March 10, 2008
Jack Evans Gets Taste of H Street's Noise
As we reported last week, Georgetown residents should have been ready for some rude awakenings over the weekend -- and rude awakenings they received.
The Post reported on the gathering of activists who took to the streets of Georgetown on Saturday and Sunday morning to make a point -- loudly -- about the D.C. Council's recent inaction on a bill that would place limitations on the use of amplification during demonstrations in residential neighborhoods. Led by anti-noise crusader and Ward 6 resident David Klavitter, the demonstration, meant to target Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who had motioned to table the bill, was by all accounts exactly what the activists warned it would be -- well amplified and wholly annoying:
The decibels reached yesterday -- recorded in the 90s by Klavitter's noise meter -- left Evans's neighbors ticked.Evans wasn't much swayed by the noise, defiantly defending the right of demonstrators to express their opinions, volume de damned. Just going by what some neighbors said, though, and the Fox 5 report on the ruckus, a few more weekends of this and Evans' neighbors might well start begging the Council member to slap his name on the legislation, or moving to Montgomery County -- where this type of stuff is illegal."I just want to shoot them," said Sarah Donze, 21, a George Washington University student.
She paused, then added, "With a tranquilizer."
|
"I just want to shoot them," said Sarah Donze, 21, a George Washington University student.
That Supreme Court decision on the 2nd Amendment can't come fast enough for some people.
What's good for the goose, is good for the gander. Happy Camper Evans will tire of this high-decibel revelry before too long.
He might be deaf so it might not matter to him...
down goes spitzer down goes spitzer..
down goes spitzer down goes spitzer..
zippy: Are you going to post that on every thread? I think once is sufficient.
Jack was probably aware that living in a city is different than living in the suburbs, and went about with his life.
Too bad Spitzer isn't amping up his pimp game anymore.
yeah zippy, take a fucking tranquilizer.
More power to the noise protesters in front of Evans' house.
They should expand their protest to the other councilmembers that refused to vote on the noise reduction act.
I find it astonishing that DC can't craft a law to deal with this.
Do residents in NYC or other cities have to put up with this crap?
Not bloody likely.
down goes zippy down goes zippy..
Jack was probably aware that living in a city is different than living in the suburbs, and went about with his life.
Living in a residential area in a city shouldn't be too terribly different from living in the suburbs. If Klavitter had moved into a house next door to 395 and then complained about traffic noise, that'd be different.
Not to mention that I'd hate to put up with this kind of thing in my office, too.
"David Klavitter, Patti Shea, Gretchen Brandt and Pamela Froggin say they live with the same level of noise every weekend in their section of Capitol Hill, where street preachers plant themselves at Eighth and H streets NE with loudspeakers."
Hmmm. I wonder....
Nevermind.
"Jack was probably aware that living in a city is different than living in the suburbs, and went about with his life."
Ah, another appearance of the "quality of life in cities must suck" theory. The same theory that says you should put up with crime, littering, street harassment, etc., and that if you object to these things, you must secretly desire to live in a suburb.
You can't really visualize how annoying these street preachers are unless you've heard them in person.
This isn't some lone guy standing on a corner. It's an organized group, with very effective loudspeakers.
The equally messed up part is they aren't even from DC. I understand most of their group lives in Philly, where this sort of thing is most likely against the law.
It would really suck to live next to this and have this to look forward to every weekend. And, for that matter, pretty much anytime these losers decided to launch their high volume crap. From what I understand they can do this pretty much anytime, anywhere.
I say these protesters show up unannounced at Evans house and keep this going. And show up unannounced in the early morning hours at every other councilmember who voted against this bill.
And outside Cheney's place at the Naval Observatory. Just to annoy him while he sharpens his pitchfork.
And on Sunday mornings, I'll double park my car next to Graham's VW Beetle. Power to the People!!
. . . girls rock your boys!
Is 8th and H really that residential of a neighborhood? I understand that there are some homes on 8th, but H st. is pretty commercial at that spot. Are the speakers on 8th or H?
I am definitely sympathetic with Kalvitter, and I think the council should do something for him. But I just don't like this protest. Partially because I think some people are as happy about annoying Evans' neighbors as they are about annoying Evans himself. When the question of Georgetown comes up, I find that too often people's eyes glaze over and they fall into this really simpleminded "class warfare" mindset.
If they can afford to live in Georgetown, they can afford a hotel room every friday night until those council douchebags pass some sort of law preventing this.
Have you ever heard these people?
Clearly you have not.
H street itself may not be residential, but people live around the corner and you can hear it 3 blocks away!
I personally think this is the best protest ever!
Evans, Mendleson, Kwame Brown, oh the list goes on, and the point isn't even to get to the Councilmembers, but their neighbors, who are the ones, like other regular citizens, are the ones who are impacted by this behavior.
Protesting = good
Amplified protesting in residential areas = bad
Get it together.
