More than 300 Summer Campers arrested by area police agencies

Please be warned!! Contact me if you have any questions or issues related to this ~ read below for information on what happened at this year's Summer Camp with the police...

(May 29, 2012, JUSTIN GLAWE and ANDY KRAVETZ)

CHILLICOTHE —

A fun-filled weekend at Three Sisters Park for tens of thousands was a busy three-day span for area law enforcement.

Officers from the Illinois State Police, sheriff's departments in Woodford and Peoria counties, the Peoria Heights and Chillicothe police departments and the Multi-County Narcotics Enforcement Agency arrested more than 300 festival-goers, most on misdemeanor drug or driving under the influence charges.

Peoria County Sheriff Mike McCoy said Tuesday about 290 people were booked into the jail over the weekend.

While MEG worked inside the festival, the five other police agencies made stops on surrounding roads.

"There's a lot of good people who attend these concerts, so our main focus is those who are there specifically to sell drugs," said MEG Director Rene Sandoval on Tuesday. "From talking to people and looking at last year's stats, the drugs of choice seem to be Ectasy, magic mushrooms and LSD."
MEG made 47 arrests inside the park, including one man who had eight pounds of magic (technically known as psilocybin) mushrooms in his possession. The mushrooms had a street value of $44,800, according to Sandoval.

While the majority of drugs confiscated by MEG were of the psychedelic variety, state troopers seized a large amount of nitrous oxide. In total, 22 canisters, weighing from six to 20 pounds, were taken from campers on their way into, or out of, the park.

Additionally, troopers issued 258 citations and 304 written warnings, seized $5,500 in cash from one man who had several large canisters of nitrous and confiscated more than 70 grams of marijuana from several campers.

Trooper Dustin Pierce said a new version of one of the "drugs of choice" was discovered by his officers this year.

"Most of the Ecstasy seized this time was in powder form," Pierce said. "Normally, it's a tablet. I've never seen it in a powder before."

The Chillicothe Police Department made 53 arrests on such charges as possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana both less than and greater than 2.5 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to a news release. The department seized cocaine, Vicodin, MDMA (Ecstasy), psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana and hash. In addition, the department confiscated $2,686.

Peoria County State's Attorney Jerry Brady praised MEG's efforts this year, saying its intervention efforts were "very successful." The county's top prosecutor noted that more than 10 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms and 103 grams of LSD and other drugs were seized, along with some $17,000.

The Summer Campers who appeared in court looked a bit in a daze. Some wore the jumpsuits of a Peoria County Jail inmate while others still had on their tie-dyed shirts. One didn't have a shirt on. Nearly all tried to have their bond lowered and Judge David Brown lowered the bonds of many. But for the larger drug amounts, he stuck to the prosecutors' recommendations.

Several faced nonprobationable offenses for allegedly having larger amounts of drugs. One couple, Patrick Smith, 49, and Sarah Kiergaard, 39, both of St. Louis, were accused of having a large amount of psilocybin mushrooms which were cooked into several food items.

Another man, Igor Siskin, 27, of St. Louis was accused of having nearly 200 doses of LSD. MDMA (Ecstasy) was the most prevalent drug in the charges, with LSD coming in second.

(Peoria Journal Star, http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1347549274/More-than-300-Summer-Campers-arrested-by-area-police-agencies)

WELCOME BACK!! Check here tonight!!

Hey everyone, just got back from Summer Camp. Have some interesting new information about to be released regarding this year's arrests, incidents, as well as a new post about things hanging from your rear view mirror and when those/that thing(s) can be used to pull you over. Check back later tonight.

~Peace,love%light to you all~

Summer Camp Guide: What not to do Part 4/FINAL

This was the last part of the Summer Camp run done by the Journal Star last year. This one was printed after Camp had ended. Mainly, you can see the sorts of things they ended up arresting people for and where people were from, etc. if you read it, so, read below...

 

(June 2011 (bold added))

PEORIA —

Several attendees of this year's Summer Camp music festival topped this week's list of indictments. Peoria County prosecutors indicted roughly half of the 30 or so people arrested in or near Three Sisters Park.

Indicted this week were:
- Daniel Finn, 26, of Chicago; delivery of MDMA (ecstasy), possession of less than 15 grams of MDMA (ecstasy) and possession of between 30 and 500 grams of marijuana.

- William T. Hurley, 21, of Roscoe; possession of LSD and possession of less than 2.5 grams of marijuana.

- Michael A. Fischlein, 34, of East Moline; distribution of a look-alike substance purported to be psilocybin mushrooms and possession of less than 15 grams of MDMA (ecstasy).

- Benjamin S. Thayer, 20, of North Vernon, Ind.; delivery of amphetamine.

- Jeremy S. Pfeiffer, 26, of Gilbertsville, Penn.; possession of less than 15 grams of cocaine, possession of psilocybin mushrooms and possession of less than 15 grams of MDMA (ecstasy).

- Eric K. Harris, 21, of Fishers, Ind.; possession of LSD and possession of between 30 and 500 grams of marijuana.

- Carl W. Abuchon, 23, of Desoto, Mo.; possession of LSD.

- Alex M. Cordell, 37, of Columbus, Ohio; delivery of MDMA (ecstasy), possession of LSD and possession of between 30 and 500 grams of marijuana.

- Stephen P. Sites, 26, of Morgan County, W.Va.; distribution of a look-alike substance purported to be opium.

- Jerome A. Thompson, also known as Jerry Tompson, 39, of Denver, Colo., and James M. Gipson, 44, of Cowan, Tenn.; delivery of MDMA (ecstasy).

- Bertrand C. Wait, 18, of Naperville; delivery of psilocybin mushrooms, possession of psilocybin mushrooms and possession of less than 2.5 grams of marijuana.

- Richard A. Fedorchak, 35, of Valporaiso, Ind.; David B. Fisher, 26, of Fayetteville, Tenn.; and Natalie M. Malpica, 20, of Columbus, Ohio; delivery of MDMA (ecstasy).

- Vincent T. Maffo, 20, of Dover, Ohio; possession of between one and 15 grams of cocaine with intent to deliver, possession of less than 15 grams of cocaine, possession of LSD, possession of MDMA (ecstasy) and possession of psilocybin mushrooms.

Many of the arrests came before festival-goers made it to the park. Several police agencies had increased patrols on Illinois Route 29 and other routes that led to the music festival.

Officers would pull over vehicles for beads hanging from rear view mirrors obstructing views, for crossing solid yellow lines, for speeding or improper lane usage. As one officer spoke to the driver, a K-9 unit would pull up to walk a dog around the vehicle.

(Peoria Journal Star, http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1781765030/Summer-Camp-festival-arrests-lead-to-indictments)

Men accused of plotting attacks around NATO summit

Another update on some happenings in Chicago regarding the NATO summit... please read below...

(May 2012, MICHAEL TARM and RYAN FOLEY)

CHICAGO (AP) — Three activists who traveled to Chicago for a NATO summit were accused Saturday of manufacturing Molotov cocktails in a plot to attack President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's home and other targets.

But defense lawyers shot back that Chicago police had trumped up the charges to frighten peaceful protesters away, telling a judge it was undercover officers known by the activists as "Mo" and "Gloves" who brought the firebombs to a South Side apartment where the men were arrested.

"This is just propaganda to create a climate of fear," Michael Deutsch said. "My clients came to peacefully protest."

On the eve of the summit, the dramatic allegations were reminiscent of previous police actions ahead of major political events, when authorities moved quickly to prevent suspected plots but sometimes
quietly dropped the charges later.

Prosecutors said the men were self-described anarchists who boasted weeks earlier about the damage they would do in Chicago, including one who declared, "After NATO, the city will never be the same."

