have a camping area," he said. "If you've been up since 9 o'clock the night before, we are assuming you're not going to jump right up and get out of there, and will exceed the 12 hour period."

Think about that for just a second. No law had been broken yet. The sheriff staged a commando raid because he thought there were going to be problems.



— NeoWayland

Posted: Fri - August 26, 2005 at 08:04 AM  Tag


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