or electronic music events. music includes dub step, house, and funk. people go to relax from stress at their job, to make new friends that gathered for the same sort of activities. i realize some people abuse the rights accord they go to these parties and come on illegal drugs like acid and ecstasy, but the majority of us do not. the majority of us what the music take us higher. in any community, there are people who do drugs. would you rather have these teenagers in a safe setting where they can enjoy themselves, then be out on their streets risking their lives and the lives of others around them? when you were at one of these parties, you realize something that has been lost in american culture. it does not matter what race, background, culture, religion, or sexual orientation you are. in that moment, all of us are

the same. we are all human beings in search of a good time. being young adults of california, we know our rights and know when they are being violated. this lot if passed would violate one of the most basic rights we have as citizens of the united states of america, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. [applause] >> my name is sandra. i like to go to clubs because i love to dance. the whole experience is amazing. when you first get there, everyone is super friendly, amazingly nice. for example, if you are waiting in line and your friends are five people ahead of you and are talking with them, you have people telling you to go wait in line with your friends. we are all good to get in eventually. people downstairs in the overflow room have all been at

events like this. the relationships change lives. peace, love, unity, and respect. everyone there months to to have a good time your own way, whichever way that is. because of this, there is a less likely chance of someone possibly dropping something into your drink. i feel safer at these venues. these clubs have proper security measures, like putting people down when they come in, checking backpacks, having more bouncers and security in the club's. i drive an hour to these venues as opposed to a 15 minute drive to clubs i do not feel safe at. people from all over come to the city for an experience. if you were to go through with passing this bill, think of what

it would do to the city economy. the cash flow that comes from the clubs is expensive, such as the parking, the cover charges, the alcohol consumption, the various food and craft vendors, and the fees for the venues themselves. san francisco has thrived on every aspect of this city. >> thank you for having this hearing today. my name is clear. i am 25. i am a mother. i have been going to parties since i was 7. i just wanted to talk about the bill and what it is a little fishy to me. it seems like there is an underlying misconception that is apparent to the bill. it is ignorance toward the

function of dance parties in our culture. there is common sense apparent in the belief that preventing viable options will solve whatever problems arise from these gatherings. that is an oversimplified solution. it will do more harm to our culture, easily seen in past prohibition cases like alcohol and abortion, where public health and safety was at stake in the face of misplaced ideals. the more logical answer to solving the problem is to hone and regulatory practices, and allowing the community to have a platform to bring concerns to the political table, and vice versa, like we are doing here today. it is an act of disrespect to not allow these events to take place at certain venues while green lighting other musical acts and festivals, some that harbor just as many if not more serious safety issues for people who attend.

and i say more because i believe no other music-based event has the built in community this scene has fostered. i believe it is more important for lawmakers to represent the people's wishes them to support discrimination of a sect of the community. this bill is discriminatory because it singles out electronic dance music as the cause of problems that can and do occur in any social gathering. i would be pleased to see irresolution that appeases safety through standardized regulations. >> thank you for having this tonight. the come to support electronic music events in san francisco. i cannot stress enough how limiting two minutes is for me to describe the passion i have for this -- for these events. i fell 30 feet off the cliff in

santa cruz. i shuttered my back. after sustaining injuries, i worked hard at my recovery so i would be able to attend electronic events. i have travelled over an hour and a half to attend such events. they are being shut down. not only is that putting a damper on my eating plants, but it costs the city of san francisco financially. if i do not attend these events, i head back home. the only other venue pays -- charges high door fees. i can play with him -- i can pay $15 to death at an event info for ibm. i will stay at a hotel in san francisco. please do not take these events away from me or other supporters room. these events are a huge part of who i am.

thank you. >> good evening. my name is chloe donnelly. i am a san francisco raver. it saddens me that we are criminalizing a community founded on love and a mutual perception of people music that creates duty between people. this does not understand the culture is about. i will keep it short, but the community is about a home. it is about being part of something. it touches my heart to see how many familiar faces came out to support tonight. if the strike to take these events away, as a community that spends our stance in our hearts out, we are not want to take it sitting down. -- that spends hours dancing our hearts out, we are not going to

take it sitting down. >> i am a student and an aspiring filmmaker. i attend electronic events. i am a first-generation native. my dad came from the dominican republic. my mom came from panama. they met in a supermarket in the mission. i love this city. as a videographer, for the past year and a half these events have become a source of income for me. i have gained a great amount of experience, exposure, and have met a lot of great people. this community is a very welcoming place. filmmaking and music is my passion and my career. these events and this city to allow me to express my passion and share it with the world. i hope this opportunity stays for the future youth of california and we can allow san francisco to continue to be the

