Cops pulling the plug on events - Footloose the latest to have ‘early’ cut-off

Fans who turned up to Mas Camp in New Kingston on the weekend for the calendar event, Footloose, were left sorely disappointed when the cops rolled into the venue and ordered the promoters to lock off the sound at 2 a.m. Sunday, in keeping with the terms of the Noise Abatement Act.

According to the organisers, they had all the required permits for staging the event, including an official letter which requests that the police use their discretion and allow the party to continue until 4 a.m.

And, whereas in the past this was always allowed, on Sunday morning, the police "just neva a tek no chat."

"The police came from about 1:15 and were on the outside," Tyrone Dixon, one of the organisers of Footloose, told THE STAR. "At exactly 1:59, one of the officers stepped inside and ordered us to lock off."

Dixon said that although he and his team did not hesitate to comply with the orders, they still asked the policeman to give them even half an hour extra time.

"Bounty was on his way to the venue. He wasn't supposed to perform until 2:30, because we always want to build a vibes and have the place in a nice mood when the artiste takes the stage. People were still coming in at 1:45 and we wanted to give them their money's worth. So even if we had Bounty on stage for 15 minutes, then it would have made a difference," Dixon explained.

However, he said the policeman told him that his "hands were tied" and he couldn't grant any form of extension.

The shutting down of Footloose comes against the background of a distressing two weeks for promoters, especially those of weekly dances, which have been targeted by the police enforcers of the Noise Abatement Act.

FEELING THE PINCH

On two consecutive Mondays, Uptown Mondayz in Savannah Plaza, Half-Way Tree, was shut down by the police. Mojito Mondays, held at the nearby Southdale Plaza, was spared the first week, but last week they felt the pinch when they came under the police's radar.

Boasy Tuesdays on Balmoral Avenue, was also shut down and Weddy Weddy on Burlington Avenue was ordered to lock off all sound by midnight.

Uptown Mondayz promoter, Whitfield 'Witty' Henry, told THE STAR that while he is aware that during the week the law stipulates that these dances be shut off at midnight, the police have always used their discretion and allowed them to go on until 2 am.

Weddy Weddy promoter, Winston 'Wee Pow' Powell, agreed and like all the other promoters and the vendors, has more questions than answers.

All the promoters point out that their events are incident-free and are situated in areas that are not considered residential.

While at Uptown Mondays last week, THE STAR saw soldiers enter the venue and take up their positions on the periphery.

When asked if they were there to enjoy the dance, one of the soldiers told THE STAR that they had intelligence that someone they were looking for could be turning up to the venue.

The soldiers left shortly after, then a police car drove in and out. The cops went over to Mojito Mondays, closed it off, then returned to Uptown Mondays and locked off the session.

THE STAR tried unsuccessfully to contact Jacqueline Coombs, senior superintendent of police, who is in charge of St Andrew Central.