Drug Arrests at Music Concerts – What to do?
It is often viewed as a part of youth culture to attend music concerts and try molly, MDMA, weed, and other drugs. However, both drug arrests and drug testing kits such as marquis reagents and ehrlich reagents are common at such events, and it is important for you to protect yourself from police and from harmful drugs. It may seem like a lot of people at such concerts are breaking the law. However, this fact alone does not protect you from an arrest or from drug charges.
A good criminal defense lawyer will encourage you to obey the law. However, if you do find yourself in trouble, the advice from a lawyer will always be to invoke your right to remain silent and not to consent to any search. Too often a suspect will make the case for the police by incriminating himself or herself. It may seem like such cooperation will earn leniency but this is seldom the case. Note: if the arresting officer tests your molly using a specialized testing kit.
The law enforcement at music concerts can vary widely. Sometimes the primary presence at such an event is the private security provided by the venue itself. Sometimes, the local county or city government will provide reserve officers to police the concert. Other times, specialized drug detectives will be wearing plain clothes or undercover operations.
An arrest at such a music concert can be very intimidating. Arrestees are usually brought to the local jail in the nearby county or city. This can often be a strange location, and out-of-towners may not know anyone in the locale much less a good local lawyer. Usually, a person that is arrested will be seen by a judge the next day so conditions of release can be set. A local judge will usually consider whether a person has a history of prior drug arrests. A judge will also consider the ties or connections that an individual has to the community when setting bail. This second factor can often work against a concertgoer because concertgoers often are visiting from out of town.
When a person is first arrested they will often be assisted by a local public defender. Hopefully, such an attorney will be present with the arrested party when he or she is seen the next day by the judge. This is not always the case. Sometimes a private attorney can be secured to assist right away. Whether a person is assisted by a public defender or a private attorney, the rules are the same. The attorney is required to keep confidential all the information that the client provides. The attorney is also tasked with being the advocate for the defendant.
When a person is released, he or she is given a date for the next court appearance. The date is usually within two or three weeks from the time of the arrest. Often times a person from out of town will hope the court case is transferred back to their home city. However, a case is rarely transferred to another jurisdiction. Usually, a person will need to appear another two or three times in court even if this means flying in from another city or state.
The outcome of a drug arrest at a concert can depend on a lot of factors. The factors are often the quantity of the drugs possessed, the length of a person’s criminal record, whether the drugs were sold, and the type of drug that was sold or possessed. A criminal defense lawyer has to give specific advice depending on the facts of the case.
How Beyoncé Helped Engage A Pre-Dominantly White Audience At Coachella 2018
How Beyoncé helped to engage viewers in black musical history during Coachella 2018.
You might be one of the few who will roll your eyes at this, thinking that it’s another fun time gone political or racial, but fact of the matter is, the now legendary Beyoncé performance at Coachella was all deliberately crafted to try to let us in on how amazing the history of black music is.
Writer Tomi Obaro delved deep into the elements that for some, might seem just as a fun theme for young people out in the desert for a good time: ‘Oh, a university theme! Marching bands! Yay! Thanks Beyoncé!’ But no, no, no, no, no. The entire performance was crafted using sound, imagery, and movements that have time and again been told was ratchet, unprofessional, or rebellious; yet appropriated time and again too.
A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Apr 14, 2018 at 11:17pm PDT
“Beyoncé sang the first half of “Drunk in Love” on top of the crane, and then, for those of us watching at home, the camera suddenly cut to two people, a man and a woman, onstage. As Nina Simone’s “Lilac Wine” played, they danced in kinetic motion, clearly trained as modern dancers, their muscles taut in tension and release. Bathed in white spotlight, they rendered the aching melancholy of Simone’s tear-fIlled voice in vivid, compelling physicality. And then, just like that, they were gone. Beyoncé made her way back onto the stage, and the sunflower-colored Beyoncé Delta Kappa marching band reprised the ‘surfboard’ portion of “Drunk in Love” before segueing into the rousing chorus of F.L.Y.’s 2009 single “Swag Surfin’.”
That transition from Nina Simone, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that same night, to the silly, jubilant glee of that improbably durable 2009 banger encompasses so much of what Beyoncé set out to do at Coachella,” writes Obaro.
Then there was the use of imagery associated with historically black colleges or universities (HBCU). All of her musicians and background singers sported marching band attire with the initials BΔK, a “fictionalized nod to black Greek organizations,” Obaro points out too the performance wherein in the middle of performing “Sorry,” Beyoncé and a group of female dancers teased a group of black male “pledges” as the audience watched in what seemed like confused silence.
A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Apr 15, 2018 at 12:49am PDT
Obaro said that the HBCU theme was both a homage to an “explicitly black education apparatus that is in many ways under siege while also preparing us for the knowledge she was about to impart: a black music history lesson for the masses.”
There was her a capella rendition of the black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” to Fela Kuti’s “Zombie” horns playing shortly after her performance of “Deja Vu,” to her cover of Jamaican artist Dawn Penn’s “No No No” and the musical allusions to Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam,” Obaro writes that Beyoncé’s black music history lesson was “wide-reaching and diasporic.”
Her mom, Tina Knowles Lawson, has admitted in an Instagram post though that she was afraid the use of lesser-known black culture images and sound might alienate the predominantly white audience at Coachella, although she was of course proud of what her daughter wanted to do.
But why bring the discussion on race anyway, you ask?