At one point, one of the suspects asked the others if they had ever seen a "cop on fire."
Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy dismissed the idea that the arrests were anything more than an effort to stop "an imminent threat."

"When someone was in the position (of having) Molotov cocktails — that's pretty imminent," he said. "It was not a completed investigation."

The men allegedly bought fuel at a gas station for the makeshift bombs, poured it into beer bottles and cut up bandanas to serve as fuses.

The suspects are Brian Church, 20, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Jared Chase, 24, of Keene, N.H.; and, Brent Vincent Betterly, 24, of Oakland Park, Fla.

If convicted on all counts — conspiracy to commit terrorism, material support for terrorism and possession of explosives — the men could get up to 85 years in prison.

Outside the courtroom, Deutsch said the two undercover police officers or informants were also arrested during the Wednesday raid, and defense attorneys later lost track of the two.
"We believe this is all a setup and entrapment to the highest degree," Deutsch said.

The suspects were each being held on $1.5 million bond. Six others arrested Wednesday in the raid were released Friday without being charged.

The three who remained in custody apparently came to Chicago late last month to take part in May Day protests. Relatives and acquaintances said the men were wanderers who bounced around as part of the Occupy movement and had driven together from Florida to Chicago, staying with other activists.

Court records indicated no prior violent behavior.

Longtime observers of police tactics said the operation seemed similar to those conducted by authorities in other cities before similarly high-profile events.

For instance, prior to the Republican National Convention in 2008 in St. Paul, Minn., prosecutors charged eight activists who were organizing mass protests with terrorism-related crimes after investigators said they recovered equipment for Molotov cocktails, slingshots with marbles and other items.

The protesters, who became known as the RNC Eight, denied the allegations and accused authorities of stifling dissent. The terrorism charges were later dismissed. Five of the suspects eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges, and three had their cases dismissed altogether.
Molotov cocktails are dangerous weapons, but it "kind of stretches the bounds to define that as terrorism," said Michael Scott, director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He said police have a history of abusing such tactics, sometimes infiltrating purely peaceful protest groups to search for troublemakers.

But if the allegations are true, police were justified in moving quickly to take the men off the streets, even if the terrorism charges don't stick.

Just one week before their arrest, at least two of the suspects were involved in a minor confrontation with police captured on a video that was then posted on YouTube and aired widely by Chicago media, said another defense attorney, Sarah Gelsomino.

The men had been stopped by police after turning their car into a private driveway.
In the video, one officer asks another what Chicago police would have said in 1968 when they clashed with demonstrators at the Democratic National convention.

"Billy club to the ... skull," the officer responds. Another officer says to the men in the car, who the police take as protesters, "We'll come look for you."

Documents filed by prosecutors in support of the charges in Chicago painted an ominous portrait of the men, saying the trio also discussed using swords, hunting bows and knives with brass-knuckle handles in their attacks.

Relatives and acquaintances painted a starkly different picture.

Activist Bill Vassilakis, who said he let the men stay in his apartment, described Betterly as an industrial electrician who had volunteered to help with wiring at The Plant, a former meatpacking facility that has been turned into a food incubator with the city's backing.

"All I can say about that is, if you knew Brent, you would find that to be the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard. He was the most stand-up guy that was staying with me. He and the other guys had done nothing but volunteer their time and energy," he said.

Betterly appears to have a history of minor run-ins with law enforcement.

Earlier this year, he was cited for disorderly intoxication in February in Miami-Dade County, Fla., but the case has been dismissed, according to online court records.

Authorities in Oakland Park, Fla., said Betterly and two other young men walked into a public high school last fall after a night of tequila drinking and took a swim in the pool, according to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

They stole fire extinguishers from three school buses, discharged one and smashed a cafeteria window with another. The vandalism caused about $2,000 in damage. Betterly was charged with burglary, theft and criminal mischief, the newspaper said.

Chase grew up in Keene, N.H., and moved to Boston a few years ago before becoming active in the Occupy movement, said his aunt, Barbara Chase of Westmoreland, N.H.

Jared Chase's father, Steve Chase, died about five weeks ago after a long struggle with a disease that left him disabled, Barbara Chase said. The family had been waiting for him to come home before having a funeral.

She said she was stunned to learn of the charges against her nephew.

"That surprised me because he's not that dumb," said Barbara Chase. "He always seemed harmless, but who knows? Outside influences sometimes can sway people to do things that they normally wouldn't do."

Elsewhere around Chicago, demonstrations remained relatively small. Scattered groups of protesters gathered in some neighborhoods, including several hundred who marched to the mayor's house.

Late in the day, another group gathered in the Loop business district and marched down the city's famous Michigan Avenue. Police on horseback and bicycle kept them away from diners at outdoor cafes who ventured downtown despite wide-ranging security precautions.

The largest protests were expected Sunday, when thousands of people were expected to march from a band shell on Lake Michigan to the McCormick Place convention center, where NATO delegates will meet.(Yahoo News, http://news.yahoo.com/men-accused-plotting-attacks-around-nato-summit-221056964.html)

Summer Camp Guide: What not to do Part 3

As Summer Camp 2011 came to an end the Star published two more follow-ups on the festival. This is the first of those two...

(May 2011, Journal Star Staff (underlines added))

PEORIA —

With the stages being dismantled and the crowds departing, Peoria County prosecutors were left with the final task of the 2011 Summer Camp music festival - figuring out whom and what to charge.

Seventeen people were charged Tuesday in Peoria County Circuit Court, which puts the total number of felony drug charges at 31, around the same amount from last year when 36 people were charged.
The numbers also seem to match up on arrests. This year, there was around 60. Last year, there was around 70. One major difference was the type of drug offenses. This year, the drug of choice appeared to be Ecstasy, but other charges included nitrous oxide, cocaine, marijuana, LSD and psilocybin mushrooms

Aside from felony drug arrests on roadways leading to Three Sisters Park and within the festival grounds, a handful of other mostly minor charges resulted from the three-day gathering.
Two men from Champaign-Urbana were arrested Sunday for allegedly impersonating security guards and attacking someone in an attempt to steal alcohol and tobacco.

Dyvar Y. Johnson, 22, of Urbana and Otha L. Harris Jr., 36, of Champaign allegedly put a festival-goer in a headlock at about 3 p.m. while telling him they were part of the security team. They demanded the victim's beer and cigarettes.

Other campers in the wooded area of Three Sisters Park witnessed the incident about 3 p.m., though the victim had left by the time police arrived.

Johnson and Harris were booked into the Peoria County Jail on charges of robbery, possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A mobile medical unit staffed by OSF Saint Francis Medical Center treated about 400 campers at Three Sisters Park. Six were transported to the emergency department in Peoria, four of those for drug-related illnesses, according to Shelli Dankoff, spokeswoman for the hospital.

"It ran the gamut from drugs and alcohol to stitches needed for someone cutting their hand with a knife while peeling an orange. That sort of stuff," Dankoff said. "Actually the 400 treated were fewer than the previous year."

About 110 people on their way to Summer Camp were arrested on drug charges in Putnam County by a task force that also includes Bureau and LaSalle counties.

(Peoria Journal Star, http://www.pjstar.com/news/x704497124/Summer-Camp-arrests-similar-to-10 )

Police Preemptively Raid Apartment & Arrest Activists Ahead of NATO Summit

If you are following (or participating) in the protests in Chicago right now surrounding the NATO summit, below is an excellent source...

