brings millions of dollars and hope, inspiration, in change to the people, and right now, actually, in detroit, this is one of the only industries, the entertainment industry calm that is supporting this. i watched a 6-year-old breakdance to the music. looking in his eyes, the hope that change, do you think he was on ecstasy? i do not think so. i understand where you guys are coming from. we should not attack electronic music as the problem. we should attack underage drinking as a problem. i look around, and it is not the drug use and the underage youth. so i ask that you do not address the problem by putting a band- aid on it. i ask you to get to the return

of the problem and address it that way. do not take away the hope and the inspiration of the future in our youth. i have heard a lot actually say to a peace, love, unity, respect. i would like to add another on tibet, including responsibility. "plurr." [bell] >> good evening. my name is jason roger. i am happy to be here and have all of your peers. -- ears. the name my family that i know gave me is omega. they accepted me. i am a united states marine veteran. i have gone to several wars. i was wondering this world like

a lost puppy, and they accepted me with open arms. the power of acceptance and compassion. that is something that creates a structure. i also did the research, the economic status. these events bring much, much to the city. it affected their lives. it affected me. this saved my life. i had a very difficult transition from being a marine to being a civilian, a veteran, and these people say to me. i did not know anyone. this is extended, every single person. these events are amazing in that the people make them amazing. and the passion. it is just amazing what they

give us, like at the end of the tunnel. we all know that life is not easy, and this helps. i know thousands and thousands of people go to these events. some of their names i know, i do not. if there is such positive influence coming from the other end, we need to look at that thank you very much for your time. >> good afternoon. my name is -- i am here because i believe in the culture. people are coming together every day. backgrounds herds.

i believe that all of these people are here for a reason, and we are trying to help each other out. and a big thing is about the drugs, but we are all looking out for each other. .we are all constantly trying to prevent any of that from happening. i am just here today to let all of you guys know that if you take this away, it would just not be a good thing for all of these people. we all need each other together, just like we need allies. we believe in love, peace, respect, and we are coming together to show you guys that we want to make a difference, and we are trying. an event coming up for japan

relief. we're just trying to make a difference here. president newlin: 80. before the next speaker, i would like to call up some more people. [reading names] secretary: jonathan pinkous. president newlin: [reading names] thank you. >> my name is -- and i am currently a loss do it. i want to thank you for hearing the public, and do not let people tell you that young people stay apathetic, because

that is not true. a concerned resident of san francisco, and i think the best policy is misguided public policy. we have already had a number of people talk of these implications at the events as creating a desirable city, and i think we have seen that in san francisco with over broader restrictions that. participation in public space. the way that the legislation is written right now, it would criminalize activity that it does not intend to. pre-recorded music is a pretty broad category, and during the night, it is a pretty long time. street fairs, festivals that the study makes a lot of -- that the

city makes a lot of. i do not think they would be willing to enforce the law in that sense. i do not been there is a way to write is where it is not unconstitutional. this would restrict their ability to express themselves and give privileges to certain people. it seems like a 14th amendment issue. thank you for hearing us. secretary: next speaker. >> my name is -- i am an oral

historian and a librarian, an idea been dancing for about the past 15 to 17 years. i am currently living in oakland. i want to remind people that ecstasy has been developed and utilized as a therapy tool for people who are having psychological issues. i would like to also reiterate that lsd is back on the table. this is an issue that may go over the state, but i look to san francisco for solutions. san francisco is known throughout the world as being a leader, with tolerance and education. education is extremely important here, because san francisco is an intellectual giant, home to more than 24 public and private institutions of public learning. clearly, the city is a hot spot. san francisco is the creative cradle of technology in new

thought paradigms' and is a rich resource for solutions. this is the concern that the city holds for the safety and well-being of parte attendees by the misuse of a small percentage that requires education, not a restriction of rights. we have access to some of the most brilliant in the world. let's not cease and neglect the rights of the citizens. this city is a tolerant city, and i can attest to the breadth and scope for the city to also accommodate and celebrate the various sexual preferences and political perspectives. you may not be in our lifestyles as appropriate and may have opinions on the safety of these events, but it is our hope, hope, that you will consider this with various education rather than to propagate

intolerance. thank you. >> good evening. i am a student. i am also a raver. do not get rid of electronic music festivals. you are getting rid of culture that is world renowned, a culture everyone knows is about peace, love, unity, and respect. i am at a loss of words right now. if you do decide to get rid of them, you release an artistic point of view from myself. it is more or less an expression of what we like to do. it is something we would like to get off our chests and to

