Following the death of two college students at Hard Summer, an offshoot of the Hard Festival, the city of Los Angeles is looking to take drastic measures. The municipality is considering a ban of EDM festivals and raves on all county- and state-owned grounds.
According to L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis wants to institute a temporary ban while her office conducts a study on the festival circuit. While this ban would only be for the moment while they obtain a report, it could lead to something more permanent. Via the Los Angeles Times:
“Solis called Monday for a temporary ban on raves on county property, similar to one imposed at the Coliseum after the 2010 fatal overdose at the Coliseum.
Solis said the action the board took at that time was insufficient and that stronger measures are needed now.
‘Obviously this is of great concern and very tragic, and I cannot underscore how distraught it is to know two young women are going out to a concert and have to lose their lives thinking they are going to be enjoying themselves.’ “
As raves and EDM festivals have become larger in scale, the spotlight on overdoses that occur at these shows becomes brighter. Past ecstasy-related deaths from Electric Daisy Carnival to Ultra Music Festival to even the potentially banned Hard Festival have grown so much that now the cities hosting these events feel they must act.
Legislating against a genre of music, however, is a very rare act. Washington, D.C., is known for its crackdown on Go-Go music for the violence surrounding the clubs that housed those acts. But an entire county-wide ban is nearly unheard of. If these deaths continue, however, Los Angeles may be the first to completely ban these artists. The city will revisit the ban after the report is filed in two weeks.
(Via L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles Times)