diverse and amazing city is known to be around the world. i just want to make a point. the gentleman for me said most people at these events are on ecstasy. i for one do not take drugs. i know a lot of people who go to these events just for the music, because we love the music. thank you for your time. >> i am a san francisco native of 25 years. thank you for having me tonight. i heard about this a while ago and felt it very important to come down. i have been working all day today with san francisco recreation and park. i rushed down so i could speak. i should start by saying i am a musician and audio engineer with roots in the electronic dance music scene. i started attending raves at 13. my mother was not thrilled about my new found interest,

given all the negative connotations of drug use at these events. however, after a good deal of time she decided to go with me. i have never taken ecstasy. i think there is a certain amount of personal responsibility of parents have in what their children are doing that is important to this. since i was 13, i have worked within the scene. i have the data. i have helped production companies. i have set up events. i found my interest in audio and music and a graduate with a bachelor's in sound arts at the age of 18. i have been a sound designer for lyondell -- for lionel model trains for some years now. i also work for recreation and parks to teach about how to make videos. the notion of produced at the event is unconscionable and

ridiculous. as has happened through many music scenes, rock music, classical music -- it was all too racy and we could not have it. this is completely unreasonable. it will restrict me personally from expressing myself, where i express myself, where i show my music, the thing i love i have developed. they you for your time. -- thank you for your time. >> good evening. my name is hannah. i am 23 years old. i am a volunteer at the exploratorium. i have been going to raves for the past five years. what you're trying to restrict is a culture that has been around for over 20 years. unlike some fads that have come and gone, this does not seem to

be going away, nor should it. both my younger brothers have autism. i was never able to communicate with them through the normal ways in which we do, with words. it was always to sounds, usually without any words attached to them, which is what electronic dance music immediately went into. from an early age, my way of communicating with my brothers was through listening to this music. in terms of community, and never felt like i was completely part of something until i came into this electronic dance music scene. we're talking about things that are very similar come up with regard to talking about drug usage, large crowds. you're talking about not only electronic dance music, but all music festivals and all gatherings, as a general guideline for uses of restricting. it is discriminatory -- excuse

me. i am nervous. to directly target dance music, when overdosing and other issues concerning safety are a part of every single music scene. to restrict one form means that it is completely rewriting against all other forms which also have the same issues. please consider that. thank you. [applause] president newlin: i think commissioner joseph said it earlier, but i want to reiterate that i keep hearing this from the audience. the entertainment commission has never restricted a venue based on the type of music. we are not part of the legislation going forward. it seems like some of the comments are directed at the entertainment commission as being a body that is somehow restricting this type of

entertainment, and that is not true. we are not going to have a debate from the audience. thank you. is the woman with the child -- are you going to speak? would you guys mind letting her come first in case she wants to leave with the child? >> thank you so much for coming. my name is katrina. i am here with my child as well as my younger brother, both of whom i have brought to electronic dance music events with me. i am a huge fan of electronic bids music events as a form of my spirituality. i absolutely love to dance. it has hands down saved my life. i am the daughter of greg rico, the drummer for a sly and the family stone, a band that is a

huge part of san francisco cultural history, as well as a huge part of san francisco history is electronic dance music events. they have been going on way beyond my time. i went to my first event when i was 12. it is the reason why i searched the events like this. i had an alcoholic mother. it was an incredibly challenging time in my life when she hit rock bottom. i was searching for other outlets to express myself, other than being in a depressed coal, locked up in my room. i found electronic dance music events to express myself in a positive and healthy way. i do not do drugs. i am addicted to dancing. i am not addicted to drugs or alcohol. these events were a way for me to allow myself to live my life in a healthy, positive way.

but could not find anywhere else when i needed support in my life, places where i could openly express myself and actually be heard and be accepted. i know that i love to dance. she likes to dance as well. thank you very much. >> i support the electronic dance music scene and wish to see it protected. rarely do we ever interact with one another. in electronic music events, we have a place to interact with each other in a positive and

help the atmosphere focused on love, expressive music, art, and dance. people gain a feeling of community and respect for all types of personalities. we take this sense of community and respect back into our daily life, where we should be positive message of awareness, camaraderie, and kinship with others, ultimately making san francisco a more harmonious home and place to visit for all. san francisco thereby contributes to the international community by exhibiting a culture which projects understanding, of peace, acceptance, and consciousness of our responsibility to our earth and the brotherhood of mankind. it would be a major sacrifice to our community to lose these events. we need this culture to be nourished and used to educate the public on the positive aspects that the global

electronic dance music scene has to offer humanity. i also wanted to reiterate something someone said earlier. if we have more professionalism in the scene, we can have a better community. thank you. >> thank you, members of the entertainment and you commissions. my name is jack. i have lived in san francisco my entire life. when i was 7 years old, i got my first electronic cd from my mom. i listened to it nonstop. my mom was the only one for 14 years who actually enjoyed the electronic music i listened to. i was made fun of by the rest of my family and all of my friends for loving electronic music.

