Gathering of the Vibes 2009!

^i agree that it's not in the greatest area, but seaside park makes a very unique festival experience. i got to camp 20 ft away from the ocean. you can't say that about too many other festivals.

here is the latest...

www.connpost.com/ci_13324472

Feds probing Vibes
Philadelphia Nitrous Mafia suspected in sales of nitrous oxide at annual event

It began as a Bridgeport police investigation, but now the FBI, a federal prosecutor and a grand jury are looking into happenings at this summer's Gathering of the Vibes concert in Seaside Park.

Their focus appears to be on the whereabouts of drugs confiscated by private security guards but never turned over to Bridgeport police. The guards were hired by the promoter to patrol the fenced off four-day concert.

But there's more.

Sources have told the Connecticut Post that groups including the Philadelphia Nitrous Mafia sold laughing-gas-laden balloons to concertgoers. Most of the more than 100 canisters of nitrous oxide confiscated are missing.

And a volunteer reports seeing a security guard beat two handcuffed men during separate incidents.

Still, these are only allegations and no one has been charged with any wrongdoing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Smart is expected to bring any evidence uncovered by FBI Special Agents Emil Parelli Jr. and Milan R. Kosanovich to an already impaneled federal grand jury.

"We have no comment," said Thomas Carson, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office when asked about the federal probe.

"To the extent that any of these allegations are true," said Mayor Bill Finch, "I would hope they are pursued vigorously by all levels of law enforcement. I encourage people not to hold back if they have knowledge that a matter of federal or state law was broken.

Finch, who attended the concert, said he "never felt the least bit unsafe" there. He pointed that many families camped out in the park during the event.

This year's event featured Crosby, Stills and Nash and attracted at least 30,000 people during its July 22-25 run.

But allegations of wrongdoing began surfacing after the concert's end. The following day, a Bridgeport police supervisor discovered a quantity of confiscated drugs in a security trailer. The supervisor seized the drugs, believed to be LSD-laden cookies, and brought them to union officials.

Acting Police Chief Joseph Gaudett said the investigation is being handled by the Internal Affairs division and is ongoing.

The laughing gas allegedly was smuggled into the concert primarily by a loosely affiliated group known as the Philadelphia Nitrous Mafia.

The group inflates balloons with the gas and then sells them for $5 to $10. Purchasers inhale the gas contained in the balloons to experience a high which, when combined with other drugs and alcohol, becomes more euphoric than the small amount given by some dentists during procedures.

For drug groups these sales are lucrative and carry little risk.

Based on Web site reports, it costs about $100 in South Philadelphia to fill a 40-pound tank with nitrous oxide. The contents of the tank could inflate as many as 300 balloons. A quick calculation determines dealers could pocket anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 per tank.

These deals are nothing new, nor are they restricted to the Vibes.

Hartford police arrested eight people, some of whom were from Pennsylvania, and seized 18 tanks of nitrous oxide as well as inflated balloons at the Aug. 14 Phish cncert in the Comcast Theater. The individuals were charged with possession of a restricted substance and possession with intent to sell.

In Connecticut, possession of nitrous oxide for noncommercial use only carries a $1,000 fine or a maximum two-year prison term for the first offense. Federally, the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act prohibits the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide for human consumption.

"Nitrous oxide is not defined as a controlled substance but is considered a restricted substance," said John Gadea, director of the drug control division of the state Department of Consumer Protection. "What that means is possession does not become a violation unless the use deviates from its commercial application."

Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, has several legal uses such as being an anesthetic in dental work and certain minor surgeries; an oxidizer to increase combustion in rocket and racing car engines and as a propellant for aerosol spray in canisters of whipped cream and cooking sprays.

But the availability of laughing gas as a euphoric drug is only one issue.

A volunteer, who worked near the security trailers at the Vibes, contacted the Connecticut Post and reported witnessing civil rights violations by private security guards.

The volunteer claimed to see one security guard, who identified himself as a policeman from Westchester County, N.Y., punch a handcuffed man in the throat and beat another handcuffed man with a billy club.

