Partygoers, organizers say police overreacted with mass citations

BY JEFF WILFORD, Journal Times, Nov. 5, 2002

Monday, November 4, 2002 10:53 PM CST

RACINE -- Laser lights flashed through the air and hundreds of young people gyrated to the throbbing beat pumped out by 16 DJs at the Tradewinds Village. The party had been going on for close to three hours when, Racine police said, Ryan Keller walked up to two undercover officers and asked if they wanted "something."

Keller told them he had "K" or "X" -- street slang for the drugs Ketamine and Ecstasy -- and they could have some too, for a price.

Keller, 21, from Bartlett, Ill., sold the officers a bag of what he said was Ketamine for $20.

Less than a half-hour later, between 20 and 25 uniformed Racine police officers moved into the building at 1518 Washington Ave. They arrested Keller and two other people on drug charges, and shut the party down. Police issued a total of 445 citations, for almost $1,000 each, charging everybody there with being patrons of a disorderly house.

Four other people were cited for running a disorderly house, said Sgt. William Macemon, a Racine police spokesman.

For police, they had broken up a textbook example of a rave -- a party known for its loud music, frenetic dancing and sometimes unabashed drug use. For partygoers, it was an example of police excess.

For Gary Thompson, executive director of the Uptown Theater Group, which organized the party, it was a disaster.

"Our organization's name is completely ruined," he said. "Tradewinds' name is completely ruined."

Thompson said he has contacted the American Civil Liberties Union about helping the Uptown Theater Group and the partygoers who were cited.

Thompson said he and the Uptown Theater Group had planned the party for weeks, distributing fliers, advertising it on their Web site (thehauntedtheater.com) and even sending out press releases.

On Friday, police called the Uptown Theater Group to tell them they could not have the party at the theater, as planned. They scrambled to find a new place.

They found Tradewinds Village, just down the street.

Police were led to the party by a tip from the U.S. Customs Service. Macemon would not say what the tip was. He didn't know when police received it.

Thompson and partygoers were angered at what they said was police overreaction. Although only three people, out of close to 450, were arrested for having or selling drugs, everyone was cited for it.

"To blame our organization, to blame our event, to blame 445 other people in there, for the three bad apples, it's just disgusting," Thompson said.

Macemon said the disorderly house citations stemmed from the drug use. The ordinance applies to any party that is disruptive or violates city ordinances or state laws. In this case, undercover police officers saw other examples of drug activity beyond the three men arrested, although Macemon couldn't say how prevalent drugs were.

According to the disorderly house ordinance, people who are reasonably aware of drug use should leave, Macemon said. Those who don't could be cited.

Laura Daluga, 18, and James Werdeniuk, 22, came up from the Chicago suburbs to go the party. They arrived around midnight. Neither one saw anybody using or selling drugs, but they were cited like everyone else.

"I tried telling them, I've been at this event only 15 minutes, there's no way I could've known any of this was going on," Werdeniuk said.

Both Daluga and Werdeniuk volunteer for an organization called DanceSafe, which tries to educate people at raves and nightclubs about drug abuse.

Part of the disagreement also focuses on the use of the word "rave." Police said the party was a rave. Thompson said it wasn't. Daluga said it was a rave, but that raves aren't necessarily drug-soaked dance parties.

Meanwhile, Keller made his initial appearance in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday. He was charged with possession of Ketamine with intent to deliver; delivery of Ketamine; possession of Ecstasy with intent to deliver; and resisting an officer.

Court Commissioner James Drummond ordered Keller to be held in jail on $15,000 cash bond.

Two other people -- Dylan Engel, 22, of West Allis, and Corey Stephens, 21, of Freemont -- were also arrested. Engel was arrested for felony possession of Ecstasy. Stephens was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Racine police are still investigating.

Special Offer: Get 5 Weeks of the Journal Times for $7!