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Property Rights and Right to Dance Under Attack
The Senate should reject S. 2633 (the RAVE Act), which is a threat to property rights and the right to dance. The bill is moving very quickly and your Senators need to hear from you, right away. We encourage you to modify the letter so your legislators hear *your* voice.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Protect Civil Liberties and Property Rights
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I'm writing to warn you about the dangers to civil liberties and property rights in S. 2633, the Reducing American's Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act (the RAVE Act). This bill, which could be voted on very soon, would allow the federal government to fine or imprison businessmen and women if they fail to stop their customers from using or selling drugs on their premises or at their events. The RAVE Act unfairly punishes business owners for the crimes of their customers and is unprecedented in U.S. history. The federal government can't even keep drugs out of its own prisons, yet this law fines business owners hundreds of thousands of dollars for failing to keep people from carrying drugs onto their premises.
S. 2633 is a danger to innocent businessmen and women, especially restaurant and nightclub owners, concert promoters, landlords, and real estate managers. Section 4 of the bill goes so far as to allow the federal government to charge property owners civilly, thus allowing prosecutors to fine property owners $250,000 (and put them out of business) without having to meet the higher standard of proof in criminal cases that is needed to protect innocent people.
Health advocates worry that the bill will endanger our nation's youth. If enacted, licensed and law-abiding business owners may stop hosting raves and other musical events, out of fear of massive fines and prison sentences. Thus, the RAVE Act will drive raves and other musical events further underground and away from public health and safety regulations. It would also discourage business owners from enacting important measures to protect their customers. By insinuating that selling bottled water and offering "cool off" rooms is proof that owners and promoters know drug use is occurring at their events, this bill may make business owners too afraid to implement such harm-reduction measures, and the safety of our kids will suffer.
In short, this bill is too controversial and too broadly written to be passed without debate. I urge you to do everything possible to stop it from becoming law.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
July 08, 2002
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The Senate is considering legislation that would give federal prosecutors new powers to shut down raves or other musical events they don't like and punish business owners for hosting or promoting them. The bill (S, 2633), also known as the Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act (RAVE Act), is moving very rapidly and could be considered by the full Senate as early as this week. (A similar bill is also pending in the House.)
S. 2633, sponsored by Senators Durbin (D-IL), Hatch (R-UT), Grassley (R-IA) and Leahy (D-VT), expands the so-called "crack house statute" to allow the federal government to fine or imprison businessmen and women if customers sell or use drugs on their premises or at their events. Property owners, promoters, and event coordinators could be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars or face up to twenty years in federal prison if they hold raves or other events on their property. If the bill becomes law, property owners may be too afraid to rent or lease their property to groups holding hemp festivals or putting on all-night dance parties, effectively stifling free-speech and banning raves and other musical events.
The new law would also make it a federal crime to temporarily use a place for the purpose of using any illegal drug. Thus, anyone who used drugs in their own home or threw an event (such as a party or barbecue) in which one or more of their guests used drugs could potentially face a $250,000 fine and years in federal prison. The bill also effectively makes it a federal crime to rent property to medical marijuana patients and their caregivers, giving the federal government a new weapon in its war on AIDS and cancer patients that use marijuana to relieve their suffering.
Health advocates worry that the bill will endanger our nation's youth. If enacted, licensed and law-abiding business owners may stop hosting raves or other events that federal authorities don't like, out of fear of massive fines and prison sentences. Thus, the law would drive raves and other musical events further underground and away from public health and safety regulations. It would also discourage business owners from enacting smart harm-reduction measures to protect their customers. By insinuating that selling bottled water and offering "cool off" rooms is proof that owners and promoters know drug use is occurring at their events, this bill may make business owners too afraid to implement such harm-reduction measures, and the safety of our kids will suffer.
The RAVE Act punishes businessmen and women for the crimes of their customers and is unprecedented in U.S. history. The federal government can't even keep drugs out of prisons, yet it seeks to punish business owners for failing to keep people from carrying drugs onto their premises. If this bill passes, federal authorities will have the ability to scare business owners away from using or renting their property for all-night dance events, as well as any other "politically incorrect" event.
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