(May 2012, Kevin Gosztola )
Chicago police have reportedly engaged in a preemptive raid against activists that planned to protest the NATO summit. The raid is believed to have taken place late last night in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago.
The National Lawyers Guild reports:

…Police broke down a door to access a 6-unit apartment building near 32nd & Morgan Streets without a search warrant. Police entered an apartment with guns drawn and tackled one of the tenants to the floor in his kitchen. Two tenants were handcuffed for more than 2 hours in their living room while police searched their apartment and a neighboring unit, repeatedly calling one of the tenants a “Commie faggot.” A search warrant produced 4 hours after police broke into the apartment was missing a judge’s signature, according to witnesses. Among items seized by police in the Bridgeport raid were beer-making supplies and at least one cell phone…

These kinds of raids are the “hallmark of National Special Security Event,” says Sarah Gelsomino of the NLG and People’s Law Office. Gelsomino is correct. In fact, Michael Ratner and Margaret Ratner Kunstler document the “new paradigm of law enforcement” that is preemptive policing in their book Hell No! Your Right to Dissent.
Kunstler and Ratner call it the domestic version of preemptive war. The doctrine of preemptive policing relies on:

…information about demonstration plans, organizers and participants collected in advance of events to cancel protests and acts of dissent before any wrongdoing has occurred. Even assuming that such intelligence is reliable (most of the time police intelligence about protests is proven to be mistaken; the majority of demonstrators and bystanders arrested are found to be innocent of any crimes), the concept of relying on the ability of police to predict violations of the law flies in the face of the First Amendment. Well-established Constitutional law prohibits the government in nearly all instances from exercising prior restraint of speech or association…

Preemptive raids and arrests happened ahead of the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul against the RNC Welcoming Committee and they happened ahead of the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.
In addition to this report of a preemptive raid, the NLG adds the police are “unlawfully detaining, searching and questioning NATO protesters.”

…3 plainclothes police officers unlawfully stopped, handcuffed, and searched a NATO protester on Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive at approximately 2pm today [Thursday, May 17]. According to the protester, he did not consent to a search and there was no probable cause to detain him. The police also photographed and questioned him about where he was from, how he got to Chicago, how long it took, what he was doing here, where he was staying, who he was with, and how long he was planning to say in Chicago. The protester refused to answer any questions and was eventually released…

*
Additionally, a copy of the Chicago police’s ground rules for media has made it on to the Internet. Here is a link to a copy of it. They come from Debra Kirby, chief of the Chicago Police Department Office of International Relations.
Highlights from the rules being put forward by police include:

No “cutting” in and out of police lines will be permitted, or “going up against their backs.” Those who follow protesters onto private property to document their actions are also will be subject to arrest if laws are broken.
Any member of the media who is arrested will have to go through the same booking process as anyone else. Release of equipment depends on what part the equipment played in the events that led to the arrest.
There will not be any quick personal recognizance bond just for media members…
…To date, the department has seen no evidence that protesters are turning on media representatives as happened in New York. She urges media to keep safety in mind and to “not become the story.”…
…Reporters who carry backpacks should be prepared to show their content to police. You may be asked to fire up and demonstrate any equipment that does not look familiar to officers.

There has been concern among journalists, especially independent media, that the Chicago police will violate their press freedom like New York police have violated journalists covering Occupy Wall Street. Overall, it does not seem the police will be as wanton in violating journalists. However, these ground rules leave a lot of openings for individual cops to use their authority to interfere with press and also make arrests.
(Fire Dog Lake Blog, http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2012/05/17/police-preemptively-raid-apartment-arrest-activists-ahead-of-nato-summit/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed)

How To Get Fired In 5 Minutes or Less ...

1. he actually got fired for this
2. understanding this was aired first on "Fox Business" -- I PROMISE it is NOT what you may think and is worth listening to
3. this is very moving. it has nothing to do with music festivals but this was shared with me by a reader and i thought it was worth reposting after i watched it.

(Feb. 2012)

(youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOaCemmsnNk)

Summer Camp Guide: what not to do Part 2

Continuing from yesterday, here is the next news clip from Summer Camp 2011. Don't let the fact that "only" 27 arrests were made make you less careful ... even cheap beer costs money and they confiscate things without ending up charging any/every one involved so... Also, a lot of festivals (Summer Camp included) treat certain things and behaviors more seriously than others... well, just read/see below...

"27 Arrested at Summer Camp"

(May 2011, Nick Perreault (underlines added))
Summer Camp is known as a three day event packed with plenty of music and large crowds, but less than 48 hours into the event, 27 arrests were made.

"Whenever you have 20,000 people in a concert situation, you going to be dealing with different elements and obviously we have," Chillicothe Police Chief Steve Maurer.

The Department did not specify what the arrests were for, but the event president says he's not upset.
"We're showing that if you do break the law, you probably will be caught, we don't have that many people, 27 people out of 20,000 is nothing," said President Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment, Jay Goldberg.

Despite the 27 arrests that have already been made in this years event, Chillicothe Police Chief Steve Maurer says that this years event has actually seen less arrests than last year.

"A lot of the element was kept from coming in, you would be surprised the people that would come up to us and say hey this guy is doing this, this guy is doing that, they want them out of here so it makes it a safe event and that helps us," Maurer said.

Mike Armintrout says the hardest thing to control this year hasn't been the people, but the weather.
"Rain...Mud...but it did not seem to deter any of the fans or the festival at all," said Event Marketing Director, Mike Armintrout.

"Once we started to get them in, they were waiting in line and chanting and cheering and I don't you think you could have found an unhappy person."

Sunday is the last day for the event and is open to the public at Three Sisters Park.
More than 200 Police officers will be on hand and want attendees to know, if they choose to break the law they will pay the consequences.

(CI News Now, http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/27-Arrested-At-Summer-Camp-122778104.html)

Summer Camp Guide: what not to do Part 1

For the rest of the week I will be posting a series of articles from the newspapers right before, during, and after Summer Camp 2011. This first one I posted a bit ago, but I'm re-posting it now in order with the rest. Read and realize...

(May 2011, By MATT BUEDEL AND ANDY KRAVETZ)

CHILLICOTHE —

The Summer Camp music festival that has become as synonymous with drugs for locals as tunes for out-of-towners led to a backlog at the Peoria County Jail.

Several police agencies patrolled Illinois Route 29, the main road to Three Sisters Park, on Thursday, the day before the first of about 60 bands were scheduled to take the stages at the three-day festival.
They pulled over vehicles for beads hanging from rear view mirrors obstructing views, for crossing solid yellow lines, for speeding or improper lane usage. As one officer spoke to the driver, a K-9 unit would pull up to walk a dog around the vehicle.

The types of drugs seized after the searches were as varied as the home states of those arrested for possession: marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, cocaine, Ecstasy, nitrous oxide and other unidentified pills, powders and paraphernalia from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

In all, 27 people were booked into the Peoria County Jail on felony drug charges by early Friday. Of those, 14 went before a judge Friday afternoon.

"We're trying to process them as quick as we can," said Peoria County Sheriff Mike McCoy.
Friday afternoon's bonding court took nearly an hour, well more than the usual 10 to 15 minutes, as each person appeared before Circuit Judge Timothy Lucas. Bonds were set ranging from $5,000 to $30,000. Only three cases, prosecutors indicated, resulted from an undercover agent trying to buy drugs while inside the park. Rather, nearly all came as a result of traffic violations.

Assistant State's Attorney Dave Kenny said this year's 14 charges on the first day of the music festival is comparable with last year's numbers, when 16 people were charged in connection with Summer Camp. In all last year, about three dozen people wound up facing a variety of charges, according to Journal Star archives.

Deputies brought at least one other festival-goer to jail Thursday night and booked him on a charge of criminal trespass to land after he apparently mistakenly tried to enter a Chillicothe home.

A resident in the 16400 block of North Second Street called police after Brendan C. McIlhone, 19, of Waunakee, Wis., came to the sliding glass door at the back of her home and wouldn't leave, according to a report.

