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County Supervisor Calls for Moratorium on Raves at L.A. Coliseum [Updated]
At the Electric Daisy Festival on Saturday | Photo by Nadia Kovacs/LAist
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At the Electric Daisy Festival on Saturday | Photo by Nadia Kovacs/LAist
Following the death of a teenage girl who attended this weekend's Electric Daisy Carnival at the L.A. Coliseum, a Los Angeles County Supervisor is calling for a moratorium on raves at the location. 15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez was one of the over 100 people transported to local hospitals during the event, which drew around 185,000 people. She died Tuesday afternoon.
Yesterday, prior to Sasha's death, medical professionals spoke out with concerns about a rave and concert event like Electric Daisy Carnival being held at a venue like the Coliseum, which is on public land and operated by city, county, and state commission.
“The general public deserves to be assured that when the Coliseum’s tenants stage an event, the health and safety of the promoter’s patrons are protected," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said in a letter to Coliseum Commission President Barry Sanders. "Clearly, there was a breakdown at the Electric Daisy Carnival which put the public at risk.”
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Sanders is expected to schedule a special meeting of commission to discuss issues surrounding the festival. Yaroslavky hopes the moratorium is considered.
[Update: Sanders has placed a temporary ban on entering into agreements with raves until the commission meets and decides whether or not to place a moratorium on them, according to the LA Times. It is unclear if this or a moratorium would affect the Love Festival, scheduled for August 21st next door at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.]
But some think forcing the Electric Daisy Carnival or other small raves out of the coliseum could make things worse. "Kick them out and they'll wind up doing the same drugs at underground raves in more dangerous places without any medical assistance on hand," noted one commenter on LAist's Facebook page. Another commenter noted that drugs happen at most all music events.
A commission meeting hasn't been set yet, but some are saying it could happen on July 11th.
Lindsay William-Ross contributed to this article
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