Music Festival Organizers Not Charged
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has declined to file charges against two organizers of a Hollywood music festival that police broke up last month after receiving noise complaints.
An administrative hearing officer decided the evidence was too weak to prosecute John Brown, a leader of the Sunset Junction Alliance, which sponsored the Labor Day weekend concert, and Jose Ballesteros, a security guard for the event, said Assistant City Atty. Timothy Hutton.
The two men were arrested by police who had been dispatched to seize the concert’s sound equipment at the end of the second day because of noise complaints.
Police said Brown was arrested on a citizen’s complaint for violating the city’s noise ordinance and that Ballesteros attempted to interfere with Brown’s arrest.
The third day of the festival, held near Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland Avenue, was canceled. Organizers contend they lost about $40,000 on the concert. It was intended to raise money for the Sunset Junction Street Festival, which the Alliance holds annually to improve relations between gays and Latinos in Silver Lake.
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