--- In cia_tradecraft@yahoogroups.com, stu8340@a... wrote:

_infowars.com_ (mailto:advertise@i...) writes:

Militarized Police Storm Utah Rave, Beat Partygoers
_Progressive U _ (http://www.progressiveu.org/node/639) _| August 23
2005_
(http://www.progressiveu.org/node/639)
WATCH THE VIDEO AT
_http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2005/230805utahrave.htm_
(http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2005/230805utahrave.htm)
About 90 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies broke up
what they
said was a rave party on public and private property in the Diamond
Fork area
of Spanish Fork canyon, an hour outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, at
about
11:30 p.m. Saturday.
According to the county, the sheriff's office had been investigating
similar
parties since the beginning of the season. In a press release from
the
Sheriff's office in Utah County, the department claims that previous
allegations
of sexual abuse while attending other raves, as well as various
firearm and
theft violations, were reason for the investigation. The release
continues to
state that the proper permit was not obtained before the party
started.
Armed with assault rifles and tear gas, the police used dogs to
sweep the
crowd for narcotics. At least one helicopter was used in the
operation. The
scale of the police response was apparently due to the
ineffectiveness of a
smaller force used in the previous "Sequence Five" rave. Prior to
dispersing the
partiers, several police informants had reportedly infiltrated the
rave and
observed widespread illegal activities.

The promoter says the party took place on private property, named
Child's
Ranch, with express permission from the owner. The property owner
has
apparently had at least one previous run-in with police over a
similar event. Utah
County requires a permit, bond and county commission approval for
all gatherings
with more than 250 people present. According to a DJ at the
event, "they
presold 700 tickets and they expected up to 3,000 people total". He
added that
by the time police arrived "the crowd was about 1500 people thick".
The police have publicly stated that these permits were not
obtained, but
the promoters claim otherwise. Officials also claim that the party
had spilled
over onto public land.
Police reported in local press that more than 60 arrests were made
for
weapons offenses, driving under the influence, underage drinking,
drug possession
and distribution, resisting arrest, assault on a police officer and
disorderly conduct. Officers claim to have found cocaine, ecstasy,
marijuana,
mushrooms, alcohol and large amounts of drug paraphernalia. Some of
the drugs may
include those confiscated from partiers by security guards.

Amateur video from the scene shows a number of SWAT police
(estimates are at
90) screaming orders at the DJs to "Shut it down now!" and yelling
at others
to "get out now, or I'll kick your ass in jail". Armed police are
also seen
tackling a number of rave-goers, and it is unclear from the video
footage
whether these attendees attempted to attack the police. Due to the
low
resolution, automatic lighting adjustment, and low audio quality,
the video appears to
have been taken with a cellular phone.
A first hand account from a DJ booked to play at the party stated
that while
police were arresting a man accused of narcotic possession, the
suspect was
beaten to the ground and continually "kicked in the ribs" by 4 armed
"soldiers" dressed in camouflage. According to the account, nobody
resisted the
policemen but tear gas was still used as partiers were already
dispersing quietly.
The DJ also states that police were attempting to confiscate video
equipment, but an amateur video has still surfaced on the internet
(see sources
below).

Several partygoers felt they should have the right to attend a rave
where
drugs are being used, so long as they don't personally use them:
"While it may be true that some individuals choose to take drugs at
said
events like this, myself as well as many others choose to go for the
music. Just
like anything, you have bad apples, but you shouldn't cut down the
tree."
"Raves are not the only musical gatherings where drugs are used and
distributed."
Other partygoers felt that the use of force in the shutdown was
excessive -
numerous eyewitness accounts by concertgoers describe people being
beaten,
tasered, or attacked with dogs. One account from an attendee,
identified as
"Colby", states:

