States with strict coronavirus lockdowns seem to be reliving the Roaring ’20s. Alcohol is legal in the 21st century’s version of Prohibition, but with restaurants, bars and other social spaces shut down, governors in California, New Jersey and New York are struggling to crack down on illicit summer soirees and speakeasies.
As in the 1920s, driving gatherings underground has encouraged other illicit behavior, including violence. Last week police busted up a party at a Santa Monica, Calif., mansion with hundreds of revelers that ended in a fatal shooting of a 35-year-old woman. Locals report that raves are frequent occurrences in the Hollywood Hills. At least two other parties in Los Angeles have resulted in gun violence.
“Since Covid, they’ve moved all the parties to the hills,” Sheila Irani, a member of the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council, told the Los Angeles Times. “The kids are going stir-crazy.” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti last week said “these large house parties have essentially become nightclubs in the hills.” At least nightclubs have bouncers and security guards.
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