“I
told them they should talk to Dave,” said Keith Armstrong, singer for the
Dharma Bumz, referring to Dave Casillas, the organizer of Echo Base. “They said
they already had and were already in the building.”
Meanwhile,
Casillas had gone through the front door and saw squad cars spread out for
blocks on every corner. Approximately 10 officers searched the building, top to
bottom. One underage drinking ticket was issued. Casillas said Echo Base had a
“loose no-alcohol policy.” Alcohol wasn’t encouraged, but, at this event,
people had brought their own beer.
Police
told Casillas that they had received a tip that an “illegal rave” was happening
at Echo Base, and everyone was told to leave. Casillas says he is frustrated
because prior to this event there had been “no knock on the door, no warning,
nothing.”
Two
weeks later, the Echo Base was completely shut down.
What
Casillas really wanted to do was start a grassroots bicycle collective. He
recalls a life-changing bicycle trek he made across the country. He encountered
a number of helpful bicycle collectives along the way, and says he brought some
of that energy home with him. He wanted to form a collective that would offer
workshops, repair bicycles and provide resources for traveling cyclists. After
searching, he found what he thought would be an ideal spot at
He
quickly went to work. The building had been vacant, though some drug addicts
had been squatting there. Casillas says he and his collective saw the potential
for a positive new force in the neighborhood. The Boys & Girls Clubs of
Greater Milwaukee donated old bikes that needed to be fixed and they acquired
workbenches.
The
collective decided to start hosting benefit shows with local and touring bands.
Donations were taken, with some of the money helping to maintain Echo Base.
They hosted their first fund-raiser March 7. The buzz spread quickly, and soon
they had booked shows for every week through August.
Two
weeks after the April 23 show was busted, police returned with a building
inspector. They issued Casillas more than $1,000 in tickets for allowing
underage drinking and for not having liquor and occupancy permits. Casillas and
two roommates lived in the upstairs portion of the building, and the inspector
returned the next day to write them up for various violations. They were given
a notice to vacate the premises within 24 hours. Casillas says the paperwork to
convert the upstairs from commercial to residential had not been finished by
his landlord. They were able to get an extension for seven days, and began a
mad scramble to clear the collective.
Kevin
Soens is a member of the Borg Ward Collective, another organization that hosts
live music and arts events. He says that after the Echo Base raid, his
collective has rethought how it operates and adopted stricter policies. They
have been careful to review the limitations of what they can do.
“I
was surprised it all happened so quickly,” Soens says. “I was disappointed by
how the city handled it; they treated it like a meth lab or something. It was a
worst-case scenario right in front of us.”
Alderman
James Witkowiak, who represents the 12th District, where Echo Base was located,
says he respects what the bike co-op was trying to do, but adds, “They had a
multitude of violations. If that were to happen anywhere in the city, they
would get shut down. I don’t have anything personal against these guys. It
became large enough that people called our office and the police.”
Although
Echo Base’s concerts may have seemed harmless, Witkowiak says the city was
obligated to act.
“Suppose
the city knew about (these concerts), and there was a major fire or tragedy,”
he says. “The fact that the city knew about it and didn’t do anything about it
would make the city liable.”
Casillas
and his former roommates are currently staying on friends’ couches. Casillas
says these events have not discouraged him. He visualizes starting two separate
spaces in the future: an all-ages venue and a bicycle collective. Next time, he
plans to make sure that everything is done by the book.
“(These
events) have made me more passionate and twice as serious about what I want to
do,” Casillas says.
You
can get more info on Casillas’ new collectives by e-mailing him at
echobase1@riseup.net.
*/?>
This collective was more than likely shut down because of the cop that was parked outside the echo base collective pleasuring himself on the job a few days before the major bust. He was called in by the echo base for indecent public displays and more than likely was a bit bitter about it.