When deputies found him there, he still refused to let go of the handle and said his mom wouldn't let him inside his home. After threatening him with a Taser, McIlhone let go. Asked where he thought he was, McIlhone said Madison, Wis.

To deal with the expected deluge of drug and other arrests from the festival, police and prosecutors will work together over the long weekend to process and charge those arrested. Two prosecutors from the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office are on call when normally one works the weekend.


Early arrests and charges
Police from a handful of agencies racked up almost 30 felony drug arrests Thursday of music fans headed to the Summer Camp festival at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe. Not all of those booked into the Peoria County Jail were formally charged Friday, though some did appear in bonding court.

Those who were charged had their bonds set and were scheduled for a June 23 preliminary hearing.
(Peoria Jounal Star, http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1293693199/Drug-arrests-pile-up-at-Summer-Camp)

How Long Do I Have to Worry About Being Arrested...

Have you ever wondered how long, after you did/were involved in something possibly illegal, the State's Attorney would have to file charges against you? Essentially, if you commit a crime tomorrow, how long do you have to be looking over your shoulder, knowing you could still be arrested, charged, and prosecuted for that/those crime(s)... The answer is, "it depends." Specifically, it depends on the type of crime (misdemeanor or felony) and then what type of crime exactly (for example, murder is a felony which has no statute of limitations, unlike other felonies which do), and finally, if there are any aggravating factors (factors which make the crime "worse" in the eyes of the State) which would extend the statute of limitations. See below for general information ... and then see the link at the bottom for for what can extend Illinois' criminal statute of limitations for certain crimes ... (thank you dear friend who advised me to post this information :) ...

(information last verified Dec. 2011)

General

• For the vast majority of crimes in Illinois, there is a fixed statute of limitations based solely on the date the crime was committed. For misdemeanors, minor crimes punishable by less than one year in jail, the statute of limitations is one year and six months from the commission of the crime. For felonies, the statute of limitations is three years from the commission of the crime. These are fixed unless the particular crime is limited differently by statute or has extended limitations.

None

• For particularly heinous, horrific or brutal crimes, there is no statute of limitations in
  Illinois. This means that you can be charged with this crime forever, from the date of the commission of the crime. The crimes with this designation are first-degree murder, attempt to commit first degree murder, second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving death or personal injuries, concealment of homicidal death, treason, arson, aggravated arson, forgery, child pornography and aggravated child pornography, under certain conditions.

Exceptions

• For some crimes, the legislature realizes that reporting the crime may be difficult for the victims. For these crimes, the clock starts running if the crime is reported within three years of its commission--longer with good reason--or the victim was murdered during the crime or within two years of the crime's commission. The offender's DNA profile must also be obtained within and entered into a database within 10 years of the commission of the offense. This exception involves any offense involving sexual conduct or sexual penetration.

Twenty Years

• Certain crimes, committed against a minor, carry a different statute of limitations based on the person's age. According to the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961, if you committed criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual abuse or felony criminal sexual abuse, you can be charged within 20 years. If the offense was a misdemeanor, the statute of limitations is 10 years, both limitations commencing after the child attains 18.

Financial

• For crimes involving theft of a person with whom you have a fiduciary relationship, the statute of limitations is within one year of the discovery of the event or, if the victim is a minor or disabled when it happened, prosecution must begin during the period of minority or disability or within one year of attaining majority. For misconduct of a public official, despite the conviction of several governors for public misconduct, in 2010, Illinois' statute of limitations is only one year after the discovery of the event and not to exceed three years for any reason.

See What can extend Illinois' criminal statute of limitations?

Read more: Illinois Criminal Statute of Limitations | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6537460_illinois-criminal-statute-limitations.html#ixzz1umERBclO
(eHow, http://www.ehow.com/about_6537460_illinois-criminal-statute-limitations.html)

"Breakfast In Collinsville" by Michael Reichert

Back in April I posted a piece regarding a traffic stop in Collinsville, IL which was recorded by the citizen involved and which sparked a controversy over how the search was conducted. Now that same citizen has filed a lawsuit. He also made a mini-movie about his ordeal which he posted online. This can be viewed below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJqq6KCOkdM&feature=player_embedded

Terrance Huff Files Lawsuit Against Illinois Police Officer Michael Reichert Over 'Trekkie Traffic Stop'

Back in April I posted a piece regarding a traffic stop in Collinsville, IL which was recorded by the citizen involved and which sparked a controversy over how the search was conducted. Now that same citizen has filed a lawsuit. Read on...

(May 2012, Radley Balko)
Filmmaker Terrance Huff has filed a lawsuit against the city of Collinsville, Illinois, and Collinsville police officer Michael Reichert over a traffic stop last December.

The suit was filed Tuesday morning in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. The Chicago law firm Meyer & Kiss is representing Huff and Jon Seaton, Huff's passenger at the time of the stop.

The Huffington Post first reported this story in March. In dash cam video Huff later posted to YouTube, Reichert appears to engage in a number of constitutionally suspect interactions with Huff and Seaton along Interstate 70, just across the border from St. Louis.

Louis Meyer, the attorney representing Huff and Seaton, told HuffPost via email that his investigation has turned up more complaints against Reichert.

"We have discovered that Officer Reichert has a pattern and practice of fabricating probable cause to try and justify illegal traffic stops," Meyer wrote. "After making these illegal traffic stops, Officer Reichert conducts illegal searches of the individuals and their vehicles. Once again, he fabricates probable cause by falsely claiming that his K9 'alerted' to the presence of drugs in the vehicle."
Meyer added that "others have come forward and are willing to testify regarding their encounters with this officer and how it affected them."

Collinsville city officials did not return a request for comment.

As HuffPost reported in March, the traffic stop raised a number of questions about law enforcement, the drug war and the Fourth Amendment. It occurred along a stretch of highway know to be a lucrative source of asset forfeiture revenue for state and local police departments. Defense attorneys told HuffPost that stops like the one depicted in Huff's video are common, and that police are known to manufacture traffic infractions to allow for such stops and then manufacture probable cause to conduct drug searches.

If police can establish even a slight connection to drug activity, officers can then seize drivers' cars and cash, with proceeds going back to the police department. Under Illinois law, it can be very difficult and expensive for an innocent person to have their property returned, particularly for motorists who are from out of state, like Huff.

HuffPost spoke with professional dog trainers who said that in the video, Reichert appears to prompt
his drug-sniffing dog to "alert" to the presence of narcotics in Huff's car. The dog alert gave Reichert probable cause to search Huff's car, but the search turned up no contraband.

HuffPost was also able to obtain records from one K9 unit with the Illinois State Police which show a high rate of false "alerts" with that unit over an 11-month period.

In 28 percent of cases in which the dog alerted, the subsequent hand search found no drugs at all. Another 36 percent of alerts resulted in the officer claiming to find "shake" or "residue" in quantities to small to measure. Because those searches didn't result in arrests, there were no lab tests to confirm that what the officers found was actually illegal drug residue. Just one in four drug dog "alerts" resulted in police finding a measurable quantity of illegal drugs.

HuffPost also reported that Reichert has a record of questionable conduct. A federal judge reprimanded Reichert for his testimony in another case in which he pulled over a motorist and claimed to have found probable cause to conduct a drug search, and both the local U.S. attorney's office and the county attorney's office expressed a lack of confidence in Reichert's integrity. Defense attorneys in the area told HuffPost that even among a group of police agencies already engaging in questionable stops and searches, Reichert is particularly notorious.

Shortly after the HuffPost report was published, Collinsville Police Chief Scott Williams told St. Louis Today that he stood behind Reichert, his department and the way local police agencies conduct stops and searches.

Williams said his department had received hundreds of emails and phone calls in response to the article, but dismissed most of them as "'anti-law enforcement' people."

