I was at a party three weeks ago that the Eugene Police Department and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission broke up. Two trumpets and a keyboard were seized from me for the illegal operation of a bar. I was playing in a band at this party, and because I am 21 and had no ties to purchasing the alcohol, I was not cited.
The law makes sense initially. If a bar is operating illegally, then the OLCC should have the right to confiscate the alcohol and any accumulation of wealth as a result of alcohol being sold. However, under the jurisdiction of these civil and state codes the confiscation of my musical instruments was a blatant, gross abuse of the law.
The confiscation of my musical instruments was completely unnecessary. There is no way my equipment could have been used as any sort of substantial evidence against me or those who were being prosecuted. I had no agreement with the party hosts to be paid for playing, nor was there any evidence of intent for them to pay me. They had already confiscated the kegs of beer, as well as the money they collected off of the sale of the beer, and they were charging those who were arrested with illegal sales of alcohol and furnishing to minors. If the OLCC lawyers cannot argue against them with this kind of incriminating evidence, then they need to go back to law school.
Radical reform of the state and civil codes regarding property confiscation needs to happen. The only reason I can contemplate having musical instruments taken from me or anyone else is if they are used as weapons. In my opinion, the presence of music does not constitute the illegal operation of a bar; the sale of alcohol to minors constitutes the illegal operation of a bar. The music should be considered as entirely separate. Music is legal when alcohol is not present, so there should be no reason why it should be illegal when it is present. With the jurisdiction that the OLCC has now, they may have just as well taken the entire house. The problem with government regulation is that there is nobody regulating the government.
They initially refused to relinquish my property to me, showing a complete lack of regard that I was a music student at the University and that it was a week before finals. I am fortunate that my father is a lawyer, and three weeks later, I received my instruments. If anybody else besides a government agency did what they did, it would be considered stealing. The OLCC should be worrying about regulating the sale of alcohol, not ruining the livelihood of an unsuspecting college student.

Scott Ruby University student