The Daily Swarm

SF Weekly, December 1, 2009:

Justin Credible and Matthew Higgins—both of whom were featured in Maerz’ original story—received what their lawyer referred to as “their illegally seized laptops.”

“This is great news, and a real relief to the pair who have been without their machines for a month,” continued attorney Jennifer Grannick of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Both DJs had been at an underground Halloween party; Credible told SF Weekly she hadn’t even been using her laptop to play music when the party was raided but was instructed to remove it from her bag and hand it over nevertheless.

Granick noted that, at today’s hearing, the police department’s attorney admitted that no charges were ever going to be filed against either DJ—yet the laptops were still seized. “San Francisco law currently requires after-hours parties with live DJs to get a permit, and failure to do so can be punished as a misdemeanor,” continued Granick. “But DJing an unpermitted party is not a crime, and certainly not one for which one’s laptop could be forfeited.”

SF Weekly, November 18, 2009:

Over the past six months, music fans who have been spinning records — or even just attending friends’ events — claim their laptops, soundboards, and mixers have been taken by the cops in police raids. The busted gatherings include an illegal dance party, an artist fundraiser, and a private Halloween bash. While it’s unclear whether the lack of official permits was enough reason to close down all these parties, the bigger question is why the police are seizing and holding private property that DJs and attendees use as valuable tools for making their art and living.

via Boing Boing