Drug Deaths in Italy and LA Provoke Renewed Crackdown
Italian superclub Cocoricò was forced to shut down for four months this week after local authorities decided the Rimimi venue was at least partially responsible for the death of a 16 year old reveller believed to have taken ecstasy.
“This decision (to shutter Cocorico) sets an example for the future and has gone as we hoped,” Riccione Mayor Renata Tosi told reporters.
“Now a period of soul-searching must begin among citizens, among political leaders and the club operators, about how we got to this point,” she declared. (Guardian )
The club closure happened as L.A. county supervisors voted to consider banning raves from council properties after two clubbers died, after taking suspected overdoses at a Hard Summer/ EDM event staged at L.A. County Fairgrounds.
Supervisor Hilda Solis told the LA Times the results of study will be presented within two weeks
“As we move forward, more measures need to be considered to create a safe environment for all patrons and a zero tolerance for illicit drugs,” she said. (LA Times)
Hard Summer fans responded immediately by launching an online petition ‘Requesting Not To Ban Festivals In Los Angeles County’ .
“This petition is not about forgetting the loss of 2 beautiful teenage lives. We understand that Tracy Nguyen,18 and Katie Dix, 19 had wonderful and happy lives that were taken away too soon,” the petition’s statement of intent began.
“The purpose of this petition is make the people of Los Angeles County understand that you CANNOT place blame on festivals for the tragic accident that occurred. We ask that you don’t use festivals as easy way out of a problem. The problems is not the festivals, it’s the drugs,” they pointed out.
