From: XshaneX
Date: 21 Feb 2007, 11:12 PM


Tonight Out of the Sun - an all ages music venue - in Fortuna was shut down by the city. This has been a fun place for a lot of kids, not just from Fortuna, but from around Humboldt. Major props to Out of the Sun for the service they have been doing for the all-ages scene.

On Saturday night an all-ages show my band played at the Peace & Justice Center in Arcata was shut down by the Arcata Police, for not having a dance permit, even though we were not in a residential area and there were no noise complaints.

A while back The Placebo - an all ages venue in Eureka - had to stop using their space because of noise complaints. And it was in an industrial Area! The people who filed the complaints weren't even supposed to be living out there!

And Set the Stage Productions - a group of awesome hardcore kids at HSU - recently had issues with HSU forcing them to make their show 18+. I was there when the campus cops showed up to try to get the kids out of the show.

The bottom line is: Local adult power structures have declared war on the all-ages scene and local youth culture. Permit or not, they'll shut you down. They are pushing kids out of drug free environments. Often times these are the only places kids can go. Sometimes home is full of drugs and violence. Or sometimes life is just boring. The less all ages shows, the more opportunities and reasons to use drugs. Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna, and HSU are just as responsible as the dealers who sell the stuff.

We hear a lot of big talk from adults in power about ending teen drug use. As the youngest elected official in the county I can tell you, I've done a lot more to keep kids off drugs by volunteering for The Placebo than I have on the school board I serve on. It's all about the grassroots. Governments can only assist or destroy. In these cases they are attempting to destroy what we have created.

NOW DO SOMETHING TO HELP OUT OF THE SUN:

The Fortuna City Council meets at 6pm on the first and third Monday of each month. Meetings are open to the public and are held in the Council Chamber at the Fortuna City Hall, located at 621 Eleventh Street in Fortuna.

Council Members

John Campbell, Mayor
Pat Whitchurch, Mayor Pro Tem .. (Fortuna Feed/ Whyat and Whitchurch Accounting)
Mel Berti, (Hobbies Market) Scotia
Dean Glaser
Doug Strehl... (Strehls Shoes)

City Manager
Duane Rigge
drigge@ci.fortuna.ca.us
Phone # 725-7600
City of Fortuna

621 11th Street

P.O. Box 545

Fortuna, CA 95540


Stephen Avis

Assistant City Planner

City of Fortuna

621 11th Street

P.O. Box 545

Fortuna, CA 95540

(707) 725-7600 | Phone

(707) 725-7610 | Fax

savis@ci.fortuna.ca.us


Police Cheif

Kris Kitna

kkitna@ci.fortuna.ca.us

725-7550

621 11th Street

Fortuna Ca 95540