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Teen rockers told by city: no moshing at night spot
Rumors of Chemical Free Zone's demise prove unfounded
By Genevieve Roja
Despite rumors to the contrary, Campbell officials say they will not try to shut down the Chemical Free Zone, a popular all-ages night spot. The confirmation follows a recent turn of events that include police videotaping and new restrictions on typical CFZ operations.
On Friday, April 28, Claudia Cauthorn, the city's director of recreation and community services, met with Terry and Cheryl Johnson, organizers for the Chemical Free Zone. Cauthorn requested that they remove the mosh pit area, relocate to a different room within the community center, and disallow in-and-out privileges. The Johnsons complied.
Later that night at the CFZ, several Campbell police officers arrived, including Chief Dave Gullo, Capt. Dave Dehaan, a shift supervisor and one officer. Gullo said they stayed for about 45 minutes to one hour.
"All the officers were there to help me analyze the problem," Gullo explained. "[The reason they videotaped was] to show the city manager what the activities were for the evening. I wanted to walk him through what we had seen."
Gullo denies that the videotaping was part of a larger scheme.
"It wasn't to capture illegal activity," he said. "It was just to capture the flavor of everything that was happening there."
Legally, the police can videotape any activity without any limitations as long as the activity takes place in an open, public area. No consent is needed. According to Andy Fassler, a CFZ regular, the police were videotaping "all over the campus area. They were all over the parking lot area toward the edge of the parking lot, toward the front of the door. They were about everywhere, actually."
He said he didn't see police talking to any teenagers, although he did see them talking with Terry Johnson, the pastor of Lighthouse of Silicon Valley church, which sponsors CFZ. Tyler Porras, another teen who was there that night, said he saw someone videotaping from the skate park, which is on the edge of the community center confines.
"I remember seeing them walk around, but I don't remember seeing anyone inside," said Porras, a seventh-grader at Castro Middle School.
Porras, 13, said he asked the police what they were doing, and that they replied that they wanted "to see what's going on." Once the four policemen departed, two patrolling officers and a Campbell security officer remained. (CSOs are employed by the police, drive marked cars and wear police uniforms, but are unarmed.) The two officers routinely check in at the CFZ, and the CSO is also deployed every Friday night.
The presence of Gullo and the three officers baffled Terry Johnson, who hadn't expected the turnout. Only a day earlier, Cheryl Johnson's request to permanently hire a Campbell reserve officer for every CFZ party was denied.
Every Friday night at the Campbell Community Center, the Johnsons and several parent and teen volunteers run the all-ages event, which features bands and offers a teen refuge that is alcohol-, drug- and tobacco-free. CFZ boasts an average weekly attendance of 150 to 250 teens from various South Bay locations, including Campbell.
Police and city officials sprang into action after two unrelated events on the evening of Friday, April 28. The first incident involved a teen who brandished a toy gun. According to a police report, "When it was his band's turn to play he went outside with the [cap] gun and held it up in the air and told everyone to go inside before he started shooting." Officers reprimanded the teen and confiscated the toy gun.
Later that night, a 15-year-old in the mosh pit kneed a security guard in the groin, who then punched the teen in the eye. Neither desired prosecution.
The disappearance of the mosh pit has left some teens disappointed.
"I think that was a really fun part," said Porras, who, like other teens, was aware of the rules about moshing, or slam-dancing, that were posted on the door. "The big kids, they don't want you to get hurt. If you fall, people pick you up. I don't like the fact that they're not going to have the mosh pit anymore, but I'd still go."
There are new rules for those attempting to revive the mosh pit. Cauthorn said that if one forms, the band must stop playing and organizers must make an announcement that no moshing is allowed. After the crowd is warned the second time, organizers must shut down CFZ for the evening. Since Cauthorn will not be there to enforce the rules, she will rely on CFZ organizers to act.
As for relocating CFZ to a larger facility within the community center, Cauthorn said that the move into Orchard City Hall will not be in effect until May 19. The hall has an occupancy rate of 400, and a kitchen and bathrooms, which should aid the no in-and-out privileges policy. If something pre-booked at the hall conflicts with a CFZ date, CFZ will spend that evening in the Roosevelt Redwood Room, or Room 80 in the community center.
Porras, who has attended the CFZ for a year and a half, felt that the police are "overreacting" to what's been happening.
"I know there was one fight, but it's not like it's happening every Friday," Porras said. "I can see if there's fights every night and people are going away in stretchers."
Gullo sees it differently.
"If something goes wrong, they're going to look to me, what we could have done to prevent it," he said. "That's why we have to be proactive versus reactive. My job is to make sure it's safe for everyone."
Emma Bonasera, who runs the sound board at the CFZ , was relieved that the city and police decided to keep CFZ alive.
"I'm glad they're not shutting it down," said Bonasera, who also addressed the City Council at its May 2 meeting. "I've been doing it for the last two and a half years. It's been a part of my life, and it's not a part I want taken away."
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Campbell, California
