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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 8th: PRNewswire

Investigators for the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), assisted by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, raided the "Circus" nightclub last night (Saturday) arresting five people on drug charges. The raid was the result of a seven-month undercover investigation involving ABC and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). ABC investigators made 26 purchases of various narcotics from 25 subjects. The sales included such drugs as ecstasy, cocaine, marijuana and ketamine. Six of the drug transactions were committed or facilitated by employees of Circus.

DEA and ABC investigated several patrons of Circus who sold large quantities of ecstasy to undercover investigators. In all, more than 10,000 pills were seized with a street value of over $200,000. During the course of the undercover investigation, ABC contacted Trinka D. Porrata, one of the nation's leading experts on ecstasy and rave events, who visited Circus. Porrata identified the club as a "rave" event due to the lack of drug or weapon searches at the front door, extensive security, numerous patrons under the influence of designer drugs, the type of music, laser lighting, glow sticks, sales of water bottles and so-called power drinks with a high concentration of caffeine such as Red Bull, an outside cooling off area, and other factors.

Porrata also talked to a confidential informant about rave events in the area. The informant referred to "Circus" as one of the best clubs to purchase and use ecstasy. During the undercover investigation, ABC investigators observed the open and conspicuous use of drugs usually connected to "Rave" events. The drug of choice at these events is usually MDMA, or ecstasy, a stimulant that creates an increased sensitivity to sound and light. Circus also sells high caffeine power drinks to their patrons. The combination of the caffeine and ecstasy creates a super high which gives a hallucinogenic effect. The club catered to their drug using patrons by offering loud music, laser lights, and glow sticks which enhanced the psychedelic effect. Bottled water was sold to patrons to counter dehydration caused by ecstasy and other designer drugs.

For those patrons who overdosed on ecstasy, the nightclub provided a cool-down area with emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to prevent the need for emergency response units and possible inquiries from police. The club is currently being sued by the family of a young man who died from an overdose of drugs after attending the nightclub. In September of 2001, 27-year-old Marcello "Nino" Maurizio allegedly obtained the drug ecstasy while at the club, collapsed on the dance floor and began having convulsions. The family is claiming that club personnel examined Maurizio for some time, and then told his friends to take him home as he was having a bad trip. Maurizio later died at San Gabriel Valley Medical Center.

In addition to the criminal charges to be filed against those who sold or facilitated the sale of drugs, the ABC will file an accusation against the club's liquor license for allowing the conspicuous and blatant use of drugs at the location. The accusation could result in a suspension of the license. ABC investigators have been checking other nightclubs in Southern California and elsewhere in the state. The DEA has been focusing on ecstasy trafficking and recently launched a nationwide operation called "Operation X-Out."

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I saw this article on a few messageboards... my favorite part is still this:

Bottled water was sold to patrons to counter dehydration caused by ecstasy and other designer drugs.

God knows we don't drink water because we are hot/thirsty from dancing :rolleyes:

Ad bought me a bottle of water on Saturday, I guess she's my enabler *lol*

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The club catered to their drug using patrons by offering loud music, laser lights, and glow sticks which enhanced the psychedelic effect. Bottled water was sold to patrons to counter dehydration caused by ecstasy and other designer drugs.

Because I'd never go to a club for loud music, and I'll only go to clubs that have no lights at all because lights are bad bad BAD! And did you know that it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to pick up a glow stick unless you do drugs? That's right - no matter how much of a lamer you are - unless you do ecstasy you cannot pick up a glowstick because it emits a hypersonic frequency only penetrable by the effects of ecstasy!

DERF DERF MOTHERFUCKING DERF!!!!

AAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH what school did these people GO TO?!?!?!?!

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Originally posted by funkyfreshdc

apparently 1015 in SF might be losing it's liquor license.

maybe the most profitable business model for a club now is 'a la arc'.

the days of monthly s&d parties and multiple international headliners per night may well be nearing an end.

Lately I've been hearing that Arc has been kinda empty...

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here's a link to a more local article that explains the owner's point of view:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/120902_nw_club_raid.html

it's true; a lot of it is about gene lapietra. the owner of circus disco and arena for 29 years (both at 6655 santa monica blvd.) ran for office and for the creation of hollywood as its own city, which made him some enemies.

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?

you've def been mis-informed...

The only night that did not have a 1000+ draw was Mario Piu this past saturday night.

DT has packed the house ofcourse every weekend, and the majority of Made Events nights have been 80-90% capacity..plus Danny Howells and Saeed & Palash in the coming weeks...

Joe

Originally posted by Kuro

Lately I've been hearing that Arc has been kinda empty...

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Originally posted by reddog4063

?

you've def been mis-informed...

The only night that did not have a 1000+ draw was Mario Piu this past saturday night.

DT has packed the house ofcourse every weekend, and the majority of Made Events nights have been 80-90% capacity..plus Danny Howells and Saeed & Palash in the coming weeks...

