Press Release of the Wisconsin Green Party received from Pete Karas of the Progressive Racine Blog:

The Wisconsin Green Party today joined the Wisconsin American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in calling for the dismissal of all citations issued by the City of Racine at the November 2, 2002 Uptown Theatre Group's Haunted House Party. In addition, the Wisconsin Green Party also supports the local Green Party of Kenosha and Racine in their call for an independent investigation into the event.

According to media reports, the Racine police were notified by the United States Customs Office that the fundraiser, intended to raise funds to restore the historic Uptown Theater, was to be a "rave party", defined as a party known for a mix of electronic music and recreational drugs, including Ecstasy. Purportedly acting on this tip, the Racine police raided and shut down the fundraiser, arresting three people on drug charges.

The police also issued 441 attendees of the annual fundraiser citations for "being patrons or keepers of a disorderly house." Among the hundreds in attendance, only three were found to be in possession of illegal drugs. Each citation carries a penalty of $968. The City of Racine has since offered to reduce these fines to $100 and changed the charge to 'Disorderly Conduct'. A handful of the accused have accepted this offer; however, the vast majority of those ticketed have pleaded not guilty and demanded a jury trial. The Wisconsin ACLU has agreed to provide legal representation for all involved.

Jessica Thill, of the Wisconsin Green Party, today announced, "Reducing the fines and asking the accused to plead guilty to a lesser 'crime' ignores the fact that the Racine Police Department has violated the First Amendment rights of more than 400 citizens. The right to peaceably assemble is guaranteed to all of us, whether we listen to electronic music or conservative talk radio."

Thill then noted that a similar police action in Houston, Texas this August pompted public outcry that has since resulted in several police officer suspensions, two criminal indictments, and millions of dollars of lawsuits against the city of Houston.

"Simply put: the City of Racine needs to admit that they were in the wrong, and immediately dismiss these citations," said Pete Karas, a Green Party Member and Aldermanic candidate for Racine's ninth district. "In addition to the obvious civil rights violations, the cost to the taxpayers of almost 400 jury trials and the potential costs of civil lawsuits, if pursued, would be exorbitant. Instead of repeating the mistakes made in Houston earlier this year, we could be spending that money on legitimate efforts to sincerely address civil rights violations and drug abuse in our community."

The Wisconsin Green Party is also urging the City of Racine to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate the actions of the Racine Police Department and other City Officials in the handling of this event. This would hopefully help to prevent further violations in the future.

Here is the statement of the Green Party of Kenosha/Racine.