release steam each week. thank you for your time. >> my name is reza, also known as dirty hertz. i have been deejaying and promoting here since 1997. i want to give you a little different perspective. i grew up in iran during the revolution and sought a regime change from the shock to the islamic republic -- saw their regime change from the shah to the islamic republic. music has been part of our culture for centuries. now, music and dance does not matter. people could freely dance indoor and outdoor without scrutiny. after the revolution, hard-line religious clerics banned public

dancing for men and women. all the music that represented the western culture and persian music became illegal overnight. after thousands of years, dancing and listening to music became something you could only do in the privacy of your own home. as the pressure of the government group against the youth, they took a different direction. i went back two years ago and saw what was going on behind doors with the youth. believe it or not, the party's over there are so extreme and over the top. that is the result of pressure and oppression. large gatherings with music and dance are part of human culture. let me repeat that. it is part of human culture and should not be banned for any reason.

some lawmakers used the words of drugs and death as a justification to ban the gatherings. the same people will send the youth as our military to die in wars and will feed and drugs to their kids were having too much energy. i wish i could keep on going. [applause] commissioner lacroix: i would like to call the next names. monica salazar, diana haris, claire stephenson, sandra mayez. >> thank you for the opportunity to speak. i am an entrepreneur, software engineer, and writer. i have been going to raise -- raves in san francisco for over

20 years. my significant other and i visit the city for the events we like here. we like the positive energy and the friends we have met on the scene for so many years. it is a huge part above our lives. when i was general manager at microsoft, i hired san francisco's geomagnetic to make videos based on things i had seen at raves. the following up on the constitutional aspects, the freedom to assemble is constitutionally protected. there is often political speech as well. a great example was playing on castro on peak -- pink saturday after the marriage equality decision in 2008.

there is a rich freedom of expression tradition. i hope san francisco will work with the community to take the focus on harm reduction and keep these events safe and available for everybody. thank you very much. [applause] president newlin: just come right up. >> my name is monica salazar. i am 37 years old. i think you for allowing us to have a voice today. i just recently moved to san francisco, but i have been coming to the city to dance music events for many years. i absolutely love it. it is part of my life. i grew up in the '90s, going to ucla. i lived in l.a. and was quite

frightened by the raves because i did not do drugs and thought it was a crazy scene, but i love the music and always held let close to my heart. as i became older and let go of the fears and judgments of people and allowed and embraced that community to come into my life, i was able to appreciate people that actually produce these events and bring international deejays to the u.s., and became very close with many of the deejays and the production crews and the laser and lights and staging people who put on these amazing productions we all love so much. i co-founded an organization called dna, which stands for electronic music alliance, with can jordan from the crystal method and my friend janine.

we do many things to uphold what responsibilities we have in the dance community and embrace the environmental issues and causes and promote awareness here in the state, but also worldwide. we do a lot of great things across the globe. i just really wanted to express that we are a great community. we love each other. we take care of each other. >> before the next speaker, i am going to call a bunch of names. if you are downstairs, there are seats up here. the following people, come up. tara zumar, brian vanwinkle, howard fallen, forrest french, chloe donnelly, melody haden.

it looks like adam ha. jonathan castro. anthony james, carson day, catrina enrico, hannah nessens, lisa galloway. if your name has been called and you are in the first five, stand there. if not, take a seat. >> come right up, people waiting to speak. >> thank you. >> my name is guy hara. i am a software engineer. i have not prepared any detailed remarks. but i came here for the reason everyone else has come here.

that is because music is deeply important to me. the events that are under consideration for regulation are deeply amazing and important events for me. while i completely understand the concern about regrettable and unfortunate incidents with people who overindulge, or whatever it is, there are far more fatalities, injuries, accidents, and harm done to the youth of this country by family abuse, from alcohol, from any number of things. these events and this music and the culture that you have heard

people testifying to tonight is really -- it is what this country was founded four. it is what the people in the middle east right now are throwing themselves against tanks and guns for. it is freedom and love. freedom and love. and that is not going to change, whether these events are regulated or not. my life would be unrecognizable were it not for the impact of this music. thank you. >> think you all for being here this evening. i am a san francisco resident, a small-business owner, and a

raver. i support the electronic dance music community and wish to see it protected. i am 34. i have danced to electronic music for 20 years. it has been a source of community, meditation, and exercise for me while being a productive member of society. while dancing to electronic dance music, i learned by high school diploma, three bachelor's degrees with honors, learned four foreign languages, interned at the european parliament, lived in four countries, held many jobs, and started my own small business. i hire californians. i insure californians. my business fosters economic growth and employment in california. i am dedicated to what i do. this is possible because i dance. these events have always been

