With the authorities on edge in the battle against the deadly coronavirus, an underground rave has emerged to deal a fatal blow to those efforts in San Francisco. The weekend April 4th to 6th of hosted a gathering of more than 150 people at an illegal nightclub in the city, according to San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera and police chief William Scott.
The incident coming to light is the result of a video surveillance footage of the property on the specified dates. Not only does it unmask an assembly of more than 20 cars, but also the ones attendees entering and exiting the venue without any visible precautions. With a stay-at-home public health order issued in San Francisco, needles to say, this has been deemed as a clear violation of the policies.
“None practiced 6 feet of social distancing. During certain times, the video showed 20 to 30 cars per hour park or depart from in front of the building,” the San Francisco City Attorney’s office went on to say in a statement.
Authorities have also confiscated DJ equipment, two fog machines, nine gambling machines with $670 in cash inside, two pool tables, bins of liquor, cases of beer, bar furniture, and other nightclub-related items. Hererra adds, “This pandemic is deadly serious. People need to treat it that way. Education is always the first step, but willfully ignoring health orders is not acceptable. We are going to use every tool at our disposal, including these types of warrants, to protect public health during this pandemic.
While the world is grappling to overcome this crisis to restore normalcy at the earliest, these acts are delaying the process with an impact that does not limit to the attendees. The underground rave culture is definitely an important aspect of dance music history and will return once we see through this, irrespective. A few casual and impatient souls like these can wait till then, to minimize the repercussions.
“Cramming dozens of people into an illegal club during this outbreak is like dropping a lit match in the woods during fire season. Who knows how far the damage will spread? It’s the epitome of irresponsibility,”
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera
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