Congress passed the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act, more commonly known as the R.A.V.E. Act (Reducing America’s Vulnerability to Ecstasy) on April 10. Sponsored by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), the provision allows the federal government to crack down on business owners and promoters who “knowingly and intentionally” harbor illicit drug users. Problems arose with the act when lawmakers allowed penalties to be issued to club owners who had medical staff on call, as it allegedly hinted they “intentionally” harbored drug users. The Drug Enforcement Agency now holds the authority to immobilize venue owners with fines up to $500,000 or 20 years in prison.
The response? All corners of the music community, various interest groups and civil libertarians swiftly joined hands. The D.C.-based National Dance and Music Rights Alliance – known as ROAR – stands at the forefront of this movement. Sept. 6 marked the second protest, empowering music lovers to fight for their rights.
Set in the backdrop of Senate Park, the U.S. Capitol loomed over a modest stage to serve as a throbbing reminder of the event’s purpose. A barrage of homemade signs and T-shirts littered the grounds, declaring that “Music is free speech” and “Dancing is not a crime unless you live in Amerikkka,” imploring ravers to “Keep it sober, keep it clean, save our scene.”
The renowned leading lady of D.C.’s House music scene, DJ Apple Rochez kicked off the noontime festival. Single dancers and teams of two stomped the earth, appearing consumed by every beat. The UFOs dragged heavily, candy showed bright and the mantra hung on, “It’s not our revolution if we can’t dance.”
Within minutes of perusing the grounds, the event’s mission and goal was made apparent. While enjoying the grooves of up and coming DJs, people collected fliers about on-site interest groups. A Drug Policy Alliance brief outlined the R.A.V.E. Act’s detriment to the music industry along with harsher pending legislation. The overall vagueness is a key objection to the R.A.V.E. Act, which lends enforcement of the law to a broad interpretation by officials.
The Electronic Dance Community feels it has been made an arbitrary target. The bill further quells the political climate of any music culture by enabling the government to curb free speech and assembly rights at particular events. Perhaps the most shocking handouts were slapdash copies of recently released New York Times and Washington Post articles that retract well-publicized allegations about the health risks of ecstasy. After garnering significant press, last year’s Johns Hopkins University study that linked a single night’s dose of ecstasy to Parkinson’s disease and permanent brain damage admits to be a huge error. Researchers now claim the test monkeys were actually injected with a lethal dose of amphetamine because of a mislabeled vials in the laboratory.
Despite the weight of these issues, music lovers were still able to cut loose. Five o’clock turned the stage over to political and music industry leaders. Speakers riled the crowd with a delicate balance between wisdom and fire, instructing attendees to “know and use your rights,” “be active, be responsible” and “nurture your scene.”
Particularly inspiring were closing remarks from veteran “innovator of house music” Jesse Saunders.”
After admonishing the drug culture, Saunders described what he felt were the foundations of the scene, the reasons behind its rapid popularity, and the challenges now faced saying, “Things are getting shut down, promoters are afraid to promote events, where are we going to go to dance? We gonna start doing house parties again? Hey, as far as I’m concerned, that’s where I started, and if that’s what it takes, then we’re going to build it again from the ground up…we’re going to uplift it, and we’re going to do it the right way, the right way. That’s all it takes: Be responsible, and let the music speak for itself.
Attendees offered a range of reasons for whey they attended the rally, some affirming unconditional sacrifice for the scene.
“Otherwise, I’d be at another event like everything else” said a raver who wished to remain anonymous. “Go out, roll and just run home as soon as I came down.”
After a long day, my head was spinning from an influx of dance, music, drug and youth culture. I wanted to believe that these devoted members of a cultural scene would not be subjected this unfair legislation, but in truth, I know that sometimes legislation can be bulldozed and voices can be silenced. Sprawling out on a bench just prior to my departure, I was approached by a four or five-year-old girl who was dancing up a storm. Very upset, she begged me to help her find another glow stick. She explained it was necessary to have one glow stick in each hand in order to “feel the beat.”