Referring to the way Reichert instructed his drug-sniffing dog in the Huff video, Williams told the paper, "While some people may think it's distasteful, it's clearly not illegal."

Williams added, "Everything that we do is vetted through current law or Supreme Court rulings."
Williams didn't address Reichert's history in his interview with St. Louis Today. But since our initial report, HuffPost has received complaints from several other motorists who have been stopped by Reichert as well as other officers in the area. More local defense attorneys have also since said they too have had clients with stories similar to Huff's.

Meyer says he and Huff hope the lawsuit will prompt new training for police officers in the area, including proper discipline for officers who violate motorists' civil rights.
(Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/terrance-huff-michael-reichert-lawsuit-traffic-stop_n_1500394.html)

Chicago police refuse to make a single call on strange police video...

Chicago crime cameras being directed away from the police during questionable activity? I will be sure to follow this and update accordingly. Thank you to my dear friend who linked me to this :-) Read below.

(May 2012, Rob Wildeboer)

The Chicago Police Department is refusing to make any inquiries into a somewhat strange police video obtained by WBEZ. The footage shows a police blue light camera seemingly being diverted from an area where officers are rushing in to make arrests. WBEZ reported on the suspicious video several months ago and has repeatedly asked for more information, but the department has simply refused.

The footage comes from one of the police pod cameras, the blue light cameras put up in high crime neighborhoods. It shows the camera on a methodical, preprogrammed tour where it does a 360-degree rotation every minute. Then a call goes into the police precinct about a disturbance on the street. An officer somewhere takes control of the camera and ends up pointing it down the sidewalk and into some tree branches where nothing is visible. Ten minutes later when the camera returns to its regular rotation, there are no less than 19 police cars on the street, and all those officers, the arrests they made using force, none of it is caught on tape. So the question one at least has to ask is,

Did an officer intentionally divert the camera?

Several months ago when I was first reporting on this video I put that question – and several others --to Jonathan Lewin, who’s in charge of technology for the Chicago Police Department. His first answer kind of set the tone for the interview.

“Well, without talking specifically about this case or any specific details about this video clip, I’ll talk in general about cameras and how they work,” said Lewin.

Lewin was able to provide a lot of helpful information about the camera technology, but he wouldn’t talk about this particular video and he repeatedly made that clear saying, “And again I’m not talking about this case in particular but...” or, “and again I don’t know what happened in this case but….”

So Lewin wouldn’t talk about this footage, but he says there is oversight to make sure the cameras are not abused. Officers who control the cameras have user IDs and passwords. Lewin says, “All the usage is logged so, as in this case, any action that a camera operator takes is recorded and can then be reviewed later by a supervisor.”

So according to Lewin it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out who was controlling the camera that night.

After I interviewed Cmdr. Lewin I talked to the former head of the Chicago police, Jody Weis.

“Clearly there are some questions and somebody needs to ask those and find out how did this happen and then if it was intentionally diverted, okay, now we have to figure ways that that can’t happen,” Weis said.

Weis said when he was superintendent, he had trouble with cops turning off the cameras in their cars, and then when they’d get in accidents there would be no footage to prove anything one way or the other.

Over the past few months, I have been asking the department to find out what happened in this pod camera case, how this camera ended up pointed towards the trees, who moved it there and why. I wasn’t getting answers from the department’s press office, so I once brought the issue up with Superintendent Garry McCarthy when he was leaving our studios. McCarthy said there could be a completely innocent explanation. Perhaps the officer got called away from the controls and that’s why the camera was focused on nothing at all. I told him our listeners would like to know that, and if there’s a less innocent reason our listeners would like to know that as well. McCarthy told me to follow up with the press office.

After several more weeks and a number of inquiries on my part, police spokeswoman Maureen Biggane emailed me a statement saying the department stood by the information given by Cmdr. Lewin. But of course Cmdr. Lewin didn’t give me any information specific to this video; he talked simply in general terms.

In her written statement, Biggane also said, “An investigation was not conducted related to the use of the camera because there was no indication of improper use.” She said the department did not make a single call to check out what happened here.

Attorney Torri Hamilton said she is not terribly surprised by this lack of follow up.

She said it’s just one more example of the police department refusing to aggressively investigate potential misconduct. “They have something very easy they can look into and make a determination what happened here and they just don’t. I don’t know why. Wouldn’t they want to know that? Shouldn’t they want to know that?” asks Hamilton.

Hamilton is an attorney in Chicago, and she worked on the case that unearthed this police video. She’s been a Cook County prosecutor, and she was a senior supervising attorney for the City of Chicago’s law department where she defended police officers. Now she spends much of her time suing those officers and from all those experiences, she’s concluded that Chicago has a broken police accountability and disciplinary system. And it’s not that she’s just anti-cop. Hamilton says her mom was a police officer.

“My mom was a police officer that actually believed in doing things the way you’re supposed to do them and she actually believed in the constitution,” she said.

Hamilton said she thinks police officers think of themselves as warriors in the “trenches” doing a dangerous job together.

“And this is all true stuff, but where things go off the rails is when that leads to a mentality that therefore, they can bend the rules,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton said that trench mentality prevents good officers from reporting the misdeeds of the bad officers. And it means the bad cops don’t get weeded out. Hamilton said she sees the same officers named in lawsuits over and over.

“In a corporation this would never occur. It would just, it would never happen.,” said Hamilton. “The shareholders would never allow for the corporation to not remove this problem, and yet here in the city of Chicago we have to watch as our city does not do anything about these repeat offender police officers, again and again and again, and it’s disheartening.”

In a recent investigation by the Chicago Reporter, journalist Angela Caputo went through court records and found that of 441 cases in which the city paid out money in three-year period, one third of them involved repeaters. In fact, numerous officers were named in at least five cases. Caputo writes that one percent of the police department was responsible for 25 percent of the court payouts.

Attorney Torri Hamilton said when officers are named in several lawsuits, then the disciplinary system is broken. She said she recognizes that people make frivolous complaints against officers, but most of those get winnowed down by the time they get to court.

“When a complaint makes it as far as a lawsuit, an attorney has looked at it and has decided to take a chance on it and if a police officer has multiple, multiple lawsuits, it’s been my experience then when you then get the police officer’s complaint history, it’s large, there’s a lot of complaints against that police officer that never led to a lawsuit,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said there is a small group of officers in Chicago, about 600, who have racked up multiple complaints. She said it’s not that they’re making all of the arrests while the other 10,000 cops on the force do nothing. She said they’re getting repeated complaints because they’re doing something wrong and the department refuses to address the problem.

(WBEZ91.5, http://www.wbez.org/programs/eight-forty-eight/2012-05-09/chicago-police-refuse-make-single-call-strange-police-video)

The Current Bill Trying to Be Passed re: Illinois Eavesdropping Law

Here is some more detailed information on SB 1808, which attempts to balance the "reasonable expectation of privacy and the First Amendment by allowing citizens to audio record law enforcement officers performing public duties in public places." See below...

"7th Circuit Instructs District Court to Issue a Preliminary Injunction on Illinois Eavesdropping Law in ACLU Case"

The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago has issued an order asking the district court to issue a preliminary injunction enjoining the Cook County State's Attorney from applying the Illinois eavesdropping statute against the ACLU and its employees or agents for openly recording law enforcement officers who are performing their official duties in public places. The court held that Illinois' eavesdropping law "likely violates" the First Amendment. The opinion is available here. The Illinois State Bar Association is opposed to the law and supports SB 1808 - which would allow a citizen to audio and video record police officers performing public duties in public places. More information on SB 1808 is below.

