May 7, 2008
NOISE BILL PASSES! (Shhhhh! Quietly.)
Earlier this year it looked like a measure pushed by some Ward 6 residents to impose volume limits on protests in residential neighborhoods was destined for failure. As we briefly mentioned yesterday, though, the D.C. Council endorsed an amended version of the legislation.
According to the City Paper's Mike DeBonis, who closely followed the debate, yesterday saw some back and forth on the legislation, which was originally sponsored and pushed by Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6). In a morning debate, Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who had originally moved to table the legislation (thus provoking noisy protests outside his Georgetown home), proposed a number of amendments that would have allowed protests outside hotels in residential areas (as a way to appease unions who would like to protest there), changed the way volume would be measured, and put responsibility for the law's enforcement on the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs instead of the police.
While those amendments failed, changes proposed by Council member Kwame Brown (D-At Large), along with the full legislation, passed 8-5 during an afternoon debate. The revised version of the legislation now puts a 70 decibel cap on protests in residential neighborhoods and an 80 decibel cap on protests downtown, though protests in commercial areas are allowed 10 decibels of wiggle-room above ambient noise.
Of course, nothing becomes law until its second reading, which is set for next month. Evans, the only real naysayer of the legislation, has gotten plenty of heat for his determined opposition, so it doesn't seem likely that he'll step in at the last minute and try to kill it. If he does, we're predicting a long and noisy summer for him and his family.
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this is bullshhhhhhhhhhhhit.
Does this only apply to protests? Or also to neighbors blasting music from windows/cars/porches? How is a protest defined? What if I just stand on the corner and play loud music from a boom box, but protest nothing?
Great, since DCRA has done such an outstanding job enforcing housing code violations by slumlords, I'm sure they'll get right on the noise violators.
Protesting outside hotels sounds pretty cool. Anthing to piss off the tourists and keep them from coming back to DC. I would also expand that to include libraries, senior centers, and hospitals that perform brain surgery.
80 decibels is nothing. I regularly hit that after a couple 1/2 Pound Beef and Potato Burritos at Taco Bell.
monk, ew. really, must you be so crass....
is it me or does anybody else like the name DeBonis? i think it's rather randy
But from where do they measure the volume? Is it three feet infront of the speaker, or from the resident's living room? If something is routinely wafting into your living room at 60 decibles, that still sucks.
In an early city desk post they mentioned something about having to get the city to come in a take volume readings in your house. Did that make it to the final bill?
It's kind of funny to see Jack so in the tank for the unions. Is that really his base of support?
So who exactly is in the pro-noise contingent? Out-of-town churchies? ACLU? Just the homo-and-gentrifyer-hatin' megaphone nuts? Earplug manufacturers?
Xtena - I didn't mention how much enamel I knocked off the commode because I'm a goddamned gentleman.
they need to do something about the decibel level of metro bus squealing brakes.
they could pop a tympanum.
Hilarious.
Anyone here actually think DCRA will show up for a noise complaint on a Saturday or Sunday morning?
Anybody?
Dude/Hillman,
Martin wrote that Jack Evans' amendments were defeated, included moving enforcement to the DCRA.
@Reid: The decibels are measured 50 feet from the source of the noise or from the residential property (although it doesn't say if that means right at the property line or indoors). For non-residential zones, it's measured only at 50 feet distance from the source and you get an additional 10 decibels.
@DL: The successful Brown amendment puts the decibel measuring authority with DCRA.
Cranky: Yup, I now see that the DCRA has responsibility after reading the
Post article. I was just going by what Martin had written/linked above.
CM Alexander's quote is priceless. These votes against should prompt legal, but annoying protests at the offending politicians residences.
What's funny is that it's my understanding that the H & 8th preachers doing all the noise-making all live in Philadelphia and other locations that have noise ordinances far stricter than the proposed DC one.
Nothing like having one set of standards for yourself and others for somebody else's 'hood.
What I don't understand is why affected DC residents don't sue these guys in civil court as a nuisance? It's a decent bet that a DC jury would be sympathetic, and I think the First Amendment argument isn't nearly as strong in good old fashioned 'my neighbor is a prick and making my daily life hell' lawsuits.
well this is an issue for us with voice demodulation disorder.
@Hillman - I would imagine the fed-up H Street residents simply wouldn't get anything out of a lawsuit. They're not going to get any money damages. And it's likely the preacher haters would just ignore any court summons or any judgment against them.
"This is not a citywide problem. This is an H Street problem, and everybody knows it." -- council member Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4)in the Post.
It is actually the problem of a guy named Dave, who has lots of free time and doesn't want to admit that buying a house near a commercial strip had drawbacks.
I regularly get 60 decibels of noise walking by my apartment on Friday and Saturday nights in the form of people leaving the bars on 18th street.
You should of heard the screaming last Friday night...
Jim Graham was against... Hmmm...
Mike Licht....actually this has been an issue in other parts of the city which have had residents enduring months on end protests in purely residential neighborhoods.
The ignorance of Ms. Bowser is not surprising.
So, I guess if this passes churches can still blast music at midnight and electronic bulletin boards can still loop the same endless commercial, but no one can protest in front of Jack's GT home anymore?
The irony.