"I saw at least two people being beaten on the ground while barking,
snarling dogs are held just a few feet from them. Weapons were being
pointed at
unarmed, peaceful civilians. A friend of mine was forced at gunpoint
to put his
hands on his head and turn around, because he asked if he could get
his things
from the tent."
Utah County sheriff's Sergeant Darren Gilbert said a 17-year-old
girl was
found overdosed on ecstasy, and was treated and released to her
parents.
Multiple lawsuits are being threatened against the city. According
to an
advertisement for the event, an attorney was present at the party.
The local sheriff is
scheduled to appear on Utah TV following a number of complaints
being sent
to TV stations and the police.
---------------------------------------------
UTAH RAVERS TREATED LIKE TERRORISTS!
_Daily Kos | August 23 2005_
(http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/22/13030/7546)
UTAH RAVERS TREATED LIKE TERRORISTS! EVIL INTENT'S ACCOUNT OF THE
INCIDENT!
Originally Posted by knick evl ntnt
Last night, I was booked to play an event about an hour outside of
Salt Lake
City, Utah. The hype behind this show was huge, they presold 700
tickets and
they expected up to 3,000 people total. The promoters did an amazing
job
with the show.. they even made slipmats with the flyers on them to
promote in
local shops.
So, we got to the show around 11:15 or so and it was really cool. It
was all
outdoors, in a valley surrounded by huge mountains. They had an
amazing
light show flashing on to a mountain behind the site, the sound was
booming, the
crowd was about 1500 people thick and everything just seemed too
good to be
true really. Well...
At about 11:30 or so, I was standing behind the stage talking with
someone
when I noticed a helicopter pulling over one of the mountain tops. I
jokingly
said "Oh look, here comes big brother" to the person I was with. I
wasn't far
off.
The helicopter dipped lower and lower and started shining its lights
on the
crowd. I was kind of in awe and just sat and watched this thing
circle us for
a minute. As I looked back towards the crowd I saw a guy dressed in
camouflage walking by, toting an assault rifle. At this point,
everyone was fully
aware of what was going on . A few "troops" rushed the stage and cut
the sound
off and started yelling that everyone "get the fuck out of here or
go to
jail". This is where it got really sticky.
No one resisted. That's for sure. They had police dogs raiding the
crowd of
people and I saw a dog signal out a guy who obviously had some drugs
on him.
The soldiers attacked the guy (4 of them on 1), and kicked him a few
times in
the ribs and had their knees in his back and sides. As they were
cuffing
him, there was about 1000 kids trying to leave in the backdrop,
peacefully. Next
thing I know, A can of fucking TEAR GAS is launched into the crowd.
People
are running and screaming at this point. Girls are crying, guys are
cussing...
bad scene.
Now, this is all I saw with my own eyes, but I heard plenty of other
accounts of the night. Now this isnt gossip I heard from some candy
raver, these are
instances cited straight out of the promoters mouth..

One of the promoters friends (a very small female) was attacked by
one of
the police dogs. As she struggled to get away from it, the police
tackled her.
3 grown men proceeded to KICK HER IN THE STOMACH.

The police confiscated 3 video tapes in total. People were trying to
document what was happening out there. The police saw one guy
filming and ran after
him, tackled him and his camera fell, and luckily.. his friend
grabbed it and
ran and got away. priceless footage. That's not all though. Out of
1,500
people, there's sure to be more footage.

The police were rounding up the staff of the party and the main
promoter
went up to them with the permit for the show and said "here, I have
the permit."
The police then said, "no you don't" and ripped the permit out of
his hand.
Then, they put an assault rifle to his forehead and said "get the
fuck out of
here right now."

Now.. let's get the facts straight here.
This event was 100% legal. They had every permit the city told them
they
needed. They had a 2 MILLION DOLLAR insurance policy for the event.
They had
liscenced security guards at the gates confiscating any alcohol or
drugs found
upon entry (yes, they searched every car on the way in). Oh, I
suppose I
should mention that they arrested all the security guards for
possession.
Oh another interesting fact.. the police did not have a warrant. The
owner
of the land already has a lawsuit against the city for something
similar. A
few months ago, she rented her land for a party and the police
raided that as
well. And catch this, the police forced her to LEAVE HER OWN
PERSONAL
PROPERTY. That's right. They didnt arrest her, but made her leave
her own property!!!