The Facts on Illinois’ Eavesdropping Law: Support SB 1808 as amended by HA #1

Q: What is this bill trying to address?
A: Illinois eavesdropping law allows a citizen to video-record (film) a law enforcement officer doing public duty in a public place but makes it a Class 1 felony if the citizen audio-records the same public activity. Senate Bill 1808 strikes the right balance between the reasonable expectation of privacy and the First Amendment by allowing citizens to audio record law enforcement officers performing public duties in public places.
Q: What do Illinois’ courts have to say about the current eavesdropping law?
A: It has been struck down as unconstitutional by two Illinois circuit courts (Cook & Crawford). Also, a federal district court in Massachusetts struck down a similar law and awarded damages to the citizen for being prosecuted.
Q: Are there any provisions in this bill to protect law enforcement officers if recordings are intentionally altered and used as a basis for a complaint of misconduct by the officer?
A: Yes. If a person does do that, then the recording must be presented to the State’s Attorney for possible prosecution. This is identical to how complaints against law enforcement officers are handled under Illinois law that are based on false testimony.
Q: What does this have to do with the First Amendment?
A: Everything. The First Amendment is the right of the citizens that is often exercised by the media. This is one reason why the City of Chicago has wisely decided not to enforce the current eavesdropping law during this month’s NATO Summit in Chicago.
Q: Will this thwart law enforcement officers from doing their jobs?
A: No, the law enforcement officers already seal off crime scenes, and citizens who refuse to honor that may be arrested. The bill also creates an exception for private places where officers do have a reasonable expectation of privacy (their private offices).
Q: Does this bill compromise law enforcement officer safety?
A: No. Citizens may already film officers now in public places doing public work; how does allowing them to audio-record change that dynamic? Chicago Police Superintendent McCarthy has stated that he “…endorses video and audio recording.” (“McCarthy: It’s good to record officers,” Pallasch & Emmanuel, Chicago Sun-Times, January 20, 2012.)
Q: Who supports this bill?
A: The public likes this bill. The State Journal-Register, The Southern, Chicago Sun-Times, and Chicago Tribune have all editorialized in support of this measure. Proponents are the Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Press Association, American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Press Photographers Association.
(Illinois State Bar Association, http://iln.isba.org/blog/2012/05/08/7th-circuit-instructs-district-court-issue-preliminary-injunction-illinois-eavesdrop)

Court Orders Ban on Enforcement of Illinois Eavesdropping Law

With the upcoming NATO summit this weekend in Chicago, Chicago police officers were already planning on not arresting violators of the Eavesdropping Law during the NATO summit itself. Now, with this recent Illinois Appellate Court ruling, the temporary ban on enforcing the Law (while it's ultimate constitutionality is determined by the courts) now applies throughout the 7th Circuit and (possibly) throughout Illinois. Read below for more information...

(May 2012, Ryan Haggerty)
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the controversial Illinois law prohibiting people from making audio recordings of police officers in public "likely violates" the First Amendment and ordered that Cook County prosecutors be prevented from enforcing it.

The ruling from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago is the strongest blow yet to the state's eavesdropping law, which critics had feared could be used to arrest protesters who record police during the May 20-21 NATO summit.

The ruling follows last month's announcement by Chicago's corporation counsel that the city would not enforce the law during the NATO summit, when thousands of people are expected to demonstrate in the city.

The law makes it a felony to record audio of any conversation without the consent of all parties. It carries stiffer sentences — up to 15 years in prison — if a police officer is recorded without his or her knowledge, but it does not prevent people from recording silent video of police.

In its ruling, the appeals court said the law is "the broadest of its kind" in the country and "likely violates the First Amendment's free-speech and free-press guarantees."

The law "restricts far more speech than necessary to protect legitimate privacy interests," wrote Judge Diane S. Sykes, who was joined in the decision by Judge David F. Hamilton. Judge Richard A. Posner dissented.

The ruling stated that Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez staked out "an extreme position" in her support of the law.

"She contends that openly recording what police officers say while performing their duties in traditional public (places) — streets, sidewalks, plazas and parks — is wholly unprotected by the First Amendment," according to the ruling, which calls the stance "an extraordinary argument."

Officials at the state's attorney's office were still reviewing the 66-page ruling Tuesday afternoon and had no immediate comment, spokeswoman Sally Daly said.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in 2010 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois that sought a preliminary injunction barring Cook County prosecutors from enforcing the eavesdropping law.

A federal district judge denied the request, prompting the ACLU to appeal to the 7th Circuit. Tuesday's ruling requires the lower court to issue a preliminary injunction preventing Cook County prosecutors from enforcing the law, a process that usually takes at least three weeks.

The state's attorney's office could seek a rehearing of the decision by the same three-judge panel or a review by the entire appellate court.

Judge Posner, in his dissent, wrote that the ruling could "impair the ability of police both to extract information relevant to police duties and to communicate effectively" with people in public.

Harvey Grossman, legal director of the ACLU of Illinois, said the ruling is crucial because so many people carry smartphones capable of recording video and quickly posting it online.

"I think it's a very, very persuasive opinion that enforcing the Illinois law in this manner would run afoul of the Constitution," Grossman said.

Debate over the law picked up in August, when a Cook County jury acquitted a woman charged with recording Chicago police internal affairs investigators she believed were trying to dissuade her from filing a sexual harassment complaint against an officer.

In February, the McLean County state's attorney cited flaws in the law when he dropped charges against a man accused of recording an officer during a traffic stop. Circuit judges in Cook and Crawford counties also have recently declared the law unconstitutional.

In the Cook County case, the defendant was Chris Drew, 61, an artist who was charged with eavesdropping after he recorded police who arrested him in 2009 for selling artwork on a downtown street without a permit. Drew died of lung cancer Monday, said his attorney, Joshua Kutnick.

Tuesday's appellate ruling is in line with a recent decision from another federal appeals court and the position of the federal Department of Justice.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled last year that people have a right to record police working in public after a man was arrested by Boston police for recording them while they arrested another person on the Boston Common. The city settled a lawsuit stemming from the case for $170,000 last month, according to the ACLU.

In January, the Department of Justice argued in a Maryland case that "the First Amendment protects the rights of private citizens to record police officers during the public discharge of their duties."

Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy has said he doesn't object to allowing people to record police working in public, but the city's police union has opposed efforts to change the law. A union spokesman didn't return a call seeking comment on Tuesday's ruling.

State legislators are considering a bill that would allow people to record police officers working in public.
(Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-eavesdropping-court-ban-20120509,0,4770453.story)

People At Festivals (remixed and awesome)

Aside from hanging out with your existing friends, the new people you meet at festivals and shows are one of the best things about the scene. Below are two different takes on people you will meet in the scene. The first is from our friends at Festival Survival Guide and is about, I'd say, categories you could put all your camp buddies in; the second is about Coachella people but it could really apply to the music scene in general and, what I'd say, is categories oeople outside the scene might group people inside the scene in to. Really interesting and short and sweet. Read below...

"The Five People You'll Meet at a Festival"
(May 2012, "Kathy Jo Camp")
So many people have written jerky jokes about all the annoying people in our scene, but what about all the amazing people you meet at a festival? Here are the five best people you need on your crew. You may have all five of these people at your campsite, but if you don’t, it’s a good excuse to make some new friends!

5. The “Hold it down-er”: This is the guy who always seems to be at the campsite. Day and night, he can always be found, holding down the fort. He serves as a landmark to those passing by. He knows where to find anything you’re looking for. He knows the names and home states of all the camping neighbors. He is always available with stories of all the shows he’s been to that year, and knows all the bands coming to your city. He may not have actually witnessed any music, but he was there! Is he going to the show later? Maybe…stop by his chair and we’ll see.