"It was so awful," said the volunteer, whose name is being withheld out of safety fears. "He beat him so bad with the club that the man had to be taken away in an ambulance."

The volunteer said the guard justified the attack by claiming the man punched another guard.

On another occasion the volunteer saw the same security officer pretend to trip while carrying a drink to make it spill over another handcuffed man.

"Really bad things were happening there," said the volunteer. "I've had sleepless nights over what I saw."

The security guards wore blue shirts bearing the initials SOC on the back and the words "special operation command" in small letters on the front, according to the volunteer.

"There was no way you could identify their affiliation with any company," the volunteer said.

But Ken Hays, the executive director and producer of the Gathering of the Vibes which played Seaside Park the past three summers, denied knowing anything about these claims.

"I've heard a lot of rumors," he said, when asked about the allegations Tuesday night following his appearance before the Board of Park Commissioners. "I've heard so many rumors."

Hays said the FBI has not talked to him nor has he received a grand jury subpoena.

"This is the first I've heard of any of that," he said.

Previously, Hays declined to name any specific security firms he hired.

Meanwhile, police still have an open investigation into the death of Jay Caliro, 29, of Sarasota, Fla., whose body was found July 26 at the concert site.

At that time, police said they found no signs of trauma on the body.

Now the state Chief Medical Examiner's office is conducting toxicology tests to determine if Caliro died from a drug overdose.

A spokesman for that office said Friday results from the testing, which usually takes six to eight weeks, are still pending.

But Internet postings question the cause of Caliro's death. Bridgeport Police Dets. John Burke and Lynn Gorman have posted requests for any information surrounding Caliro's death on some of those sites.

As for the Police Department's Internal Affairs investigation into the missing drugs, the completed report will go directly to Finch.

Finch acknowledged hearing concerns "anecdotally" from concertgoers about the "organized use" of nitrous oxide by a "Philadelphia cartel."

"Personally, I hope the Gathering of the Vibes is back next year," Finch said. "But maybe we need a local ordinance to prevent the use of nitrous oxide."

Whether or not the Vibes comes back next summer depends on the city's Board of Park Commissioners. Hays was non-committal.

"I haven't made any definitive decision," he said Tuesday night. "I still need more time to understand what's involved."

What's involved will be determined by the park board.

They selected a subcommittee consisting of Mark Marko, their president; Ann Owens, the wife of retired Superior Court Judge and former State Sen. Howard T. Owens Jr.; Earl King Sr., a retired Bridgeport police detective; and Banjed Labrador, a school security officer, to study any problems and concerns with the concert. The group was unaware of the federal probe.

"This is a big concern to me," said Owens, after being told about the federal probe. "It was always a question in my mind why more Bridgeport police were not there ... We're going to have to have our questions prepared."

Labrador said he attended portions of the Vibes. He said he saw no beatings by security guards nor did he see any drug abuse during a brief stay in the VIP tent, where there are allegations that marijuana bongs were available.

"You and I know that if someone wants to sneak drugs into an event, they're going to do it," he said. "That's always going to be a concern."

The subcommittee is expected to meet with Hays on Oct. 13.

At that time, Marko, president of the park board, said he hopes to have a detailed report on the concert disclosing the number of arrests, ambulance calls and drug seizures. He also said he wants to know how much damage was caused to the park and what the repair costs were.

"This is a fact-finding mission," Marko said. "We have to determine if this is worth the wear and tear on the park as well as closing a portion of the park to the public. Mr. Hays has a contract that calls for an annual review and this will be the review."

Nitrous Oxide Also known as: laughing gas or happy gas Discovered: 1776 by Joseph Priestley Uses: Oxidizer in rocket and motor racing fuel, propellant for aerosol cans of whipped cream and cooking spray, and as an anesthesia for dental work and some minor surgeries. Possession: Is legal for commerical purposes otherwise it can be prosecuted as a restricted substance under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act as well as under Connecticut state law Dangers: May cause death if inhaled directly from a cannister without exposure to oxygen, otherwise extended use can cause vitamin B12 deficiencies and anemia. It is habit forming.

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toxology reports are STILL pending?