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All-night rave draws 10,000 to Banning

By C.J. Schexnayder
The Press-Enterprise
BANNING

More than 10,000 people gathered until Sunday morning for an all-night rave on Indian land in Banning that left mounds of trash, hundreds of vandalized cars and hours of congested traffic.
According to advertisements, the event, NRG, was organized by a Los Angeles company, Channel 36. Officials with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said the event was organized by HP Events.

The rave was not sanctioned by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, said tribal chairwoman Mary Ann Martin Andreas.

"It was a tribe member's private party," she said.

She said members were not happy with the rave, which left broken glass and trash all over tribal property.

Originally scheduled to be held in Los Angeles, the event was moved to Banning last week. More than 40 disc jockeys were scheduled to perform on four stages erected at the site in Banning, on Morongo Indian Reservation land.

The company's advertisement said the event was being held at the Mirage Event Complex. It was held in tents in a large lot behind the Crazy Coyote Cafe at the intersection of Fields Road and the Interstate 10 frontage road.

Ravegoers said the event went very well, except for the temperature.

"It was freezing cold outside and super hot in the tents," said Yvette Saldate, 25, of Cerritos.

Temperatures dipped into the 30s and lower overnight.

Deputies from the Sheriff's Department learned of the event Saturday and were on-hand all night, said Detective Shelley Kennedy-Smith, spokeswoman for the department.

"We were asked to assist at the event to maintain the peace due to the large numbers of people," Kennedy-Smith said.

Because the event was on the Indian reservation, a permit was not necessary, she said.

On Sunday, a woman at the site said she was the property owner, and would not state the name of the promoter, or her name.

Organizers were expecting approximately 3,000 concertgoers, but more than 10,000 attended, Kennedy-Smith said.

(Note from Rave On : Everyone, including organizers, was expecting 10,000 ravers)

No arrests and no major injuries occurred in connection with the event, she said.

The most serious problem was vandalism to cars parked along Fields Road for the event. Between 400 and 500 vehicles had their windows broken out, she said.

"The broken glass covered the entire road, when I got to work this morning," said Hazel Duro, curator at the Malki Museum, which showcases Indian art.

Nearby residents said they did not have any problems with vandalism.

Residents said they were not notified of the event and it created a host of nuisances including congested traffic, loud noise and an immense amount of trash.

"I saw the tents going up Friday," Duro said. "When I came up here this morning, . . . it looked pretty bad."

The volume the music was played at made sleep difficult, residents said.

"Those drums so loud you couldn't sleep," said Charles Martin, 79, who lives less than a mile north on Fields Road. "It went on all night."

("Those Drums so loud you couldn't sleep... It went on all night." -A victory for Jungle)

Although the event began at 8 p.m., cars began showing up as early as 6 p.m. Local merchants said evening traffic was worse than normal.

The biggest problem for residents was the trash strewn across the road and in nearby fields. More than a dozen workers labored into Sunday night to remove from the streets thousands of fliers promoting candies, bands and upcoming events.

(I have been to 30 parties this year, and have never gotten a flyer for any type of "candies." If only they had gone deeper into the story and read the flyer)

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors is considering setting rigid permit requirements for all outdoor events to keep dance-till-dawn parties, linked to illegal drug use, out of Riverside County. The board could vote on the proposal Tuesday.

(The board will also decide what candies are yummie)

Such events can be held on Indian reservations without county sanction, however.

Raves have been held previously on the Morongo reservation, on the Cahuilla reservation near Anza, and on Torres-Martinez land near Mecca.

Staff writer Jonna Palmer contributed to this report.

Published 11/13/2000

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