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The day after being falsely arrested and bogusly charged by the Baltimore Police as a result of their raid on the FATHOM event, my mom brought up an interesting observation:
Well, if you live in Baltimore, or enjoyed coming to Baltimore for electronic music events, here is how to take some action: Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke CONTACT HIS OFFICE! Tell him you're fed up with having to go to D.C. to enjoy the music you love. Acknowledge the police right to arrest people who do illegal things, but that they should not be shutting down legal events for pathetic reasons, and that Baltimore has suffered socially and economically as a result of what the police have done. Tell them you know about what happened to me, Fever, Cloudwatch, whatever, and that you think the police tactics are disgusting and an incredible misuse of taxpayer's money. Most importantly, tell him how you live in Baltimore, maybe thought of moving here, used to come here often, but are now so fed up with what has happened to the music scene you love that you will soon become one of the thousands of people who are leaving Baltimore, or will never visit again. YOU ARE IMPORTANT, YOU'RE MONEY IS IMPORTANT TO THE CITY, TELL THE MAYOR WHAT YOU THINK!!!! If all the hundreds of us on these lists send him an email TODAY, he'll get the message.
You can also call:
Police Commissioner Frazier Baltimore Police Public Affairs Department City Council President Lawrence Bell Tony Harris FOX 45 News Although he is aided by other police personnel, and we have no way of knowing how far up the conspiracy goes (is it within the police only, or does it extend to lawmakers), the main officer who is acting against electronic music events is Detective Donald Galbreath of the Baltimore City Police Narcotics Branch (410.396.2626 if you're really bold and want to voice your opinions directly to him or his Department, His supervisor's name is Major Yeager 410.396.2264) This is the officer who raided the Paradox (home of Fever- now shut down), this is the officer who raided Fathom, this is the officer who got the Mixmaster Morris show at the Science Center cancelled, this is the officer who tried to get the DC Police to join his crusade. In his latest action, Galbreath went to John's Hopkins University and threatened them into cancelling the Ninja Tune show and future Cloudwatch events. The Ninja thing was especially ridiculous considering it was going to be at the Hopkins' Spring Fair, a completely public event! He threatened them with revoking their liquor license if him and his detectives found anyone with or selling drugs, telling them the police were going to do the same type of raid that they did on the boat! However, I would guarantee that he is not acting on his own, he has approval from someone higher up. If you do choose to try and call the police directly to voice your complaints, or even if it is the Mayor, you should realize that the police have a right and an obligation to find and arrest people doing anything illegal, so you shouldn't call any of these people thinking you're going to get anywhere with liberal views on drug use. That is not the issue. The issue is that we need to try to change the action where anytime they see an electronic music performance or event they try to strongarm the venue into cancelling, or mass some unnecessary force of officers poised to raid an event for a handful of people they might arrest. What we need to change is their tactics--- For example: If the police want to really stop narcotics use, they should let the raves go on, infiltrate it with undercovers who blend in, develop leads, and work their way up to the big dealers. They know by now that the "above ground" promoters are not the dealers, and that we take the same steps to curtail drug use as any other concert event, we should demand to be treated with the same degree of professionalism. Mayor Schmoke came to office with a grand vision of how police resources could be used more effectively to combat drug use: By realizing drug use was more of a medical problem so that the police could concentrate more on the criminal drug dealers! What the cops have done with dance events is a complete turnaround of what Baltimore City was supposed to be about. DEMAND THAT SCHMOKE'S IDEAS BE IMPLEMENTED!
That's my piece for now...the rest is up to everyone else out there. I know I've done my part... I've written books to the Mayor about what has happened, I've called and written to the news agencies, to Galbreath's superiors, to the Police Commissioner, etc... But one voice is only one voice, and that's only one vote. Others must speak out!
I hope you do,
Note to the police: Since I know you are reading this, I will affirm again what I said in our meeting last year about your blocking of the Sunrise Festival permit. We invite your cooperation, not your anger. None of the promoters I know are trying to block your fighting of drug proliferation, and most of us have completely offered to help you in your efforts. You tried to get the DC Police to think as you do, but it should be the other way around. We have offered to pay for you to work security for our events, but you refuse because of an antiquated departmental policy. In DC the officers work at the events IN UNIFORM, and do what they have to do, but they don't shut down events. In fact, they welcome them! They know that a thriving city is one where people can enjoy themselves with the music they love. You are not stopping drug use by stopping "rave" events, and I can't believe that you honestly believe you are doing the right thing. What you are doing is taking one more stab at an already dying city. Are you blind to this? Did you see the headlines last week about how many people are leaving Baltimore, that for the first time we are going to be labeled as a city in decline with a deteriorating credit rating? That is no joke, and what you are doing with the electronic music scene is a prime example of why people are leaving Baltimore! This music is what the younger generation wants, and trying to stamp it out of Baltimore is only going to insure that one day you'll be losing your job when the city has even less of a tax base. Many of you have told me that philosophy is not your concern, but I insist that it should be! You exist to protect and coexist with the community around you. You have a tough job, and there are people who hate you just because you wear that uniform, people that are brought up in families where from the time they are born they are taught to hate, fear, and avoid the police. You had no reason to make this community of people hate you, yet you are doing just that! You had no business going to the Science Center and doing what you did, or to John's Hopkins, or the Paradox, or many of the other things you have done against the electronic music scene. You had other options available, options that would have resulted in better arrests for you (as in real drug dealers), and happiness and trust on the part of this community of people. Noone in this group stops going to or enjoying the D.C. events when they see the police taking out drug users and dealers, because we feel deep down what we have been trying to voice to you for years: WE LOVE THE MUSIC, AND THAT IS ALL WE NEED! Would you please get the point already.
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