Joe

after reading this thread i find that hard to believe.

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ummm....thats the night Mario Piu spun, i did admit before that it was nowhere near capacity. Friday nights with Danny have ALL been packed.....ask the peeps on the post about that...and Saturdays- the last few ive been to: mauro picotto, sander kleinenberg, and two Danny tenaglia vs danny howells (plus birthday bash for howells) were all PACKED.

Joe

Originally posted by funkyfreshdc

after reading this thread i fiPACKED.

Joe

Originally posted by funkyfreshdc

after reading this thread i find that hard to believe.

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Originally posted by reddog4063

ummm....thats the night Mario Piu spun, i did admit before that it was nowhere near capacity. Friday nights with Danny have ALL been packed.....ask the peeps on the post about that...and Saturdays- the last few ive been to: mauro picotto, sander kleinenberg, and two Danny tenaglia vs danny howells (plus birthday bash for howells) were all PACKED.

Joe

i suppose u only read the 1st comment. well, that's ok, there are 176 replies and that could take a while to get through, so i'll sum up the general sentiment: attendance at arc is very low and typically consists of 90% guys, and a lot of people feel that the room should close and mr. bindra (and NYC) would better off if he focused his efforts on the big room clubs.

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They do not even sell alcohol to keep out the troublemakers, and underaged fake i.d. BS crowd.

Lately Made Events have brought in some acts that are not the best well-known in the states (this is

where mario piu would fall into place), and did not get the size crowd that Danny Tenaglia and the big

guns bring in. This is def not a failure, as Mario (using him as the main example here) is fairly new to us

over here in NY..aDude, i will admit to the fact that there are a hell of alot more guys there then there

are girls...you dont seem to be a regular or from nyc, so i could see how you'd get the wrong idea

about the place, but the truth is...people do not go there to meet chicks and hook-up. There are

10,000 places in new york that serve that purpose. The venue is there to come and listen to good

music, DJ legends, and up-and-coming guys acts. They do not even sell alcohol to keep out the

troublemakers, and underaged fake i.d. new york that serve that purpose. The venue is there to come

and listen to good music, DJ legends, and up-and-coming guys acts. bunch of people came to see him

and he got some good reviews- meaning that next time he is back in town he may draw out a few more

people (building a local fan base), meanwhile Danny Tenaglia is a NY House Music Legend, he is

beyond well-established here, and has held residencies in some of NY's most famous clubs (Twilo and

Tunnel being amongst them). He DOES get an excellent draw...but do you really expect Mario to draw

the same sized crowd that he does? Thats like saying that the new rookie in the NBA should

outperform SHAQ (if you're into basketball?). The guys that arent as well known do not pack the

place, but they command less payment in return than a superstar DThis is def not a failure, as Mario (using him as the main example here) is fairly new to us

over here in NY..aDude, i will admit to the fact that there are a hell of alot more guys there then there

are girls...you dont seem to be a regular or from nyc, so i could see how you'd get the wrong idea

about the place, but the truth is...people do not go there to meet chicks and hook-up. There are

10,000 places in new york that serve that purpose. The venue is there to come and listen to good

music, DJ legends, and up-and-coming guys acts. They do not even sell alcohol to keep out the

troublemakers, and underaged fake i.d. new york that serve that purpose. The venue is there to come

and listen to good music, DJ legends, and up-and-coming guys acts. bunch of people came to see him

and he got some good reviews- meaning that next time he is back in town he may draw out a few more

people (building a local fan base), meanwhile Danny Tenaglia is a NY House Music Legend, he is

beyond well-established here, and has held residencies in some of NY's most famous clubs (Twilo and

Tunnel being amongst them). He DOES get an excellent draw...but do you really expect Mario to draw

the same sized crowd that he does? Thats like saying that the new rookie in the NBA should

outperform SHAQ (if you're into basketball?). The guys that arent as well known do not pack the

place, but they command less payment in return than a superstar DJ, and in turn, its worthwhile for

ARC to grow out these guys fan bases, so that way when they come back they will pack out the

house. Either way, big time guy + big time salary = big time showout, or up-and-coming + low salary =

half capacity. They are making money either way. Just because a club is doing something different and

bringing in guys that are NOT PvD (oh by the way- ARC had PvD for $10 bucks a few weeks ago

and donated all the money to charity - which shows they're not hurting for the cash) doesnt mean the

place sucks and they should shut it down. Look at whats going on over at Baktun for Tronic

Treatment, they are having nights where they are struggling to get people in because they are giving less

popular acts a chance at the decks, so they have been mixing in some bigger talent (Vath, Hawtin,

etc...) to make the money back. But these venues are *REAL* places to hear new ideas and not just

the Paul Oakenfolds of the world, this doesnt mean that they should be shuttered. Arc has been around

in MANY re-incarnations over the years NASA/Shelter/Vinyl/ARC i'm SURE they know what they're

doing.....Come out and support new up-and-coming talent man, they are the ideas of the future, long

after guys like Oakey take the money and run...

