Everyone from the ACLU to marijuana marchers gathered Aug. 24 at Civic Plaza for the first annual New Mexico Electronic Music Festival to protest a new act being considered by Congress that would ban raves.
The festival, sponsored by the Right to Dance organization, was put together to raise awareness about the upcoming Reducing Americans Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act - or the RAVE Act - to ban the existence of raves, night clubs or any other all-night party where the use of drugs like ecstasy may occur.
The act proposes not only to make these parties - private or otherwise - illegal, but will sentence the promoters of these events to 20 years in prison. This is frightening to people involved with the rave community and people concerned with everyday freedoms and civil liberties.
Protesters gave speeches and handed out free information on the dangers of this bill and other questionable legislation.
The event was free and began at 4 p.m. with soothing trance music. The cool urban setting gave this outdoor rave a groove that conveniently attracted the under-21 crowd who couldn't get into many events at the coinciding Fall Crawl just down the street.
Civic Plaza was transformed into a place inviting to party kids of all ages and backgrounds - from babies who hadn't taken their first steps, to those veteran protesters who can't resist a political gathering.
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The pleasant vibe continued as DJs tag-teamed sets from trance in the daylight to jungle by nightfall. People were dancing, sporting rainbow glo-necklaces and had their faces painted with beautifully crafted designs. They blew up the free condoms like balloons and pelted them among the crowd.
At one point, a momentary break in the peace occurred when a group of boys began shouting at security guards. Everyone stopped and began to watch the disturbance. One of the hosts promptly ran from the crowd onto the stage, cut the music off, and got on the mic shouting for someone to call the police.
The crowd began booing and shouting, driving the alleged troublemakers from the serene festival.
The atmosphere at the festival was different than that of a standard rave. When asked, "who came here to party sober?" the crowed roared in positive response.
The purpose of the festival was to raise awareness about new legislation, but it also succeeded in creating an environment where people could go to have good time without the consumption of drugs, and where party kids and authorities could co-exist.
