Raves: Forescee Hogan-Rowles, Challenger to Bernard Parks' South L.A. Seat, Says He Should Block Upcoming Electric Daisy Carnival Rave

By Dennis Romero Tue., Feb. 8 2011 at 12:18 PM

Categories: Raves

Councilman Bernard Parks says yes to raves (but he doesn't call them that).

No other politician in town has spoken up for raves like city Councilman Bernard Parks has. In his role as a member of the Coliseum Commission, which runs the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena, he has been an outspoken advocate of the ecstasy-fueled parties that happen four times a year at the venues.

"These are legitimate, revenue-producing concerts that are mainstream," he said at the commission meeting last week.

Now his pro-rave words are being used against him as he defends his 8th District City Council seat against challenger Forescee Hogan-Rowles.

In a statement Tuesday Hogan-Rowles called on Parks to block June's controversial Electric Daisy Carnival at the Coliseum. Last year's event saw 60, mostly drug-related arrests, more than 200 medical emergencies, and the subsequent death of a 15-year-old girl who apparently took ecstasy to experience the DJ-driven festival.

Caesar Sebastian

The crowd at EDC.

Some area leaders, including L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and commission member Rick Caruso, a rumored mayoral hopeful, have questioned whether the events should be held on public property.

Now Hogan-Rowles, who is mounting an uphill if not steam-gathering battle against Parks with the backing of the powerful L.A. police union and the county Federation of Labor, has also lined up against the parties.

"As a city council member I would expect that he would stand up against the raves," she told the Weekly Tuesday.

"I believe the people in the neighborhoods, we know what's going on with them -- it's very disruptive, it's unacceptable, and it's time we had a leader who stands up against raves."

Bernard Parks Jr., taking the role of campaign spokesman, told the Weekly that he was surprised to see her opposition to the parties since she had not shown up at any of the Coliseum Commission meetings where they were discussed.

"She wasn't there," he said. " ... She's been M.I.A. since the last election when we beat her."

"Knowing that we have a weak opponent, I'm not surprised she's trying to grab at anything she can get," Parks said.

Hogan-Rowles is CEO of Community Financial Resource Center near USC. She said the organization's parking lot is donated to the LAPD so it can use it as a command post during the raves and that, as such, she's seen the effects the events have on the community.

She says during some events police tell her office to leave as early as 2 p.m. to avoid the crowds. And she says she's received reports of drug use and music that can be heard as far west as South La Brea Avenue.

Her statement:

"Neighbors in the vicinity of the L.A. Coliseum want the Electric Daisy Carnival stopped. Requiring rave promoters to hire a staff of doctors to respond to illegal drug overdose emergencies is not the answer. Last year's rave-related drug death only underscores the seriousness of the problem with rave events."

Parks says that ravers "may come there to do drugs but it's not the only place they do them ... It complements their drug use if that's what you want to say."

But he says the number one issue her can be put in one word: Jobs.

"We don't have a huge outpouring in our community asking council member Parks
to stop the electric music," he said. "What our community wants is jobs."

"We know this brings 4,000 jobs into the area."

The L.A. city election is March 8.

Tags:

Bernard Parks, CD 8, coliseum commission, EDC, Electric Daisy Carnival, Forescee Hogan-Rowles, raves

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Eugeneia

Parks again displays he doesn't know the sentiment of the community nor care about it. My neighborhood association has been writing/calling his office from Leimert Park which is over 2 years to Parks office asking the Raves be canceled. We have neighbors even further west in Baldwin Hills who can hear them who also complain.

What has he done? Nothing. A word that can describe his entire tenure in office. Now at least we know why.

It seems Parks' excuse for everything bad for our community is that it brings jobs, like a few temporary minimum wage jobs do anything to improve our local economy, which is the worst in the city.

That's also his statement on liquor stores and motels. We have the most number of those than any place in the city. His position is not only not in line with the community, it is stupid. These nuisance businesses do more to push GOOD BUSINESS AWAY from the district. Who wants to set up a business where people are constantly intoxicated or strolling for Johns.

8 years is enough. Dump Parks.

Jeremy

Parks is once again standing up for what is right, as opposed to what is popular and makes a good soundbite on TV.

This reminds me of when he was police chief, and he came out in support of needle exchange programs. We heard all the same criticisms: that it's government endorsing or sanctioning the use of illegal drugs. The reality is, it's government dealing with a problem in a practical, pragmatic way.

Raves and electronic music festivals are going to happen whether or not they are on public property or private property. Banning them from the Coliseum or Sports Arena will only push them underground again, push them to other cities like San Bernardino, or push them out into the desert. If you ban them altogether, you loose the ability to regulate and control them, where you can require adequate security, enforce age restrictions, ensure adequate access to restrooms and water, and ensure EMTs are on hand to deal with any medical emergencies. A lot of discussion has been made about the large number of people that went to local emergency rooms for the Electric Daisy Carnival. What if the event was way out in the middle of the desert as so many raves used to be? How many more people might have died due to the longer time it would have taken to get to a hospital and receive medical attention?

Also, electronic music is growing more and more popular. Who gets to describe what events are allowed to be held, and what events are not allowed? How is it not censorship and a violation of first amendment rights to allow a festival or concert that utilizes traditional instruments vs. a festival or concert that features primarily electronic music and DJs?

Dennis Romero

Jeremy:

You have some good points -- and thanks for weighing in.

One qualm, however: The notion that if these massives didn't happen, parties would simply be "pushed underground," doesn't seem to hold water. I've watched these parties for 20 years. Bigger parties are lack thereof have never meant that an underground reaction of equal force would happen. If EDC didn't happen, you think underground events for 160,000+ people would take its place on that weekend or even in the weekends before during and after?

Also, in my recent cover story on raves, I documented how smaller parties don't seem to attracted the weekend warriors and e-tards that these megaraves do. So the idea that they're less safe doesn't hold water statistically. Read it: http://www.laweekly.com/2010-1....

Take care,Dennis