It's been reported that Toronto Police have launched a homicide investigation into the the two drug related deaths and thirteen hospitalizations of attendees of the Veld Music Festival that occurred over the last weekend. After an appeal to the public on Monday, police were able to recover samples of the drugs in question which could help in tracking down the source. On an optimistic note, all thirteen of of those hospitalized are on the road to recovery and should survive.
Opportunistic politicians have already started attacking the promoters Ink Entertainment as well other local politicians who been more supportive of electronic music festivals in the past. Ink countered by threatening a defamation lawsuit against the politician in question and the matter may disappear for a time, but it also reveals a potential serious threat to festivals and the dance music industry in North America.
With deaths at EDC, Ultra, Electric Zoo, Hard, Camp Bisco, Veld, and the Mad Decent Block Party in the last few years, to name a few, we do not just risk a serious backlash, but are already experiencing it. One need only look at the struggles that took place in Miami after this year's Ultra or more recently after Electric Adventure in New Jersey to see how organizational and security issues can put events in the crosshairs of local governments. There's also the more immediate treat of lawsuits of the kind that killed Camp Bisco.
People my age will remember the rave backlash that took place in Canada and the United States at the turn of the millennium and led to serious crackdowns and legislation like the RAVE Act that set the scene back a generation.
This phenomenon is untenable. Sooner or later the general public is going to start paying attention and it won't be pretty.
