RAVES A DANGER TO OUR COMMUNITY

The Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition has received a number
of recent calls from worried parents in the region concerning "rave
parties" held at a former theme park in Redlands.

The upcoming Rave in Redlands is being broadcasted over the Internet
to youth as a celebration of 420, also known as April 20 (a day
recognized by drug users). However, because April 20 does not fall on
a traditional weekend evening, the upcoming rave has been moved
forward a few days. The flier for the event contains images of
marijuana leaves and describes the event as "open to all ages," and
lasting until 8 a.m. with up to 10,000 attendees. Tickets can be
purchased from a number of Southern California distributors for $45.

Parents who have contacted us are very concerned about illegal drugs
known to be found at these events and the negative effects for the
surrounding community, not to mention the wide swing in age of the
party-goers and risk to the very young attendees.

We ask that the city of Redlands enact measures protecting the
community and its youth by establishing strict business codes
disallowing these events, which, in the past, have led to a number of
drug-related arrests. It's only a matter of time before a tragedy
occurs. The entire Inland Empire is affected. Youth from around the
region travel to Redlands for one of California's largest venues for
mega trance/dance or rave parties.

A consolidated effort is needed to protect the children, the
neighborhoods, and the family-oriented values expected from such
cities as Redlands. Clearly, Redlands needs to say "No" to any event
that glamorizes illegal drugs.

Ironically, rave parties were created many years ago as a way to
promote friendly non-alcohol and non-drug events. But it didn't take
long for the illegal drug industry to find its way into these events
and exploit children, as seen by the marijuana leaves promoting the
next Redlands rave.

The Redlands raves attract thousands of people from all around
southern California - and most frightening is the range of ages of
the attendees, young teens to middle-aged men in their 40s.

Raves are known to go on until the early morning hours, long after
the 2 p.m. closing time of area bars and clubs. Intoxicated drivers
leaving area bars and clubs to drive to the open raves only further
threatens public safety on the roads.

Parents need to be aware that rave parties are often posted on
obscure Web sites, or posted by youth on their MySpace pages;
however, other raves have become mainstream and can easily be found
through a Google search. We have also found the popular YouTube Web
site containing videos, made by youth, of their experiences at raves.

Parents should always take time to talk to their children about
drugs. In today's times, it's never too early to begin the
conversation to let them know that dangerous substances and Web sites
exist and that they may be pressured by a number of factors.

It is imperative for parents and educators to provide youth with
reasons not to use substances while also discussing the consequences
of use. The Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition has
established a Web site, www.ivdfc.org, to help parents learn about
the dangers of club drugs, and tools they can use to develop dialog
when talking to their children.

The more confident the parent feels in understanding the variety of
substances found in our communities, the greater the impact they can
have when talking to their child.

The Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition encourages Redlands
city leaders to act accordingly to protect their community. We
encourage parents to utilize school counselors and community/church
groups to help facilitate substance-abuse education prevention and treatment.