They've got removable seats in the orchestra, & so have flexibility for a variety of different shows at the State Palace: big band shows, Good Morning America did a show from there, rock concerts, etc.

And my favorite use they've made of the theater: they have raves fairly regularly. I've gone down there a couple of times during the raves, & it was a great use & a great evening. (Hell yes, I'm too old to do anything but appreciate how well it's working.) Keeps the plaster bills paid, & makes the theater relevant to another generation of young people at the time of their lives when they go out for dancing & socializing in a large group: there were many big band shows at the Loew's back in the day.

Apparently, the DA in New Orleans has busted the managers & promoters of the raves at the State Palace under the federal "Crack House" law.

There's a page up about it at http://www.saveourmusic.com/

And a news story linked from there http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel043001.shtml

notes that one of the reasons they were busted was the presence of "drug paraphernalia" for sale:

"As proof that rave promoters know as much, U.S. Attorney Eddie Jordan pointed to the presence at raves of "drug paraphernalia," such as bottled water, pacifiers, and glow-sticks. This is legally dubious, since "drug paraphernalia" is a term generally applied to items actually used for the consumption of drugs, like bongs or needles. Jordan's approach is like calling tie-dyed shirts "marijuana paraphernalia."

and

"Jordan claimed that the fact that bottled water sold at the Palace's concession stand was "overpriced" was proof that it was in fact drug paraphernalia."

Concessions being overpriced is proof that they're drug paraphernalia? Call your lawyer now & have him ready to come bail your ass out!

The article points out other large crowd events such as concerts attract lots of drug users - Willie Nelson concerts you bet, but I had to attend a Billy Joel large-venue concert that just reeked of marijuana more than any other I recall.

And so even though the theater had a posted & enforced zero tolerance policy toward on-premises drug use & selling -- violators weren't just ejected, they were turned over to the police -- the DA is trying to shut down the theater just because of the event itself.

It looks very familiar to me: another grandstanding local law guy, DA or sheriff, exploiting the always-rich vein of the generational hostility toward the young people & whatever their strange new loud music is today- public nuisance complaints against Alan Freed's rock & roll shows, jitterbuggy swing band package shows, early discos, music shows with large percentages of black attendees have *always* been PR meat for lawmakers to say "they attract troublemakers, underage drinking, drug & marijuana use, interracial dancing, rowdy & dangerous behavior", etc.

But this time, it's federal charges.

They could attend raves or concerts & arrest drug offenders if they just wanted to enforce drug laws. What's really being shut down here is the music event, the rave. And they're pressing federal charges against the theater's managers to do it.

Watch your ass. It's just amazing.

If glow sticks are drug paraphenilia, does this mean I should throw out that old strobe light stored in the basement or risk federal prosecution? Will I go to jail for DUI for drinking water? I think Mr. Jordan is out of control, in a town that promotes Mardis Gras, public intoxication and nudity, it is even harder to believe.

There is, has been, and will continue to be a drug problem in the U.S., maybe if the Government spent more time securing our borders and less time worried about a few hundred people attending a rave, they may actually get somewhere.

Have you noticed that all the big publicity about raves and the drug culture started in the past year?

I've known about raves for about ten years now, went to my first one in 1996, and recently started going semi-regularly.

But it wasn't until now that the media has realized that teenegers are going to them and that some are doing drugs there. Doesn't it seem odd that the media only cares about teenagers who are involved in this sort of thing and not the adults?

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Actually ecstacy (MDMA) has been around for a LONG time and was legal until 1985.
Before this, marriage counselors used to prescribe it to their patients.
It was also a big part of the rave scene since the very beginning which as far as I know began in some American cities and in Europe in the mid to late 80s.
I first heard about them in Houston in 1992.

Re: US Attorney.... the "people" have no power whatsoever to remove this person no matter how abusive he is. They are appointed by the president, now an ultra-right bushchild.

Everybody, it seems, knows we have been losing the war on drugs for years, except the bureaucrats and bleeding hearts. My view, and that of my doctor friends, is that the SOLUTION is to legalize all the drugs.

But this is unlikely to happen. Too many fatcat bureaucrats, Feds, local police entities etc. etc ad nausueam are making a living out of this futile "war" and out of their own self-interest will keep it going.

Just imagine how the crime rate will drop if the drugs are legalized. Addicts wouldn't need to find vast sums of money to support their habit; therefore the underworld has lobbyists in congress watching to fight down any legalization attempts.

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The war on drugs is a way for the government to go after young people and non-whites. The Village Voice devoted part of its "cover story" package last week to the whole sorry mess.

Horse shit

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The age old cry of the oppressor.

And bottled water, well, I know it sells well in Davis. Does that make everyone in Davis a drug addict? Or could it be because the tap water tastes like it was dredged out of a polluted river?