A groups of D.C. residents took over part of Adams Morgan yesterday with the expressed purpose of annoying people with a megaphone. Their point? That what they were doing was really annoying, and should be illegal under District law. Operating under the monikers Quest for Quiet and Free Speech Should Not Mean Forced to Hear, the group protested for the second year in a row (last time in Georgetown) in the hopes of bringing attention to what they feel are the city’s lax noise laws, which allow preachers along the H Street corridor and elsewhere in the city to shout their messages through amplifiers.

On its surface, this issue appears to be about residents who are home during the day, many of them with infants, who would like a little more peace and quiet than they currently have. The Times also notes the health and safety factor being played up by the protesters — seriously loud noise can cause permanent hearing damage. But we can’t help but think of some more recent arguments between the religious and the secular in D.C., like the double-parking issue, when we read about this debate. Would these protesters object so strongly to amplified speech if it wasn’t mostly hellfire and brimstone? What if it was poetry?

A hearing is scheduled before the D.C. Council on July 9 on a bill, introduced by Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), which proposes to restrict non-commercial free speech to 70 decibels at 50 feet from the noise source. The law currently allows unlimited noncommercial noises from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. It seems somewhat unclear to us how this new law would be enforced, if enacted. Will neighborhood watchdogs be out with decibel meters and measuring tape, ready to report on noise to the police? Knowing this city, we wouldn’t be that surprised. Take our poll after the jump and let us know what you think.

Photo by Daniella Zalcman