RAVES CAUSE HAVOC IN DOWNTOWN NEIGHBOURHOOD

Ben Rayner's March 25 Entertainment column, I'm sick of the rants about
raves, presents a rose-coloured view of what goes on at raves.

Contrary to Rayner's position, raves aren't just about people having fun
late at night.

I know what raves are like because I live in a residential area
(Church/Wellesley area of downtown Toronto) where raves and rave-like
parties held at both special events and regular bars are creating havoc in
our community.

The problems at raves spill over to the rest of the neighbourhood.

Rave patrons storm through residential streets shouting at the top of their
lungs at 3 a.m.

They urinate on people's lawns, vomit in flower beds, copulate behind
residents' garages and overdose in parks, leaving drug paraphernalia on
park benches.

They park their cars in front of private driveways and vandalize cars while
walking to and from the raves.

Setting off car alarms is a pre-party or pre-rave sport among patrons.

The ubiquitous arrival of police and fire vehicles to the raves creates
traffic chaos, noise pollution from sirens and disruption of already
limited emergency service to local taxpayers.

Hospitals are overloaded by rave patrons who are victims of violence or are
suffering from drug and alcohol overdoses.

As well, who takes up the slack the next day at work when a typical rave
patron shows up two hours late, still stoned and having had three hours'
sleep?

Hazen Colbert
Toronto