4. The “McGuyver”: This person is ultra handy to have around the campsite. They can fix virtually anything within seconds using only their wits and some duct tape. Oops, we forgot or tent poles! Don’t worry, I’ll just fashion a tent out of this rope and leftover beer cans…

3. The “Mom”: This is the guy or gal who always makes sure everyone is taken care of. They always have a full water bottle, some snacks, and sunblock at the ready. They have the stage schedule highlighted with the sets everyone wants to see, and their cell phone is always charged. Stick with them, and you’ll never end up sleeping on top of someone’s car with no pants…

2. The “Super-Hippie”: This is your resident green guy, the one who always packs the biodegradable camping soap and different colored bags for recyclable materials. They will bring the best vegan pasta salad and hummus wraps. If you need some bubbles or fairy dust, they got ya covered. Can I borrow some bug spray? Sure, it’s organic!

1. The “Party-Starter”: What time is it? Party time! Sun up to sun down, this is the friend who is bringing the energy and excitement. First thing in the morning, don’t worry about that hangover. They have already prepared a pitcher of mimosas and a Bloody Mary bar, and are now gathering the neighbors for a Bocce Ball tournament. You will always find them dancing at the show and bringing back beers after every bathroom break. Thank you Party-Starter for keeping it fun!

Which one are you? Whether you’re crazy, lazy, or super prepared, thank you for making the music festival experience a thing of beauty!

"7 Types of People at Coachella"
(April 2012, Dashiell Driscoll)
Please don't bring your baby to Coachella.

Hopeless Drug Addicts

The majority of Coachella attendees fall under this category. They know their lineup before any artists are announced. For these people, Coachella is less about seeing music with your friends and more about turning off your cell phone and peaking on mushrooms in the security line. Music festival my ass, Coachella is a drug festival with some noises in the background. Before anyone tries to say music is a drug, please save that argument. It’s not technically a drug unless you can buy it by the gram. Just ask alcohol.

 

Bro's

Bro’s at Coachella are the worst. They spend the festival shirtless so as to expose their sweet muscles and poorly thought out tattoos. They pound $7 Heinekens all day then take drugs they bought in the parking lot and head to the Sahara tent. Once inside, they will try to fuck anything without a dick and fight anyone that threatens their space. It’s all a very bizarre and predictable mating ritual. If aliens have a channel like Animal Planet that’s all about humans, they probably have several documentaries on the subject of bro’s at music festivals.

Industry Assholes

Wander into the VIP area and you will find industry assholes in abundance at Coachella. It’s pretty considerate of Paul Tollett (big shoutout to Paul Tollett for no Justice/Snoop & Dre conflict) to put all of these losers behind a fence. These people usually don’t pay for their tickets, which is fair considering they don’t see any bands all weekend. They show up at night after attending pool parties all day then hang out in their little zone waiting for an intern to recognize them. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

Dirty Hippies

And you will know them by the trail of their dreads. Camping at Coachella sucks because it’s dirty and gross, but these filthy hippies don’t mind. The nicest part of the campgrounds is actually the showers. That’s because so few people bother using them over the course of 3 days and 4 nights. These creatures are generally harmless, they just raise some big questions: where do they go for the rest of the year? How do they pay for these tickets and sandals? Still waiting for the episode of Ancient Aliens that explains this.

Kids on Ecstasy

If your child leaves the house on Friday morning, Indio bound with nothing but a neon bathing suit and some glow sticks, tell them they’re grounded forever. Every year I see groups of unsupervised children that make Hunter S. Thompson look like the patron saint of moderation. Take it easy on your brains, future leaders of America! Your teenage years will rob you of your serotonin and fill you with sexual urges whether you want them to or not. You don’t need pills for that yet.

 

 

People With Babies

I have seen the most lackluster minds of my generation multiply then bring their progeny to Coachella. What the fuck is wrong with these people? Leave your baby at home. Maybe leave the part of your life where you went to Coachella in your past. Just don’t stroll your baby into the beer garden and be surprised when I look at you like you’re everything that’s wrong with the world.

 

 

Music Lovers

Rumor has it that a long time ago people went to Coachella for music. Legend says that some of this endangered species still wanders the polo fields every April. I don’t know. I'm not sure I buy it. The sentence, "I only go to Coachella for the music," makes me think of the words, "I only read Playboy for the articles," because they're both things that nobody has ever said. If you really do attend Coachella just for the music, more power to you. And more drugs for everyone else

(Festival Survival Guide, http://festivalsurvivalguide.com/the-five-people-youll-meet-at-a-festival)
(Funny or Die, http://www.funnyordie.com/lists/164f45b13b/7-types-of-people-at-coachella)

Surviving a Summer Tour

Considering going on tour with one or some of your favorite bands this summer? If so, read below...

(2012, Eli B Neal)

Surviving a single music festival can be a challenge. Incessant rage blurs days into a single flashing and vibrating mass of music echoing across the walls of your skull, waking up with a splitting headache to the realization that the night before you spent $150 dollars on $7 beers, chill cheese dogs and glowing trinkets, the burn of your calves from days spent rushing blindly from one stage to the next, the inevitable loss, destruction or damaging of at least one electronic device, the similar fate of your consciousness. It can be hard. But you can survive almost anything you might put your mind, body and wallet through in a single festival. There is always the long car ride home, dozing lightly against the window, waiting for your own bed at the end of the road.

Surviving a summer tour, however, is another matter entirely. It is an art.
If you are a person who enjoys music festivals there is the strong possibility you have considered an extended nationwide, or region wide, festival tour. The idea of an entire summer spent with the road rolling past your window, knowing the next 30,000 person party is only a few hundred miles of pavement away, an entire summer spent dancing and celebrating, is an undeniably romantic one. It is one that planned properly can be among the funnest and most rewarding things a person can do. Poorly executed however it’s liable to leave you half-crazed and totally broke, begging for burritos outside a Furthur show you can’t afford a ticket to.

Planning is crucial.

1. Cars are expensive
If you plan on spending an entire summer driving across the country definitely have the most gas efficient car you can get your hands on, and plan on having as many people as you can fit in it. With gas at close to $4 a gallon you’ll be eaten alive by gas costs without enough people. You should also try to have back up money specifically for potential car repairs, if you don’t drive the most reliable car.

Remember that there are often many people at a festival attempting to get to the next one who do not have a ride. Consider posting a sign by your campsite advertising your next destination. Odds are you can make a new friend and cut your gas cost.

If you do not have friends to travel with you, you may want to consider calculating if it is even financial feasible to take your car. As described above it is not hard to find rides at a festival. A technique that has always worked well for me is posting signs advertising where I need to go with my phone number on them. I was always able to get to the next festival or city I needed to easily and safely. I also met some amazing people and once had as much fun travelling to Bonaroo, and hanging out for three days in a Walmart parking lot, as I did at Bonarroo.
Grey Hound and Amtrak are also invaluable ways to get around the country.

2. Don’t carry your valuables .
This is a valuable tip even if you are only going to a single festival. While it’s tempting to carry your brand new i-phone around with you to shoot video, ultimately better quality video of the same show will surface on YouTube. As far as actually calling anyone or using your phone to find your friends, the odds are very minimal at best. Your ID, debit card and phone are best left locked in your car or hidden very cleverly inside your tent. If you have a few too many bourbons and lose your wallet at Panic replacing your ID and debit card will be very difficult, if not impossible, while you are in the middle of a nationwide tour. If you do lose something of value check the lost and found religiously; hippies tend to be pretty good about turning phones and IDs in.

3. Have places to stop and rest along the way.
While it is possible to rage directly from one festival to the next for weeks and weeks on end during the summer festival season, it may not necessarily be advisable. Taking a weekend off between festivals can be an immense help in surviving a summer tour. Try planning your tour so you have a friendly place to stop and recover for a few nights, or even a week, where you’ll be able to sleep as long as you want and not have the front desk trying to kick you out at 11 am. This tip may be less crucial if you only plan on going to a couple of festivals, however, if you’re planning an entire summer tour having places to stay in several cities can be helpful as no one can afford an entire summer of motels and hostels, no matter how cheap they are. Also research state and national parks along your route where you will be able to camp for free or very low cost.

