Pubdate: Thu, 09 Oct 2003
Source: Hour Magazine (CN QU)
Copyright: 2003, Communications Voir Inc.
Contact:  http://www.hour.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/971

FEEL THIS, OFFICER

After last summer's failed attempt to crush the city's afterhours 
nightclubs, the city of Montreal and the police department are now 
targeting the city's original legal afterhours event, Montreal's famed 
Black & Blue circuit party.

BBCM head honcho Robert Vezina told Hour this week that his non-profit 
organization will foot $25,000 worth of double-time police charges so cops 
can stand around while his security team searches Black & Blue partygoers 
for drugs. Worse, at press time, police said they would also search women's 
brassieres and men's underwear.

"We were the first afterhours event to be approved by the city and police 
back in 1991," Vezina rants. "We have always met with police to see what is 
acceptable behaviour. We kick out all drug dealers. No bags, no coats. The 
ground rules were developed in partnership with the police.

"Then three years ago police had a new way of doing things and if we didn't 
agree, they would deny all permit requests. They imposed the rules 
unilaterally: Every single person must be searched. They also had 
undercover cops. They said we had to foot the bills and we did. Now they 
want us to pay for 10 to15 uniformed officers standing at the door doing 
nothing while our security team does all the work."

Vezina contrasts that with the 50,000 people who attended last summer's 
outdoor Metallica concert. "There were no searches. There was alcohol 
on-site. It was a huge mess. Police were not present except for basic 
services. So why are they concentrating on a gay fundraising event with 
just 12,000 people? It's all out of proportion."

At press time Vezina was appealing to the Quebec minister of public 
security and was filing a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights 
Commission. Vezina says city councillor Peter Yeomans, who oversees the 
police department, told him three times there is nothing he can do.

"The cops want to make a public splash to show they're fighting drugs but 
they're targeting the wrong event," Vezina says. "Basically they've told 
us, 'Fuck you.'"

RICHARD BURNETT

Black & Blue at the Olympic Stadium, Oct. 12
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman