POP/ROCK - April 7, 1988

After complaints of drug abuse and littering, police in Hartford Conn., early Wednesday rousted hundreds of Grateful Dead fans sleeping in a downtown park and told them to leave the city. The Dead played three sold-out concerts this week at the Hartford Civic Center, and the city allowed fans to camp in the park, a short walk from the arena and train station. But complaints about Dead Heads’ drug dealing, trash and traffic jams have city officials considering a ban on concerts by the Grateful Dead. Drug dealers allegedly operated so openly that making arrests was “like shooting fish in a barrel,” said Sgt. James Flaherty, who worked undercover in the vice and narcotics unit.