This issue reminds we of why I did not vote for that Linda Cropp: she and other Baptists marched on Logan Circle to demand that the Baptists be allowed to break the law with double parking, among other illegal acts, and that white people wanted to turn the city into a gated community [huh?].
Reid:
Yes, that exact corner is commercial, on the H Street side. The street preachers set up usually on the SE corner of the corner.
But I believe most of that actual block is residential.
We live in DC. We should expect to be the seat of democracy and to accept and support protestors. Just because other cities have curtailed the right to protest, doesn't mean that we should too. And yes, other cities, those that see their role as important in terms of the right of citizens to protest the actions of their government put up with this stuff all the time. Not just noise, but full on shut down of the streets. Nothing brings out the neighbors like a good protest in San Francisco, for instance. You probably will be able to get out of work. And you know what? Not all those people are from SF (good lord, many are from Portland!) and it's accepted. Because that's what SF stands for. It has long and proud history of protest, demonstrations and riots. (A "Paris of the West" as they say, with a whole new meaning.) And they are proud of it. We should be too. We are the seat of democracy, and considering the criminal activities of the last 7 years, I don't see any reason that the whole city shouldn't be brought to a halt on at least a weekly basis.
Reid:
Sorry. I meant to say that most of that actual block on the 8th Street side is commercial.
And these losers often set up with their megaphones and amplifiers pointed away from H Street, toward the residential neighborhood.
I am definitely sympathetic with Kalvitter, and I think the council should do something for him. But I just don't like this protest. Partially because I think some people are as happy about annoying Evans' neighbors as they are about annoying Evans himself.
Kalvitter may be a party with one of the biggest current grievances, but I don't think that he would necessarily be the only one to benefit from a reasonable time, place and manner limit on amplified protests... Evans' own neighbors, for instance, may now also be interested in such a regulation...
I'd definitely recommend targeting Kwame Brown. He was one of the original sponsors of the bill. And he's a councilman at large, right? So surely he's got to think of his (voting) constituents in both Wards 3 and 6. It's too bad he doesn't have any serious contenders running against him.
Like I said, I an sympathetic to him, and I think a compromise is in order, but I just don't like the idea of punishing private citizens to influence public figures, particularly when people discount the value, so to speak, of the private citizen's right to peace based upon some vague class-based antipathy.
I just think people would be relishing this protest significantly less had it been a protest in Kwame Brown's Hillcrest neighborhood.
I understand that protests/protesters are annoying and normal people chillin' at home on Sunday morning doing the crossword and making Frittatas don't want to be bombarded by noise pollution. Throw in amplification and its worse. People certainly have the right to live in a nice quiet neighborhood but those same people also have the right to gather in demonstration when they feel so inclined.
If you take away the ability to use amplification it could certainly begins a slippery slope of other curbs against protest which are only magnified by the fact that it is DC. I'm sure the last thing these residents will want is a huge media circus as well.
"We are the seat of democracy, and considering the criminal activities of the last 7 years, I don't see any reason that the whole city shouldn't be brought to a halt on at least a weekly basis."
Yeah man, SCREW those people that live here and are just trying to go abotu their daily lives. Protesters, ahoy!
90 dbs?! That's it? It's time to bring on the noise and the funk.
hey badtzmaru, were you going to ask if they were white?!? picking up where your racism left off last week? or am i reading too much into your agenda?
8th and H NE is commercial, with plenty of loud Metrobus traffic on H Street. Get those street preachers some better equipment -- the distortion is horrible. I can hardly hear them explain how Caucasians are freak products of experiments by ancient African scientists.
"Not just noise, but full on shut down of the streets."
Uh, but it's every damn weekend. At the same damn spot. In a residential neighborhood.
Somehow I think you'd feel different after your 20th weekend in a row was ruined by these self-absorbed pricks.
I say shoot'em after DC's gun laws have been overturned by Supreme Court... That will take care of them.
Welcome back, DC1974. I kind of missed seeing the comparisons to San Francisco pop up in every single comments section.
"If you take away the ability to use amplification it could certainly begins a slippery slope of other curbs against protest.."
Well, why is that, and what specifically do you think might be next? It's not enough just to say "this will be a slippery slope".
"Just because other cities have curtailed the right to protest, doesn't mean that we should too."
There is no right to amplified protest.
I happened to find Klavitter's blog.. I didn't realize this has been going on for more than two years.. and apparently they have previously protested outside Evans' home.
"We live in DC. We should expect to be the seat of democracy and to accept and support protestors."
Sort of like we should expect to have represenation?
So people that have represenation can come in front of my neighbors house and scream about lord knows what for several hours every Saturday.
I mean I used to have a problem with this concept but if thats what they do in SAN FRANCISCO, the epicenter of all thats right in the world, why then it must be the way to go!
I'm going to start protesting that DC isn't more like SAN FRANCISCO! Maybe we could all move to SAN FRANCISCO! I love SAN FRANCISCO! When I lived in SAN FRANCISCO this wouldn't be an issue. I love SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO! SAN FRANCISCO!
That wasn't necessary...
Funny, though...