Rave off

>> Will the season's parties be quashed by a police chill?

by MATTHEW HAYS

Since the eleventh-hour cancellation of Swirl, 514 Productions's annual bash that was to be held at the Olympic Stadium some two weeks ago, there has been growing media speculation that rave-like parties could be in for a rough ride this summer.

And 514 president Ricardo Cordeiro isn't one to play this story down. "The problem has not been solved [since the shut down of Swirl]," he says. "And it's not going to be solved any time soon."

This year's Swirl ended when the liquor board simply refused to rubber-stamp the event--a stamp that's a necessity for an event like Swirl, which will run way past the 3 a.m. last call. 514 took their complaint to a weekend judge, who said he could do nothing and that the case would have to be taken up on Tuesday with a Superior Court judge. In lieu of a time machine, 514 was out of luck.

Police have insisted the shutdown was routine and justified, but Cordeiro thinks otherwise. "We've had the liquor board give our events the okay six times before at the Olympic Stadium, three times before at the Molson Centre. We

didn't expect this to happen after nine times." 514 is continuing to refund several thousand customers for the price of their tickets.

Police have stated since that they have good reasons to be concerned about public safety at events this large, pointing to the widespread drug use at raves and circuit parties. Cordeiro counters that he has "no idea why" police are reacting and why they've chosen now to do so. "We've had no incidents related to raves in the Quebec market," he says. "There have been more gambling-related deaths and deaths on the road due to alcohol use. There is no substantial cause for alarm in this market."

Society vs. raves

Cordeiro says that "drugs are a society issue, not a rave one." But, he says, the Swirl event is simply the beginning of a larger chill that will almost certainly effect all big late-night parties in the city.

Not so, says Robert Vézina, co-founder and president of the Bad Boy Club Montreal (BBCM), the city's premiere gay circuit-party group. Vézina is quick to point out that the BBCM has no problems getting the green light from the liquor board, due to its charitable status. "We've always applied as a charity event, since '92," says Vézina. "The 514 and BBCM are two different organizations."

Vézina does concede, however, that the recent Wild and Wet event, held the same weekend as the aborted Swirl, did have its own police incident.

At oze of the various parties that occured during the weekend, the Hot and Dry (held at Metropolis), police conducted a widespread search of guests by insisting they remove their shoes. One woman was caught with a joint and kicked out.

The foot police

Ironically enough, Vézina complains that venues with liquor licenses are unfairly targeted, while those without--such as many of the city's afterhours clubs--are left untouched by police. "They wanted to make a big splash to look like they're doing something. The systematic search of the feet of our participants is just absurd."

The police move was surprising, given that the BBCM has had blemish-free relations with the police for a number of years. Vézina was so angered by events he considered a complaint with the province's human rights commission. But he says after discussing it with the provincial morality squad, they acknowledged their mistake.

"They have apologized to us completely," Vézina contends. "This happened because a decision was made by someone lower down in the command. The fact is, we have agreements with police at the highest level."

Vézina's sentiments on the link between drug use and the rave-circuit scene are strikingly similar to those of Cordeiro's. "Drugs are hardly a problem that are specific to parties," he says. "It really depends on how you organize things. You can't compare apples and oranges."

BBCM organizers have no plans to change any of their next round of parties, set for the Divers/Cité celebrations in the first week of August. Cordeiro says 514's Area:One party (an outdoor, all-ages day party, slated for July 20) will go ahead as planned. 514's Oasis party, however, which was to be held on July 22, has been indefinitely postponed.