The Council is poised to final consider the bill that would close the loophole that currently allows for the amplified speech that takes place all day at 8th and H Streets most Saturdays.
Here are some recent news stories on the issue:
QUEST FOR QUIET ON H STREET HITS SNAG -Roll Call 2/11/08
Discusses opposition to the bill from the AFL-CIO, which worries it could interfere with union protests.
BILL AIMS TO QUIET NOISE LEVELS -Washington Times 2/7/08
An informational story with commentary on the noise restrictions from Councilmember Mary Cheh. Cheh is a professor of constitutional law and, along with Councilmember Tommy Wells, a co-introducer of the bill.
MAKE NOISE -Georgetown University Voice 2/7/08
An opinion piece opposing the legislation because the author believes it infringes on free speech rights.
DC Consider Limiting dB -DCist 2/5/08
A general piece restating the issues and giving a bit of history.
Here are some groups that have recently expressed support for the bill:
* Hillcrest Community Civic Association
* Downtown Neighborhood Association
* Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association
* Woodland Normanstone Neighborhood Association
* H Street Main Street
* Service Employees International Union 32BJ
* Service Employees International Union Local 500
* Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6A
* Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C
For full coverage and updates check out Quest For Quiet.
For those wishing to show support for the neighbors at 8th and H David Klavitter, the blogger behind Quest for Quiet, offers the following:
Please urge your councilmember and the at-large members to support the bill with amendments. The template is below.
Meanwhile, one Northwest D.C. residential area has suffered from 19 weekends of amplified noise. The protestor's have targeted only one home--but the surrounding neighbors have suffered as well (more at www.questforquiet.org). Let's stand up for our right to the quiet enjoyment at home.
Thanks again!
STEP #1: CONTACT THESE SIX PEOPLE:
a. Your individual D.C. ward councilmember (For names and contact information, access the council website:
www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/contact.html )
b. D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray
email: vgray@dccouncil.us
c. D.C. At-Large Councilmember Carol Schwartz
email: schwartzc@dccouncil.us
d. D.C. At-Large Councilmember David A. Catania
email: dcatania@dccouncil.us
e. D.C. At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson
email: pmendelson@dccouncil.us
f. D.C. At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown
email: kbrown@dccouncil.us
STEP #2: THE MESSAGE:
Dear Councilmember:
Please protect my rights to quietly enjoy my home in the District of Columbia. Please SUPPORT the "Noise Control Protection Amendment Act of 2007 (B17-0177)," now pending before the D.C. City Council.
To further protect residential areas and free speech in public spaces, please also support the amendment which measures the noise "inside the nearest occupied residence in districts zoned R-1A, R-1B, R-2, R-3, or R-4."
Your support will help ensure all D.C. residents have the right to quiet enjoyment. Thank you and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
D.C. Resident and Voter
Address
18 comments:
I read an article about the bill in Voice of the Hill this a.m. (since the Washington Post wasn't delivered this morning). It sounded promising. And apparently 8th and H NE isn't the only location affected by this. A very wealthy neighborhood has come to support it because protesters were accosting a BET tv corporate official.
Quest for Quiet should encourage the cab drivers to continue driving around city hall and blowing their car horns like they did yesterday. Maybe the city council will get an idea of what the folks at 8th & H live with.
I've said it before and I will say it again. This is an incredibly ill-conceived rule. Short sighted and techincially inaccurate. I work in the field of environmental noise and these rules are simply terrible. This application of this regulation will result in significant unintended consequences.
dcjaded:
While you do not elaborate on your criticim of the language, I am the first to admit that this noise bill is not perfect.
The current language is the result of compromise among a broad range of stakeholders.
To answer the previous comment about the techincal language. The rules as currently proposed identify a distance at which a specified decidel level cannot be exceeded. It is better to write these rules, especially in an urban environment to specify a noise impact maximum at noise sentive areas which can include homes, hospitals, churches, etc. this elimates the possibilty of using the regulation to shut down protesters in an industrial or non-residential area. Its a virtual certainty that this regulation as written will be used as an intimidation tactic or a reason to shut down protests in non-residential areas by police.
It's a virtual certainty that this regulation as written will be used as an intimidation tactic or a reason to shut down protests in non-residential areas by police.
Personally, I don't really have a problem with reducing the amount of *amplified*, unpermitted protests in this city.
If you have the numbers, you don't need the amps. And it's not really an "unintended...intimidation tactic" when it's the stated purpose of the law.
Just sayin'.
I know the councilmembers can offer amendments when they consider the bill Tuesday. At every step they've attempted to balance residents' rights to quiet enjoyment with those of free speech. I'm sure they will continue with this intent.
Free Speech doesn't mean loud speech! Just my two quiet cents ..
enough noise already.
the neighborhood contractor dude was throwing wood and bricks into his truck at 6:00 a.m. this morning.
it awakened everyone.
i told them off, only to receive the response that it's a public street.
i'm all for less noise.
protests don't need to be LOUD, they need to be effective.
typical americana.... they think that louder is better.
you see that all the time in countries outside the u.s.
trust me, it's the message, not the decibels.
dcjaded, do you attend gallaudet?
i'm just asking...
Poo Poo:
DC construction regs say you can't start construction before 7 am, so the 6 am noise guy was technically violating the law.
Of course, enforcement of this is almost impossible, but you were technically right.
Real cities like NYC actually have plans to enforce noise ordinances. DC, of course, does not.
How does this deal with RFK and the baseball stadium? Would games and concerts be regulated?
Completely unrelated topic.....
Anyone know what the deal is with Sticky Rice??? Their website isn't active and they haven't posted anything to their myspace page to update a potential opening date.....
We heard last night March or May for Sticky Rice, but I suppose you could spin a wheel or roll dice and hit the exact date just as easily.... :-)
Has anyone considered just suing these streetcorner losers? Surely in a town chock full of lawyers we could find a few that would file lawsuits against these people for their continual harassment of neighbors. Leave it up to a jury to decide if there are damages.
I'm betting that after they got sued a couple times they'd see just how it feels and they'd move on.
Or, if you feel passionate about it, go set up on their 'leader's' streetcorner and do the same thing to him?
Thanks for the note, hillman. Please know that more than one amplified group drives this issue.
Several groups assemble at 8th and H Streets NE--some on Saturday, others on Sunday. In two cases, the leaders live in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Other areas of the city also are affected--including Northwest and Downtown neighborhoods.
If Poo Poo doesn't like noise he should move back to Iowa!
actually, i'd love to see what iowa is like! seriously!
i mean, just look at the gem that this quick search turned up!
http://www.50states.com/facts/iowa.htm
dcjaded,
i don't think an unpermitted protest should have amplified sound. even in a non-residential area like downtown, is it really necessary to have a megaphone to orchestrate a protest? and do you honestly think police in this town have ever paid attention to whether they legally have the right to harass protestors? that's going to happen regardless of any law.
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