RAVE REACTION AFFRONT TO CONSTITUTION

The Appleton Police Department's "foiling" of the proposed "rave" that
forced the shutdown of Telulah Park Sept. 21 bears scrutiny.

Why would such a serious bypassing of our freedom to assemble go so
unnoticed? And why would such action be received with such relief by
frightened local residents?

I have never experienced a rave, nor would I want to, but the issue is not
whether you fancy the idea of a rave or not. Instead, the issue is the
denial of the Constitutional right of public assembly.

Since when is it illegal to gather and rent a park for a social occasion?
The police department's nervousness that things might get out of hand is an
astounding admission.

The Appleton Police Department is concerned that 500 people gathering in
one area constitutes an unmanageable swarm?

God forbid any calamity should occur at such venues like Octoberfest (might
there be some "unsavory substances" consumed here on an even larger scale?)
or the Fox River Mall, where thousands of individuals gather and could be
in potential peril.

The department is going to have difficulty reconciling this hapless public
assessment of its own competency and capacity for crowd control.

The events that transpired Sept. 21 should be alarming to even the most
average scholars of freedom.

Personal liberties are at stake. Why not monitor the rave with extra
personnel to ensure that no illegal drugs or lewd behavior were possible?

Canceling an event because the "possibility" of mischief might present
itself is unacceptable.

No one questions law enforcement's right and duty of regulation and
surveillance of meetings to protect public safety.

This startling "shutdown" scenario the police department chose clearly
denied the civil liberties and freedoms to law-abiding citizens in favor of
questionable preventative tactics that betray the First Amendment.

Timothy Meier,

Appleton