DEATHS WON'T KILL RAVES

Ban Could Lead To Worse Tragedies, Say City Officials

Banning raves will only drive them underground, with potentially tragic
results, say civic officials.

Two young people died of drug overdoses at Spooky-6, a massive Halloween
rave at the Pacific Coliseum on the weekend.

Vancouver licence co-ordinator Guy Gusdal said yesterday that city
officials and police will discuss the all-night dance parties, but he
indicated there is no move to ban them.

Gusdal said the licensing policy is intended to stop illegal raves in
unsafe buildings.

"These can be potential death traps, with inadequate exits, overloaded and
defective electrical wiring and serious overcrowding," he said. "There is a
very good chance there will be a huge tragedy, causing significant loss of
life."

Gusdal conceded the city's policy hasn't elimianted illegal raves, although
their number may be reduced. Four were shut down by Vancouver police on
the weekend. One drew 200 to the sixth floor of a building which had only
one stairwell. Another was held in a building where all exits but one were
chained shut.

By contrast, the Pacific Coliseum event, attended by 4,600 was staffed by
95 security guards, 15 police officers and eight first-aid attendants. It
complied with all safety, health and police requirements.

Police spokesman Det. Scott Driemel said another danger posed by illegal
raves is that they can be awash with drugs, while security at licensed
events is vigilant and any drug-dealing has to be surreptitious.

The 17-year-old male and 24-year-old woman who died on the weekend
apparently took what they thought was the drug ecstasy, popular at raves.

There have been five raves at the PNE since the city approved such events
two years ago. This year, city council halted any further raves at the
Plaza of Nations after receiving noise complaints.

Salim Lakhani, president of Swing Kids Entertainment, organizer of the
weekend rave at the PNE, said he wasn't told of the deaths by either PNE
security or police. He learned of them when a reporter called him on
Monday morning.

"We were devastated. Our message to kids is that they are playing with
their lives by taking drugs and we urge them not to do it," said Lakhani, 26.

"Our company has been going 10 years and we have lots of experience. We
never expected to have a death, let alone two."

He said his company has paid the PNE $83,000 and, "some bills are still
coming in. Our profit will be small or non-existent."

Tickets sold for $40 to $80 and the event was a sellout, but the cost
overhead was high. Swing Kids brought in 33 DJs, some from Europe and the
U.S., and paid $40,000 for lighting and sound equipment. Another $11,000
covered for setting and removing equipment.

The company was forced to use PNE security and three per cent of gross
revenues had to be turned over to TicketMaster because of an exclusive deal
between the reservations agency and the PNE. Lakhani said TicketMaster got
about $7,000, although it only sold 400 tickets.

Asked if Swing Kids would stage another rave at the Coliseum, Lakhani said:
'There are a number of issues to resolve with the PNE, and TicketMaster is
one of them."

Driemel said that outlaw motorcycle gangs form the principal distribution
network for ecstasy, the drug believed to have caused the PNE deaths.

Criminals are attracted by huge profits. It costs eight cents to produce
an ecstasy pill that sells for $10, Driemel said.

An underground lab can produce drugs with a street value of between $1
million and $2 million every 24 hours, he claimed.