- This topic has 8 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated October 25, 2006 at 11:37 pm by Raj.
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October 21, 2006 at 10:43 am #1039617
I’ve noticed a massive increase in reports of crime/anti-social behaviour across SE and Eastern England; even taking into account media exaggeration. – “mindless” stuff like vandalism/arson; gang fights and fights with immigrant communities – the sort of thing bored youths get up to…
The latest increase seems to date from around 2002 or so – when the govt clamped down on both dance music events in licensed premises (using the new anti-drugs laws) and drove down on the unlicensed ones…
although there were minor problems with noise and perhaps vandalism at unlicensed events and an amount of drug use, by and large “rave-type discos” (as the authorities like to call them!) had far less trouble….
for one thing at outdoor and squat parties alcohol supplies are limited by logistics (clearly it is not easily possible to bring entire large kegs of alcohol and the often complex equipment needed to dispense them!) – also the distance involved and peer pressure actually somehow forcesthe people present to “get on with one another” to an extent… (at least outside London)
and although this may sound like hippy talk a good rave does actually spread “good karma” throughout the crowd which can often last beyond the comedowns…
I personally think involvement in raves and associated stuff like positive squatting has put me and others I know off getting involved in crime
But nowadays post-clampdown people have been forced back into legit venues where they drink more but also argue and fight more – they still do drugs as well which combined with more alcohol IMO give people more energy and paranoia to argue and fight!
compressing the time available for parties just seems to make people take more – so they seem to have comedowns quicker and there is still the gateway to further class A use midweek or bad behaviour on comedowns (often anger is taken out on close partners/friends/parents)
Often the crimes are still committed in the areas where raves would have happened….
A big “own goal” to conventional society methinks?
October 21, 2006 at 12:34 pm #1092696a huge own goal :hopeless: :hopeless: :hopeless:
I know they dont want another castle morton but they should leave the well organised and safe parties somewhere to happen
if all areas had a policy of allowing a fixed number of well organised parties in the summer there would be 2 benefits:
-everyone would know when they would be disturbed and have a set of earplugs handy :weee:
-they could deal with local crews who were willing to comply with safety instead of getting to deal with the frustrated members of a generation they have little in common with who are desperate to have parties no matter the cost :hopeless:
October 22, 2006 at 12:18 pm #1092689A good idea – although there would need to be some safeguards to stop commercially minded gangster types muscling in … although perhaps just keeping everything low cost and might do this automatically.
I also think that it should be set up in such a way that people do not need to travel more than 25-30 miles to a venue; IMO the main risk to society from raves is more to do with road safety and people driving whilst sleep-deprived or under the influence…
it may seem like too “structured” to some but I think people have had 16 years to try and do these parties “unregulated” and this social experiment is failing; time to salvage the good parts from it…
October 22, 2006 at 11:07 pm #1092692TEN
October 23, 2006 at 1:20 pm #1092690globalloon wrote:TENthis does actually go some way to making things more structured and safer without being overly restrictive but we need the venues in the first place…
At the moment too many people who own or manage suitable locations have been scared off either by the police exaggerating risks or by the activities of less sensible illegal party crews… or locals nimby attitudes
this has to change; otherwise there will be no progress made.
The authorities can close down all the illegal raves but it won’t remove the desire to party.
I fear it this just getting transformed into people gathering in unsuitable places like residential flats and car parks; doing shit loads of drugs anyway and then cranking up the music and still annoying the people close to them…. often linked with showing off cars where people are driving as well as getting caned – not good :blackeye:
Also at every party I have been to there is lots of peer pressure against doing crack, heroin or using needles, and the “gangsta” element of drug culture.
Things can however change when everyone is doing their drugs at home or on the streets…
October 25, 2006 at 4:43 pm #1092694The need to party is ancient and innate in every human being.
Even the “nimbies” like to have some friends round for a glass of wine and a damn good chat!
Where I live they have a “Family” event in the park (next door to my flat) where last year they had a Take That tribute band (TakeII), when the fair comes to town they shut the high street off and tell the traffic to go round, AND they have the loudest carnival I have heard outside of Notting Hill or St Paul’s (Bristol), but they play horriffic cheese instead of dub 🙁
None of these events have any interest for me but I have a lot of respect for my community for going for it and having quite a “fuck you” attitude towards partying.
If only they would let me and the rest of the local raver community do our sort of party… on the highstreet… with as many speakers as we can fit on the street… or at least just let us take over a nearby picknick area for a night.
I guess at the end of the day I just like partying in remote locations where I am not likely to bump into any of the people who attend the local events and it annoys me when they turn me into a criminal for wanting to have a nice time too.
I love the idea of having Designated Rave Areas for us to use, but as The General points out – this leaves the whole scene open to massive abuse. As I have said I like to rave in remote locations with lots of nice people. DRA’s would just turn the whole scene in on itself and we would end up back where we started – trying to escape the 2@’s who drove us out of Clubland in the first place!
A low-key scene that is built up by word-of-mouth is the only way to keep crime down in the rave scene. In a roundabout way the police have done us a favour. You see by driving the scene further and further underground the scene I have experienced recently (which is a bit limited because none of the phone numbers I have work any more!) is a very happy and friendly one indeed with no noticeable gangsters or tossers (PLUR).
There are only one thing that gripes me about the current rave scene:
I seem to miss most of the big raves because I don’t hear about them until they have finished and they are on the news 😥
October 25, 2006 at 5:01 pm #1092691totallycai wrote:There are only one thing that gripes me about the current rave scene:I seem to miss most of the big raves because I don’t hear about them until they have finished and they are on the news 😥
You’ve not missed out TBH – the ones which get on the news are the ones where they have pissed off the locals to the point the Police have been called out to shut them down.
The mainstream media thrive on conflict and crime and wouldn’t take an interest in them otherwise; when did you last hear of a rave which went off without problems being reported in the media?
October 25, 2006 at 5:14 pm #1092695Fair point.
Wasn’t it Bill Hicks who said “Tonight a young man on acid…”
October 25, 2006 at 11:37 pm #1092693totallycai wrote:Fair point.Wasn’t it Bill Hicks who said “Tonight a young man on acid…”
it was the great Bill
comedian? or social commen potato?
A low-key scene that is built up by word-of-mouth is the only way to keep crime down in the rave scene. In a roundabout way the police have done us a favour. You see by driving the scene further and further underground the scene I have experienced recently (which is a bit limited because none of the phone numbers I have work any more!) is a very happy and friendly one indeed with no noticeable gangsters or tossers (PLUR).
sounds like where you are is where you want to be
IMO the few large-scale events cause more harm than good to the future-fun-to-be-had equation, at the moment
i’m not saying we shouldn’t have the right to unite tribes, but until ‘we’ can do it in a way that shows at least basic respect for the wider world, the pressure and fallout from teks is making life harder for all the people who just want to have a good time and know how to
errr. totally highjakked your thread here GL
yes. stopping free parties is causing an environment where there is less peer support, therefore an increases in problematic poly drug use, in towns and cities
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