Much has been said about St. Albert's community hall "riot" of December 20, 1997. Unfortunately, little of it has come from the point of view of anyone actually involved in the sub-culture which was engaging in one of its traditional activities. That's why I'm stepping into the ring.

Almost everyone has blamed the young people involved except the youths themselves. This sort of lynch mob, herd, gang-up action is totally unfair, irrational, and prevented in courts of law by providing defendants with a lawyer. In this case, it's merely a ridiculous, grasping attempt to blame anyone other than our sacred police officers for the events of that evening. The reason young people are being blamed is because the vast majority of St. Albert residents want to believe that everyone here is the same, and that everyone here loves hockey. While it is okay for Mrs. Wealthy Suburbite's son to beat the crap out of another kid on the rink, it is punishable by law for someone else's son to do a bit of bouncing around on the dance floor, otherwise known by the oh-so-horrible word: moshing. It's also okay for Repressed Richguy's clean cut son to show how tough he is by winning a bar fight, but if two longhair punks want to rough it out to the sound of loud distorted guitar and incoherent screeching, it’s time for pepper spray. And Mr. And Mrs. We-Want-Our-Kids-To-Be-Just-Like-Us would much rather their daughter date a hairless sporto than a shaggy musician.

People around here are scared of the youth counterculture. They don't understand moshing, and thus call it "slamdancing". To them, and to many jock-wannabe-participants, it's just a Push-Shove-&-Punch-Fest. But this it is not. It is a communal sharing of the deep energy stirred up by powerful music. It is not hitting, it is touching. (Of course, many are deeply afraid of that as well.) In a real mosh pit, anyone who falls is immediately picked up by a dozen hands. People in this town don't understand the music either. To them it's loud, dissonant, screeching, and aggressive. That's what it is to us too, and it’s good. They say "You can't understand what they're saying". So? This is a different music. In fact, it's a different world. Who said that all of these things are bad? We like them. We are also productive members of society. The fact that our pastimes are different than those of the wealthy, "respectable" St. Albert majority is not reason enough for us to be the centre of obsession by the police and people who don't understand us. Hey, don't get me wrong, I love Enya with a passion and I saw Sarah Maclachlan twice last year. But I love metal too.

Regarding the event of Dec. 20, no one is entirely to blame. There was underage drinking going on, and this is against the law. Forget the fact that in parts of Europe there is no legal drinking age; it is nice that young people here can enjoy the same privileges as their parents a year before many other provinces, and three years before our southern neighbours. The organizers should have put more effort into preventing that. But this is no reason to shut down the cultural outlet that these gigs provide.

These events are not satanic, corrupt, or a waste of time. They are an opportunity for young people to meet, socialize, burn energy, and learn about music. (Of course, bigots will say "That crap isn't music", which breaks my achey breaky heart.) Youths have energy. Whether they burn it in the bantam league or the mosh pit is not a moral issue. If you can't understand hard music culture, learn to tolerate it as it tolerates the Cadillac Ranch. To again address the "riot", police blame moshers. Blaming people already fully engaged in an all-out mosh is like stepping into the midst of a boxing bout and blaming the boxers for hitting you. Many have blamed young people for being harassed by police, saying they should complain through "the appropriate channels". This is like blaming the young girl for being afraid to tell anyone about her sexually molesting father. Some have complained that this event is unexpected in our peaceful and quiet bedroom community. Well, this community has been so peaceful that I have been violently beaten twice, an acquaintance has been brutally knifed on a residential street, and a youth has slain members of his own family with a firearm. Yep, this "riot" has certainly come out of left field.

Recent talk about re-evaluating the perhaps less-than-satisfactory performance of our police force makes the talkers sound unaware of how very bad the St. Albert R.C.M.P.'s reputation is among people not of their entourage. It has been frequently said that St. Albert youths get rowdy because there is nothing for them to do. It is becoming increasingly apparent that youths have plenty to keep themselves occupied, and that it is the city's police and journalists who need to find activities to fill their time.