CITY TAKES AIM AT RAVES

Richmond should not be a haven for older guys trolling for young
girls, said Coun. Evelina Halsey-Brandt, who supports a proposed
bylaw to ban raves.

"The mix has changed. Before a rave was a place for young people to
dance; now there are a lot of older men hanging out there, trolling
for young girls and hitting on them," said the chair of the city's
community safety committee. The committee will vote on the
recommendation tonight.

Cpl. Scott Rintoul, an RCMP officer with "E" Division's drug
awareness service, agrees the wider age range has "opened the door to
sexual predators."

The issue of raves has raved on at city council since the late 1990s
when the all-night dance parties became popular. The events were
presumably alcohol-free, which made them open to underage revellers,
but drugs, primarily ecstasy, have always been prevalent.

A few years ago, rave-goers turned to chemical cocktails, such as
"trail mix," which contains a blend of uppers and downers, including
ecstasy, MDA, methamphetamine, cocaine, ketamine and even Viagra.

All municipalities in the Lower Mainland, except for Richmond and
Vancouver, banned the events.

"We didn't ban them initially because we felt they would only start
going underground," said Halsey-Brandt. "The city decided it needed
to control them. We wanted adequate security and an owner that would
be accountable."

However, the popularity and nature of raves have changed over the years.

In 2001, 15 raves were held at sanctioned facilities in the city.
Last year, that number dropped to five.

As well, the age range has widened and the drugs have become harder.
In March 2006, a 42-year-old man overdosed and was found unconscious
at a local rave party.

According to a report to the community safety committee, most people
attending raves in Richmond hail from other locales: "At a recent
rave, a random survey of 100 attendees revealed that only two were
Richmond residents."

"These people are coming from Abbotsford, Chilliwack and who knows
where," said Halsey-Brandt. "Let their own municipalities provide a
venue for them."

Last year, Coun. Rob Howard called for a review of the city's bylaw
regarding raves.

"If we are one of only two municipalities in the whole Lower Mainland
that allows these, then we have to be concerned about becoming a
catch-all," he said at the time.

Richmond RCMP spokesman Cpl. Peter Thiessen welcomes the ban.

"From our perspective, there is nothing positive that comes out of a
rave," he said.

Raves have consumed a significant amount of police resources that
could be betters spend elsewhere, he added.

As for specific crimes police have had to deal with, he said
"underage drinking, assault, drugs, trafficking - take your pick from
the Criminal Code."

While owners of the venue are expected to provide security for the
event, because of the prevalence of drugs and gang members, police
often have to mop up the mess.

Even the hosts of these events won't miss them. The owner of one
facility legally sanctioned to hold raves has stopped booking them.

"The focus of our business has changed," said Bobby Ghirra, co-owner
of Riverside Banquet Hall. In the late '90s, his hall was hosting up
to 20 raves a year; now he does two or three. "It started as being a
safe place for the youth."

However, he too noticed an older clientele. "There started to be a
lot more 30- and 40-year-olds. That's not what this was supposed to
be about. Those people can go to a nightclub in Vancouver."