As some of you know, in addition to my civil rights advocacy, I’m a music fanatic, and I create and perform electronic music, as well as seek out the best music events across the world. The Electric Daisy Carnival music festival, held annually in Las Vegas, NV, has been one of my favorites because of the massive attention paid to creating an experience, rather than just a set of stages.
So it was much to my disappointment this year to read that EDC producer Insomniac has decided that it will not only search every attendee entering the venue with a self-described “TSA-style search,” but it will prohibit all over-the-counter medicine and require festival-goers to “explain” their prescription medication.
Music events since Woodstock have had drug usage, and I appreciate that Insomniac feels an obligation to minimize unlawful drug usage at its events. However, this policy, beyond being invasive, is downright dangerous. Many people need over-the-counter drugs to avoid serious medical issues. Consider, for example, the person with allergies who carries Benadryl (diphenhydramine) to counter a reaction. With the 18+ crowd that EDC attracts, will a teen with an allergy decide to leave his medication behind so he can go party, risking, well, death?
It’s also downright discriminatory. No one should have to “explain” their HIV meds, schizophrenia drugs, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome in order to enter a place of public accommodation. And unfortunately, Insomniac isn’t the only one to do it. I’ve personally seen many nightclubs in America refuse entry to people with lawful medicine. However, Insomniac is the first I’ve seen so blatantly publish such a policy for such a massive event. As such, today I filed suit against Insomniac and the owner of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where EDC takes place, alleging discrimination as prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act and related state laws.
The case is Corbett v. Insomniac, 16-CV-3604, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, where Insomniac is headquartered.
Corbett v. Insomniac – Complaint with Exhibit (.pdf)
Corbett v. Insomniac – Motion for TRO (.pdf)
Corbett v. Insomniac – Motion for TRO Affidavit (.pdf)
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Professional Troublemaker ® 
I take HIV meds at night before bed. When I go to EDC I just take it before the event or when I get back to the hotel, it’s not difficult.
Dear “Fuck you,”
Not everyone takes the same meds as you.
Love,
–Jon
Do not use HIV medication as aneeded excuse. There is absolutely no reason for you to bring HIV meds into an event, they are once daily meds! The same with IBM drugs, those are long acting. I do believe you should be allowed to bring an epipen or rescue inhaler in, but other than that there are few reasons to bring over the counter medications in. Sorry just my point of view as a Nurse and a patient
As posted above to the commenter named “Fuck you,” not everyone takes the same meds. Regardless, it is an illustration. There are plenty of chronic, embarrassing illnesses that require multiple doses per day.
Yeah, I’m sure it would be really embarrassing to have the staff know about your yeast infection.
To a lot of people, yeah, it would.
Can my daughter and myself join rhe case as active plaintiffs ?
What’s the value added benefit to a billiona of dollarsmega class action suit ?
If you are interested, please e-mail me at jon@professional-troublemaker.com. I’m not sure if I plan to take this class-action, but I would be interested in considering it.
Jon, You’re a troll. What meds must be taken more than twice daily? And if so for what reason could they not be taken right before or after the event daily. A lawsuit? Hmm. Not sure that’s necessary. You Dick.
Not necessary? I did ask them nicely to change their policy before I filed suit. 🙂
Plenty of medicine needs to be taken more than twice daily, and other medicine is taken as-needed, meaning it needs to be with someone at all times. If you want to play doctor without doing research, go work for Insomniac as a “safety officer.”
Flexeril must be taken more than 2 times a day. I guarantee if I was dancing I would need it the 4 full doses I’m prescribed a day. See I can’t afford the incredibly overpriced Amrix once daily version.
Appeals Court Shields NYPD’s X-Ray Vans:
The New York Police Department does not have to give a ProPublica reporter records about its use of X-ray-equipped vehicles, a state appeals court ruled.
Z-backscatter vans, as the vehicles are called, use X-rays to scan buildings and vehicles for drugs, explosives and other materials. The X-rays bounce back to the van and create an image, according to court records.
“When a backscatter van is used to scan vehicles, occupants of the vehicle and nearby pedestrians are exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation,” the justices of the Manhattan-based First Department New York Appellate Division explained.
READ MORE:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/05/25/appeals-court-shields-nypds-x-ray-tech.htm
EDC doesn’t hold the slightest interest to me so I’m not harmed by their rules but another part of their rules would keep me out. The chances of the food offerings there containing anything I could eat without adverse effects are low. When things are going particularly bad I’m reduced to a diet that is entirely obtained mail-order, I would not expect to find anything in stock in a major city, let alone a festival.
And the comparison to a TSA-style search is wrong–TSA generally accepts medical stuff that breaks the rules. My last flight I had roughly 32 ounces of liquid at the checkpoint and once the agent saw the box it came from he simply waved his test strips over it and let me through. (Technically I could have mixed it airside–but I’ve tried that once, the result was quite unpalatable. The ice I added should have chilled it enough but it’s not an experience I want to repeat.)
New border bill allows sharing of biographic data:
Canadians crossing the border into the U.S. will soon have their personal information shared not only with the American government but among government departments and agencies as well for up to 15 years.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale tabled new legislation on Wednesday afternoon that will see the Canada Border Services Agency collect biographic information on all travellers exiting Canada.
The legislation, An Act to amend the Customs Act – Exit Information, comes on the heels of a trip to Washington that saw Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announce that Canada and the U.S. would coordinate more closely on border security and implement a plan to share more information on travellers entering and exiting their countries.
READ MORE:
https://ipolitics.ca/2016/06/15/new-border-bill-allows-sharing-of-biographic-data/