Don't get it twisted, this is all going down in probably THE most
conservative state in the USA. And this is scary.. a gross violation
of our civil
liberties. The police wanted this party shut down, so they made it
happen. Even
though everything about this event was legal. The promoters spent
over $ 20,000
on this show and did everything they had to to make it legit, only
to have
it taken away from them by a group of radical neo-con's with an
agenda.
This was one of the scariest things I have ever witnessed in person.
I can't
even begin to describe how surreal it was. Helicopters, assault
rifles, tear
gas, camoflauge-wearing soldiers.... why? Was that really
necessary?
This needs to be big news across the USofA. At least in our music
scene (edm
as a whole)... this could happen to any of us at any time. When
we're losing
the right to gather peacefully, we're also letting the police set a
standard
of what we can get away with. And I think that's BULLSHIT!
The system fucked up last night... They broke up a party that was
100% legal
and they physically hurt a lot of people there at the same time. The
promoters already have 6 lawsuits ready to file with their lawyers
and the ACLU is
already involved.
I'm sure some pictures (and hopefully some video) will surface soon.
I'll
make sure to post them up here on 404, so you can see the Police
State of
America at work.
p.s. - there are more stories of police brutality that i'll post up
later.
gotta hit the airport soon. can't wait to get the fuck out of this
shit hole
state.
www.buzzlife.com/forums/showthread.php
SHERIFF'S STATEMENT:
http://www.utahcountyonline.org/News/DeptNewsDetails.asp?
ID=17759&WN_System=SHERIFF
VIDEO: http://homepage.mac.com/apexgrin/FileSharing2.html
------------------------------------------
Witnesses say undue force used at rave
_Utah Daily Herald | August 23 2005_
(http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?
op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=62786)
Firsthand accounts conflict so starkly that one might wonder whether
law
enforcement busted two separate events last weekend in Spanish Fork
Canyon. Yet
the Diamond Fork-area location is among few details confirmed by
both the
roughly 300 partygoers and about 90 law enforcement personnel who
dispelled them
at 11:30 p.
m. Saturday.
Uprock Records of Salt Lake City promoted the event as an "album-
release
party" on fliers and Internet sites like www.utrave.org. In addition
to live
performances by DJ Craze of Miami and Spor from the United Kingdom,
the party
featured typical highlights like a laser light show, barbecue,
oxygen bar and
glow sticks.
Undercover deputies and SWAT members depict a rave with rampant
illegal
activity. Beyond the anticipated drugs -- ecstasy, cocaine,
marijuana, mushrooms
-- they discovered counterfeit money, guns and an overdosed 17-year-
old girl.
But where the stories drastically diverge is the raid.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office reported 18 citations for
disorderly
conduct, failure to disperse or related charges; 21 alcohol- or drug-
related
offenses; two for assaulting a peace officer; and two related to
firearms. Sheriff
Jim Tracy said most of the crowd left peacefully, and deputies
exercised a
"takedown method" only to arrest those who actively resisted.
Witnesses, however, allege "soldiers" and SWAT members held "AK-47s"
to
partygoers' heads, punched girls in the face and unleashed an
arsenal of
everything from attack dogs to tear gas.
"At about 11:30 a helicopter began circling the party," said one
partygoer
in an e-mail to the Daily Herald. "Out of nowhere huge semis filled
with
National Guard, SWAT and the police rolled up. Soldiers came out of
the bushes and
rushed down to the party carrying M-16s, AK-47s, nightsticks and
Tasers.
They proceeded to attack random people and push their might around
on people who
had done nothing."
Partygoers and rave fans worldwide are circulating video footage
through the
Internet to support such claims -- while Tracy used the same clips
to defend
law enforcement.
"No excessive force was used," he said emphatically.
The SWAT personnel -- including teams from Utah County, Provo, the
state
Department of Corrections and the Department of Public Safety -- are
always
prepared with a wide arsenal of riot-fighting gear, including tear
gas and
canines, but Tracy said they did not use any such weapons Saturday
night. The
tactical gear is camouflaged similar to military fatigues, but
neither the
National Guard nor any other military was present.
Josh Witbeck, one of the security staff hired by organizers for the
event,
has interacted with police at several similar events during three
years as a
bouncer in Salt Lake-area nightclubs, but police hostility, like he
said he
observed Saturday night, is rare.
"I was trying to keep the crowds as calm as possible. I knew better
than to
interfere with the cops, but we all got treated pretty poorly," he
said. "I'm
not going to place all the blame on the police, but they treated
every
person here like a criminal."
Tracy said a primary issue was promoters did not obtain the mass
gathering
permit required by Utah County for events with more than 250 people.
To do so
would have required at least 30 days notice and approval from the
sheriff's
office. County officials acknowledged that organizers did receive a
health
permit regulating such aspects as portable toilets and on-site
emergency medical
personnel.
Brandon Fullmer, manager of the Uprock Records company that promoted
the
event, argues that he also obtained the mass gathering permit. He
said
authorities were denying him a copy of it for proof, but a county
official agreed to
write a letter verifying it.
"We were not there to start any problems," Fullmer said. "What the
cops did
was wrong."
Regardless, Utah County authorities defended the raid.
"That's all smoke and mirrors," said County Commissioner Steve
White. "They
were selling drugs. They were committing illegal acts, and as soon
as that
happened it doesn't matter what kind of permit they had."
So while Fullmer is consulting his attorney about a possible
lawsuit, local
law enforcement vow to crack down on the increasingly popular
raves.
"There's a legal way to do this, and there's the illegal," Tracy
said. "If
young folks want to get together and listen to music and dance, we
don't care
if they go about it the legal way."
Tracy said they are monitoring the Internet, searching for fliers
and
dispatching helicopters on reconnaissance missions over Utah Valley
to locate such
gatherings before they expand to thousands of people -- beyond what
law
enforcement can control.
"If they're going to run one on a Wednesday night, we'll find it,"
he said.
"We will ensure we find them and have them curtailed before they
ever get to
that point."