Just IMHO

Joe

Originally posted by funkyfreshdc

i suppose u only read the 1st comment. well, that's ok, there are 176 replies and that cJ, and in turn, its worthwhile for

ARC to grow out these guys fan bases, so that way when they come back they will pack out the

house. Either way, big time guy + big time salary = big time showout, or up-and-coming + low salary =

half capacity. They are making money either way. Just because a club is doing something different and

bringing in guys that are NOT PvD (oh by the way- ARC had PvD for $10 bucks a few weeks ago

and donated all the money to charity - which shows they're not hurting for the cash) doesnt mean the

place sucks and they should shut it down. Look at whats going on over at Baktun for Tronic

Treatment, they are having nights where they are struggling to get people in because they are giving less

popular acts a chance at the decks, so they have been mixing in some bigger talent (Vath, Hawtin,

etc...) to make the money back. But these venues are *REAL* places to hear new ideas and not just

the Paul Oakenfolds of the world, this doesnt mean that they should be shuttered. Arc has been around

in MANY re-incarnations over the years NASA/Shelter/Vinyl/ARC i'm SURE they know what they're

doing.....Come out and support new up-and-coming talent man, they are the ideas of the future, long

after guys like Oakey take the money and run...

Just IMHO

Joe

Originally posted by funkyfreshdc

i suppose u only read the 1st comment. well, that's ok, there are 176 replies and that could take a while to get through, so i'll sum up the general sentiment: attendance at arc is very low and typically consists of 90% guys, and a lot of people feel that the room should close and mr. bindra (and NYC) would better off if he focused his efforts on the big room clubs.

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:laugh:

its too bad my post came out like that, i really put thought into it..now it looks like a dyslexic typed it out... :(

Joe

Originally posted by spinsaikel

I think Red dog and funkyfresh should battle it out on the dancelfoor. the weapon of choice. 10 inch glowsticks. the prize: a cold bottle of water! on your marks...get set....twirl!!!

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ok, don't get me wrong.

i LOVE arc.

everytime i've been there i've had a great time. it's well worth the 4 hour drive each way from DC, and it's obvious that an enormous amount of work and dedication has been put into the club. even after 4 years of going out almost every weekend to some of the most famous clubs in the world, arc has thoroughly impressed me and if i lived in NYC i would be there all the time.

but from what i've read on various messageboards and several visits to the place, i'm gonna have to say you're wrong.

arc rarely gets *packed*. maybe u and i have different definitions of what packed is. i remember occasions this past year where Buzz@Nation/DC would fill up WEEK AFTER WEEK to the point where walking between the rooms was impossible. to me, that's "packed".

as for PVD, he played for free. the money collected at the door went to charity. i would be quite surprised if arc was actually financially ok, as u seem to think, considering that they just had an expensive renovation done 6 months ago, haven't exactly been filling the place to the brim since then, and don't have a liquor license.

if u read that other thread that i linked to before i think you'll find an interesting discussion on why a lot of people think "the arc fad is over".

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Originally posted by reddog4063

They do not even sell alcohol to keep out the troublemakers, and underaged fake i.d. BS crowd...

actually, they only don't serve alcohol 'cause they can't. if they could, they'd be doing it and raking in shitloads of more dough, like any other place, grinning all the way to the bank Bucky.gif . (but, c'mon, i'm sure you knew that.)
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Originally posted by weyes

actually, they only don't serve alcohol 'cause they can't. if they could, they'd be doing it and raking in shitloads of more dough, like any other place, grinning all the way to the bank Bucky.gif . (but, c'mon, i'm sure you knew that.)

yup - they lost thier liquor liscence years ago when the club had a different name.

and no, it hasn't been as packed lately. it gets a big crowd maybe twice a month. last saturday was definitely not the emptiest i have seen it (the breaks party was :() but on the upside there were a lot of girls there.

but back to the matter at hand - this thing with spundae is BAD. the club scene may be able to go on without alcohol bt that isn't really the major issue here. when they do things like this it is an attack on the clubscene. we have to fight back or be in danger of losing the scene altogether.

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Originally posted by weyes

here's a link to a more local article that explains the owner's point of view:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/120902_nw_club_raid.html

it's true; a lot of it is about gene lapietra. the owner of circus disco and arena for 29 years (both at 6655 santa monica blvd.) ran for office and for the creation of hollywood as its own city, which made him some enemies.

that's cool....somebody playing the PR against the cops for once. So far we've taken the moral high ground -- "you can dance without drugs" -- but that shit doesn't work, and it doesn't convince people who've never been to a club. I dunno about this lapietra guy, but at least he's trying to put some heat on the cops; calling them liars, conspiracy thoeries, etc.

support to Buzz for trying to use the system, but i think it's time we fight fire with fire...

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