4. You don’t have to see every single show.
When you are only going to a single festival the impulse is often to attend every show you possibly can. As a result you’re raging around from noon til four am, and after a few days of that you’re completely and totally exhausted. When you are going to several however remember that there will be hundreds more shows coming your way this summer and it isn’t essential to see every single show you can drag yourself to. Be aware of what bands will be at multiple festivals you’re attending; this will also help you to ensure you don’t miss a good band you won’t have another opportunity to see because you were at Bassnectar, who’s going to be at the next three festivals.

5. Have a way to make money, you WILL spend all your savings.
Having sufficient savings for your festival run is definitely crucial; a festival run can be an incredibly costly venture. Make sure you have the money to buy ALL your tickets before setting out on the road and of course a sizable chunk of change for gas, food, and the inevitable hoard of trinkets, clothes and posters you are going to want to buy along the way. However, no matter how much you save the odds are by the end of the run you are going to be down to the very last of what you saved for the trip, if not completely broke. Having a way to generate income on the road will help you to slow the bleeding, or maybe even make a little money. This tip is an essential part of touring, and one of the main reasons Dead Heads and Phish fans have been able to tour for years without stopping. There are plenty of ways to make money on lot without breaking the law, well at least without selling illegal things. Selling cheap food or drinks is always an easy way to make some extra gas money.

Try not to party too hard between festivals.
Just because you have an entire handle of whiskey and a thirty pack left over after Wakarusa doesn’t mean you have to consume them before you get to Bonarroo. While it’s certainly ok to have some fun between your festivals try to keep in mind that between festivals you should be recuperating and storing up energy as much as you possibly can. Coming into a festival with a massive hangover on day one isn’t going to help anyone.

(Festival Survival, http://festivalsurvivalguide.com/surviving-a-summer-tour)

Organizing a Music Festival - Legal and Other Considerations

While the following is from Australia, the concepts and issues it raises would pertain to the organization of a music festival in the U.S. as well...see what I'm talking about...

Arts Law Information Sheet -Organizing a festival

This information sheet and checklist provides an overview of some of the most important issues you need to consider in relation to the organisation of a festival. You can use it as the basis for putting together a business plan or for your own checklist when putting together the festival.

In this information sheet:

1. Introduction
2. Business issues
   1. Role & festival objectives
   2. Business structures
   3. How will decisions be made?
   4. Budgets
   5. Raising the money
3. Liability issues
   1. Employees and volunteers
   2. Other issues
4. Creative Issues
   1. Intellectual Property
5. Checklist
6. Further information

Introduction

When you organise a festival on your own or get together with a group of other people to organise a festival there are a lot of legal issues you will need to consider beyond the artistic and creative considerations.
This information sheet and checklist provides an overview of some of the most important issues you will need to consider and can be used as the basis for putting together a business plan or your own checklist to be used when putting together the festival. At the back of this document is a checklist that can be used by festival organisers and participants as they organise the festival. You will need to seek more detailed advice in relation to the issues raised in this information sheet.

Business issues

Role & festival objectives

There are a number of things that should be considered when putting together a festival and the purpose is one of the most important. Whilst this may not seem like a legal issue, the purpose of the festival may indicate what type of business structure you will chose. You should consider:

• What is the purpose of the festival? This should be set out in the business plan.
• What are the objectives of the festival? Is the main objective to make a profit, or to promote the arts?
• Is it a one-off or recurrent event?
• What role will you take on? Will you be the manager?
• What roles will other people play? What kind of responsibilities will they have?
• Where will the festival take place?

Business structures

The business structure of the festival organising body is extremely important. This means taking into account tax considerations, the liabilities of the organisers and whether the organisation wants to organise the festival on a profit or non-profit basis. If the festival organisers are planning on applying for funding then they may want to consider incorporating as a non-profit organisation so they can apply for funding grants. Choosing a business structure means considering the pros and cons of different structures and what best suits the organisation and its aims. Some of the options include:

• Incorporated Association;
• Co-operative;
• Company limited by guarantee; and
• Proprietary limited company.

For further information on business structures please contact Arts Law to discuss the different options available and what best suits your organisation.

How will decisions be made?

Will they be made by the Festival Manager or Director, or by group discussion? And who will be responsible for making the financial and administrative decisions? If you are an incorporated organisation, such as an incorporated association or a company limited by guarantee then your structure will dictate the type of decision making process you need to follow.

Budgets

Preparing a detailed budget is really important. You should try and get as many quotes as possible and get hard figures to include in your budget.

Raising the money

If your festival will be funded by a funding body, such as a State, Territory or Commonwealth funding body, you should communicate with them and find out exactly what the funding body requires. Make sure you find out early so that you can take these requirements into account and then report back to the funding body later on. If your organisation is not an incorporated body you will need to consider whether your organisation will need to be auspiced? If this is the case you should draw up an agreement with the auspicing body. See the Arts Law sample Auspicing Agreement for guidance on putting together an agreement.
You will also need to keep detailed records of funding and money coming in and money spent on the festival. If the funding bodies grant you money, they will want to know how it has been spent. For example, most funding bodies will require you to provide an acquittal and report back on how the funding was spent and to make sure you account for all the money. Most commercial sponsors will also want to receive financial statements and will require you to report how their money has been spent. You will also need to keep comprehensive records for tax purposes.

Liability issues

Is there are a risk management plan in place? Are warning signs to be used or given? Are waivers with participants to be used? The festival organisation (if it is incorporated) and/or the festival organisers may be liable if someone is injured during the festival. Risk management plans should be developed and festival organisers should seriously consider whether or not they need to obtain insurance.
If the festival organisation does not incorporate then the members of the group may be personally liable for any financial losses or any damages that flow from the festival. If the festival is small the group may decide that the risk is small, but if the project is fairly large then further advice on risk management and liability should be sought.
Some of the different types of insurance that may be needed to protect members of the group organising the festival include: public liability; property & equipment; product liability; transit; income protection; directors & officers; workers compensation; volunteers; professional indemnity; non-appearance; cancellation and abandonment. For further information see the Arts Insurance Handbook, available from Arts Law. The insurance costs will also need to be included in the budget.
It may also be worth considering what will happen if the festival makes a loss and who will be responsible. This will depend on the type of business structure you choose and whether the individual festival organisers are liable for the loss or whether the organisation is liable.

Employees and volunteers

How will income be allocated? How will organisers, performers and workers be paid? Will they be paid during the festival or afterwards? Will their payment be based on a salary? Will you have volunteers who are unpaid? You will need to take into consideration your obligations to both employees and volunteers.

Other issues

Other issues such as tax obligations, venue hire, liquor licensing, and safety issues for fireworks and the provision of food and beverages at the festival will also need to be taken into consideration.

Creative Issues

Now the fun begins! Beyond the nitty-gritty of the business issues of running a festival you will need to think about the legal issues that surround the more creative aspects of the festival.

Intellectual Property

There will need to be clear consideration of the different types of intellectual property you will be dealing with during the festival. You will need to consider who owns works that are created for the purpose of the festival and who owns works that you would like to use as part of the festival. For example, if artists at the festival intend to perform material written by other people you will need to get clearances and licences to perform these works. Or if the works are made for the festival by individuals or as a collaborative project, it is important to decide who owns the rights.
For more information contact Arts Law.

(Arts Law Center of Australia, http://www.artslaw.com.au/info-sheets/info-sheet/organising-a-festival/)