It is because Coachella is heavily white, and it said so itself. Obaro points to data from a self-reported survey of Coachella in 2013 which revealed that only 4.9% of festivalgoers were black, while Nielsen data revealed that 69.2% of festivalgoers are white, a clear majority.
A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Apr 15, 2018 at 9:22am PDT
This majority, like the minority there, are of course up for a good time; to get drunk or high or both, phones and outfits prepared to the nines, unapologetically shout the n-word along with the black artist they are watching.
Obaro opines that the fact it was the first time in the festival’s history to feature a black person, a black woman at that, as its headliner, points out to the fact.
A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Apr 15, 2018 at 9:31am PDT
This platform must of course, be used to teach, and teach is what Beyoncé did. Because lest we forget, this amazing artist comes from the culture which is continually maligned, harassed, discriminated against, yet copied time and again, and we must never disassociate her from that fact.
“Her Coachella performance, sure to go down as the best in history, was her way of saying to those few brown hands in the audience, and the millions more around the world: I see you. I see you,” said Obaro.
Old Town Stevenage Slowly Coming Back To Life After Lockdown
Revolution Records. Great Vinyl. Great Coffee.
To say that ‘things are moving slowly’ would be an accurate assessment as to the state of play in Old Town Stevenage. That said, I was pleasantly surprised with what I found today as I wandered through main street and back streets. I chatted to some of the business owners and staff who all had slightly different thoughts on how progress was going.
I have been getting my hair cut at boys2men for the last five years, the owner told me that walk ins were slowly picking up, but the regulars seemed to be favouring the option of making an appointment. He felt that the people were still a little hesitant about venturing out and confidence might be better when we are clear on a vaccine.
The staff at Camera World had managed to navigate their way through the whole thing and remained open throughout. They had some limitation such as no demonstrations of equipment and masks must be worn in the store at all times. They had cordoned off the store and limited customers to two.
The majority of their business had been online and in the fifteen minutes that I chatted and bought a couple of items, the phone was constantly ringing. We may not think of a camera shop as essential but for people like me and the rest of those who ‘Tread the Boards’ of radio and social media, they are very much essential.
As I passed through Old Town, I noticed varying degrees of participation in keeping the virus at bay. From businesses geared up to the hilt, right through to some of the larger companies such as Tesco and Domino’s Pizza appearing to not ask their staff to wear masks or face shields at all. That was also the same for the public, it seemed, where there was an option to wear protective masks, we chose not to. Obviously, we as individuals have a choice in how we conduct our activities and if we are uncomfortable in a situation, then we only need step away.
A lot of the stores are communicating their actions on boards outside or in information posted at the entrances and on windows, though people seemed to be conducting themselves responsibly, to which end, I felt safe to be out.
It was noticeable that there are what appears to be a couple of new restaurants open at the church end of the High Street, Angelique and Lavish. These have taken the place of existing restaurants that have moved on. Sadly, there was also evidence of a few casualties, the most prominent being, ‘ASK Italian’. It appears that around 75 of their restaurants will not be reopening and as many as 1,200 jobs may be lost. It appears that the site in Old Town nearest Lister is closed but according to the website at https://www.askitalian.co.uk/discover/re-open/the site at Stevenage Leisure should be open as of now.
Other businesses such as The Practice Rooms and Rise Gym are open for business. Q-TEK, our local computer centre, and the bike stop for everything motorbikes and great coffee are also up and running.
More than anything, I wanted to draw attention to the individual businesses in Old Town and the need they have for our support.
Over the last ten years, Old Town has seen a renaissance that has created a wonderful atmosphere with unique restaurants such as
el bar de tapas, boutique hair salons and barbers, arts and collectables and of course a hefty option of pubs from family friendly to rock and roll. If they are to succeed, whether in Old Town Stevenage or elsewhere, they will only do so if we support our local businesses.
The Red Lion, Welwyn – Review
The Red Lion is worth a detour –
It was a pleasure to be invited for dinner at the newly-renovated Red Lion on Digswell Hill, on the edge of Welwyn Garden City. Their media launch night was the staff’s first chance to try out new menus on ‘real’ customers and they excelled themselves.
The Red Lion still feels like a roadside inn, sandwiched as it is between the A1 and Sherrardspark Wood to the north-west of Welwyn. Although one of 127 businesses owned by Premium Country Pubs, it retains all the charm of a local gastropub.
I took a friend along who works in a great family-run pub, so she knows what she’s talking about, and we both had a fabulous meal. Our evening began in the bar, which shows the quality of the renovation, with sumptuous easy chairs and cushions aplenty.
The choice of non-alcoholic drinks we both selected from was as wide as you could ask for – three alcohol-free beers and a selection of mocktails made choice the only problem. I started with a Seedlip Grove 42 and moved onto a Caribbean Mule. Next time, I’ll try the Elderflower Sherbet.
We started with the ubiquitous olives and moved onto Lentil and Beetroot Falafel from the vegan menu for me and what looked like a tasty Salmon and King Prawn Pot for my friend. Our mains were equally tasty – Cauliflower Tart and Chicken Milanese, accompanied by some delicious vegetables in a soy glaze.
Completely stuffed, we couldn’t possibly find room for a dessert. And yet, we did. Cheesecake and Cappuccino was – apparently – a good partnership and my Blackcurrant Mousse (still vegan, from the surprisingly vast selection) went well with a peppermint tea.
All the staff were helpful and friendly and I was glad that it was a chilly night, because the fires were lit in every fireplace in the building. There was a warm welcome from all the staff and I’ll definitely be back – it’s worth a detour off the A1.