the safest social environment for me to dance and the part of the community. please preserve our constitutional rights. thank you. >> good evening. i want to thank you for having this dialogue. on a personal note, my brother in law and many friends are deejays of electronic music. i can tell you that each one of them care more about their audiences than any performer you will ever meet. the king here today to read a letter from my friend, a soldier who is living for afghanistan soon, who says electronic music and events in san francisco have made him a better leader of his platoon. the supreme court judge ruled in favor of protecting the constitutional rights of the westborough baptist --

westboro a baptist church to spread hatred at the funeral support soldiers. yet we would restrict the right to those who want to express themselves through dance and creativity. banning the right to protest would have set a precedent that could have lead to meaningful protests by others being banned in the future. the same president must be applied here. one could argue that most electronic music rarely if ever carries explicit or negative messages, but the medium of music itself has been used to express meaningful political opinions. based on this court ruling, to restrict one style of live performance is an assault on the entire political medium. the only types of free speech that can be built are those that are obscene, slanderous, or inside violence. electronic music does not follow any of these restrictions. this bill is clearly unconstitutional.

my friend lives for afghanistan in 10 days. he uses electronic music to get his soldiers through the war as separate as possible. he hopes when he returns to san francisco he will have a place to dance. >> good evening. on behalf of everyone here in the room and the people downstairs, thank you to what is left of the youth committee and the entertainment committee. my name is anthony james. i also go by the name rocco dynamite. i am also a general manager of an auto shop in san francisco. i have been a musician for over 20 years. the last five, i have been hosting events as a promoter and throwing parties here in san

francisco. i can go on and on about how electronic dance music and raves has made my life more positive, but we are here because of the growing concern of unsafe and venues, drug use, illegal parties, and violence that clubs here in san francisco. mostly, the non-permitted events -- just to stop there, we can cut it all out, but it is going to drive the youth underground, to wear myself and other promoters in this room do not have the resources to have proper security and to regulate the drug use and the alcohol consumption, and the security. you take that away from us and it will go to where we cannot control it. also, i believe this bill is unwarranted in many areas, and unnecessarily targets and reprimands and restricts the

promoters like myself, and venue owners, from creating revenue and the business needed to pay over heads in their clubs. that being said, not to mention the patrons after 2:00 a.m. that are buying gas, eating in the diners, paying four times after hours -- this is revenue the city needs. the issue with illegal drug use -- >> the think the community can regulate itself? >> absolutely. what you need is a tighter clamp on security, metal detectors, cutter searches for drugs in people's pockets when they go into drugs, and there is your problem right there. >> can you do that? >> absolutely. but if the stop dance music, you are hurting the scene, a venue owners, and promoters like

myself. it is a matter of clamping down on security. there is your issue with drug use and violence. tighter security, and there is your problem solved. you cannot put the blame on venue owners and promoters. dance music and dancing have been part of life since the beginning of time. it is not the club owners. it is patrons who are irresponsible and doing things in the wrong fashion and the wrong manner. it is also venue owners and promoters who do not have tight enough security. putter security, cutter surges into the clubs and parties. there you go. >> my name is brian van winkle. i am a student at southern oregon university, a seventh generation san franciscan. many of these accusations come from a great ignorance of the

music scene, and here say based on a small percentage of participants. any large group of people will naturally have a few bad apples. we are sending a message that this chandra of music is particularly bad, despite the fact that the music and the scene have no inherent purple properties. most of the music does not even have words. even though there is other music out there with specific references to drugs and acts of violence, which are specifically fighting electronic music because it has a bad reputation. denying this music scene because it makes people uncomfortable is a violation of constitutional rights of free speech and assembly. when a close bars because of our call related deaths every year? this is not simply a californian or an american scene, but a worldwide sensation. this music is played over europe, south america, and india. all of these countries are able to regulate and support this

music. why is it that the leader of the free world is trying to man an art form -- ban an art form from the public? to deny the scene altogether robs us of the beauty and expression of the voice of our generation. >> thank you, members of the commission. i am a san francisco resident, a fourth generation 1. i am a musician. i support and applaud the electronic dance music scene and community and wish to see it protected. when you were young, depending on the decade, you had sock hops, discos, underground dance clubs, and more. today, the music is a little faster and louder and the lighting is dynamic and vibrant.