WEM HALTS TEEN EVENT AFTER DRUG DEATH

Overdose of Ecstasy Prompts Suspension, Review of Rock 'N' Ride
Party

West Edmonton Mall has suspended a popular youth event where a
14-year-old girl took an overdose of ecstasy last month and later died.

Rock 'n' Ride Dance Party, geared for youths aged 12 to 17, has been a
monthly staple at the mall's Galaxyland amusement park for 15 years,
running from September through June.

Some teens say it was a common hangout for drug dealers who offered
underage kids easy access to cheap drugs, such as ecstasy.

Cassandra Williams and a friend overdosed after taking six pills each
during a Rock 'n' Ride event April 25. The friend survived, but
Williams died the next day after being taken off life support.

On Wednesday, mall spokeswoman Sheri Clegg confirmed WEM has decided
to suspend the youth party for the remainder of the school year,
essentially cancelling June's event. "The program has been running for
15 years and it was time to review it," said Clegg. "We want to look
at what we can do with it, what we can do differently."

Clegg wouldn't say what the revamped event will look like, just that
"some type of event" will be reintroduced in the fall.

Police arrested a 16-year-old suspected of selling the girls the drugs
that night, but so far there have been no charges.

The executive director of the Youth Emergency Shelter on Whyte Avenue
thinks the decision by WEM to suspend the event is a step in the right
direction.

"I really applaud them for it," said Deb Cautley, adding that there
have been concerns about drugs at the mall venue "for a long time."

"Whenever you have somewhere where a lot of kids hang out, you're
going to have the predators, and these guys are smart and cunning and
sly and evil -- and they're dealing with a bunch of naive kids."

Cautley said as part of its review WEM should consider involving
schools and youth agencies in the community to make sure proper
safeguards are in place for whatever form the event takes in the future.

Cassandra Williams's stepfather, Guy Buehler, doesn't think closing
Rock 'n' Ride will necessarily make a difference.

"It's not Rock 'n' Ride that starts the problem," he said. "Taking
away their fun is not the choice I would make. I'd rather take away
the E or take away the dealers.

"What are you going to do, take away Capital Ex? That's another place
that could have a lot of drug dealers or a lot of ecstasy."

Buehler said he has been talking to a youth counsellor about doing
more drug awareness programs in schools.