924 Gilman
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Website for 924 Gilman: http://www.924gilman.org/
Related page: Teen Night Clubs
Feb 2008
My thirteen year old has recently asked if he could go to
an ''all age'' club called ''the Gillman'' in Berkeley.
Apparently there is another one in Oakland, ''the Metro''.
I want to know more about them before I can consider
letting him go. Is there any adult supervision? What
kinds of kids hang out there? Should I worry about drugs
or violence or ??????? at these clubs?
unsure mom
My daughter used to go to Gilman Street when she was 14. She
never had any trouble. She was tall for her age and didn't
drink or smoke pot. I knew I could trust her. It all depends
on the type of child you have. If your child is easily
influenced by others then it might not be a good place but
it is a safe place.
trusting mom
I have a 14 y/o boy whose friends, he claims, all are allowed to go to The
Guilman. We had hard crying sessions because I said night clubs, no matter
what they advertise themselves to be, are for adults, or young adults in this
''everything comes earlier' era. But one time he pushed so hard, my husband
and I agreed to let him and a friend go with my husband chaperoning. As
they approached the place my son's friend, who has good 'street' sense,
thought the crowd was a bit too intimidating for him, so they decided to turn
around and come back home. His other friends did go inside. One of them
was punched in the eye because it was so crowded he tripped on someone
and pushed the punching guy, causing the reaction, so the story goes... there
may be adult supervision for general behavior but unless you/your partner
go there as a chaperone your child won't be personally protected from
whatever goes on at a given moment. They say no drugs/alcohol, but,
according to some of my boy's friends, kids get high before going in. I think
school dances are enough for a 13/14 y/o boy. As I tell my boy, he can go to
the Guilman when he is 16 - at least - Look on their website for more info. In
my opinion, Guilman should be for 16 y/o and up.
No Guilman mom
My son (now 18) went to the Gilman often in his freshman and sophmore
years of High School. There is a policy of no drugs or alcohol inside the club
but many kids, including my son, use drugs and alcohol outside of the club.
On the flip side they also have a narcotics anonymous meeting there two
times a week that he availed himself of during his junior and senior
year...Best to be very clear about your own drug/alcohol policy before you let
him enjoy the bands there.
Mom
I think this question came up before. I did not let my girls
go to the Gilman, because an all-age club is a perfect place
for older guys to find easily impressed girls... one of them
snuck out there with friends once and found it not up to its
hype.
The fact that I'd consider letting my son go at the same age
really has more to do with my untested hypothesis that 20
year-old girls don't cruise for 16 year-old boys as much as
20 year-old boys want to hook-up with 16 year-old girls.
I'd have no real problem with a no-alcohol, under 18
club...but not ''all age.''
No Gilman Girls
I believe ''unsure mom's'' child is referring to 924 Gilman
Street, which has been there for more than twenty years.
There are worse places a 13-year-old could go, but whether
I'd let any particular 13-year-old go there unaccompanied
would depend on the 13-year-old in question -- how well he
knew how to handle himself and stay out of trouble. The club
has a strict no drugs, no alcohol, no violence policy. The
punk community values thinking for yourself and taking
responsibility for yourself, and not exploiting other
people, so with the mainstream of the 924 Gilman community I
think he'd be pretty safe. Like any community, though, there
are some bad actors, so your kid would need to have some
street smarts.
I'd encourage you to go along and check it out for yourself.
It's an all-ages club, after all, and the space is big
enough and usually crowded enough that you can be there
without getting in your kid's space too much. The music's
pretty loud -- so bring ear protection -- but you may find
it fresh and enjoyable, if only for one evening.
924 Gilman's been around long enough to have its own
Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/924_Gilman_Street
John
I too have a thirteen-year-old and would not consider
allowing him to go to The Gilman as I believe it is mostly
a high-school hangout(my impression from watching the
crowd gather outside the club from across the street at
Pyramid Brewrey). I do expect my son will want to go
there as well at some point but I'd resist the push to go
this soon. They'll be plenty of time in high school and
later for the club scene. You could also check it out
yourself since it is ''all ages.''
no hurry mom
Oct 2000
I read something last year about
the club at 8th and Gilman being a place teens could go and dance, but the
people we've seen lined up outside it looked a little scary (and our son
hasn't yet suggested it).
about Gilman ...
One of my kids started going to 924 Gilman last year as a freshman at Berkeley High and
went nearly every weekend. He hasn't been much this year but will
probably go a few times. He usually goes with a friend; they walk over
from the N. Berkeley BART, and I or another parent pick them up at
11:30 or so. Most of the kids who go to Gilman are there because they
want to hear the music, which is mostly punk music, which means you
see a lot of punk attire. I think it's great we have a place for
young teens to go to hear up-and-coming bands. I have not been too worried
about the "scary" kids rubbing off or anything like that. I know my
son gets a lot out of the music and the general scene and I think we are
lucky to have a place like Gilman in Berkeley.
Ginger
You can look around on
the web for more info about it; here is an excerpt I found from
http://bayarea.citysearch.com/E/V/SFOCA/0011/31/41/cs1.html
"Punk oasis Gilman Street offers a refuge for young turks, aspiring punk
rockers, and East Bay youth. Gilman Street Project's goal is straightforward:
to provide a a nonracist, nonsexist, nonhomophobic, nonviolent,
drug- and alcohol-free environment for Berkeley youths. Also known as the
Alternative Music Foundation, this organization has effectively
created a positive place for youth, featuring music, art exhibits, movies,
speakers and other unique events for the benefit of the younger community.
This phenomenal East Bay punk institution was the birthing ground for acts
such as pop punk titans Green Day and the locally loved Sleater-Kinney. It
also operates as collective. To attend shows you have to pay two bucks
to become a member (good for a year, so don't lose the card) before seeing
a show plus the door charge ($5). Volunteers are always needed and anyone
interested should come to membership meetings on the first and third
Saturdays of the month at 5pm or just arrive one hour before any program."
I thought I would add my two cents on the Gilman St.
club, in case that ever becomes an option. I went there with my husband a
while back when a friend's band from Boston was playing there. The kids who
run the place sell Cokes and chips at the concession stand, and on the night
I was there there was not any "moshing" (do they still call it that?) or
really much dancing, just a lot of people standing around listening to music
and socializing. (We are in our early 20's, so I don;t think they were just
being nice for the old folks.) I used to go to a lot of these shows growing
up (in Georgia) and I think they were really some of the safest places I
went. The kids look scary, and I think a lot of their dress is expressly
designed to scare the older, establishment types. But a good number of them
are thinking people who are active in defending the causes they believe in,
and a lot of them see not smoking, drinking or having sex as a source of
pride and identity. Overall, I'd say Gilman is a safe place to be if your
son ever decides he wants to go there.
Heather
My daughter's passion is music ... the kind that is hard for someone like me to relate
to!!! Punk, Heavy Metal.
She did go to the Gilman club for the first time this weekend and apparently
loved it. It was VERY intimidating to see the 'scene' as I dropped her off but
I remind myself that all those unusual looking folks are someone's kid. She
also emulates that 'Look" ( the dyed hair, black clothes, piercings etc.) but
I figure it is just another stage. Remember when all they wore was Osh Kosh
overalls, or pink and purple?? Deb
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