i could only express it on my own. it was not until the person invited the to a rave -- until a person invited me to a rave a few months ago that i found other people who loved electronic music. before that, i felt embarrassed to listen to this music. no one thought it was cool or anything. they just laughed whenever i talk about it or played it at a party. if it were not for raves, i would still be alone in my room and have very few friends to talk to about it. thank you. >> i just want to thank you, members of the entertainment and

give commission. i also want to thank everybody who came here to support raves. i am from santa barbara. i support electronic dance music. i also support the electronic arts. to me, it is more than just protecting electronic music festivals. it is also protecting other competitions like beat juggling and scratching. they use pre-recorded music and make new music. i also want to restate that closing these town will only

hurt the community, making more underground events. these events are not permitted. they do not have medical staff there to help. thank you very much. >> my name is tony. i am here today to talk to you about my experience going to these raves and how i think there are a positive thing for our community and our area. a good environment for people to meet each other. i personally like going to raves because i like being able to walk around and listen to all this music that are playing. some of the music may be a little bit not my type of music

to listen to. still, it has a beat and i enjoy going there. it is a lot of people having a good time and meeting each other. i support raves. thank you. [applause] >> i am 22 years old and a resident of san francisco. i was a former youth commissioner. seven years ago, i was 15.

we launched something called the recreation revolution. it is pretty fun to be back here for the same reason i was there seven years ago. that is to go over and defend the right for young people to come and assemble together. as a raver, i always have to question myself and ask what it is. we are not what the media portrays us to be. we are not druggies. we are not hippies. it is about young people coming together. to get back on. , -- to get back on point,

raving is a lifestyle. it has to be experienced. the bottom line is the people around you. it is not about the lights or how much money is spent. it is about the struggles we all share and accomplishments we come together for. i am pleading with you as a commission to be our voice, be our sword and spear, and fight against the tyranny of what this represents. i am giving you this morning now. either it is going to get past -- the party will go on. there are going to be parties. you can bank on the effect of young people assembling together. it spans the history of time. i do. please unite with us and come together so we can fight against this. president newlin: at this time,

i am going to close public comment. do any commissioners want to add their thoughts? >> i made notes. because of the hour, i am not going to do that. for those of you who talk about free events, it is not free. people have to get the permit. they have to get the sound system. everybody needs to pay the rent. everybody needs to eat. it costs somebody something along the line. so that is not logical, to say it should be a free event and some of the city or this commission is not allowing that. there is no such thing as a free event, unfortunately. no one can take it away from you if you do not want it taken away from you.

it is a state assembly bill. you need to take your good ideas and your eloquent speeches, put them together, and taken to sacramento and mature voices heard there. this commission has never -- i will also reiterate what the president said. this commission has never not granted a permit to any person that wanted to come here because of electronic dance music. we have maybe possibly never not granted a permit. we support street festivals. we support well-run the news. those venues have to have bathrooms. it is a lot in the city that water has to be provided. if you want to buy water, a bottle is good to cost you. -- is going to cost you. i love your passion.

take it to where you can be heard. it is secretly to barrier views. it is on television. people are going to see it. you have to take it to the next step. i like the guy who suggested the education psa. that was great. there is nothing these events can do if a guy with drugs in his car and walked to security, and goes inside, and drops dead. all of a sudden, the event is done because of that one person's action, and that venue is no longer available for electronic dance music because one person was stupid. talk to your friends. take care of each other. take this to the next step. that is my observation. president newlin: and the other commissioners? ok. that concludes -- ok. commissioner lacroix: i would

like to thank you all again for coming up today and speaking on this item. i am positive that not everyone got a chance to speak, and i know two minutes is not enough time for everyone to share their stories. but it is important to note that i came across this "two weakens ago at an event i went to, more of -- this quote two weekends ago at an event of went to, more of a retreat. you may not know everyone story, but you need to know everyone has a story. the bruin was not able to share their full story. -- everyone was not able to share their full story. everyone has a story. this is recorded on a tape. commissioner joseph said the next step is taking us to sacramento.

it is on tape. we can send the video up their. that would be the next step. i encourage you all to follow up and make sure these events are protected. thank you. [applause] commissioner zukerman: i would like to thank everyone for coming out here. it is always great to see so many young people at city hall. thank you. remember and say it is not fun. but as much given safe and accessible, and let's party. [applause] president newlin: think you for coming. this concludes the meeting of the entertainment commission and youth commission. thank you. commissioner lacroix: for youth committee purposes, i will call this meeting adjourned at 10:00 my team.