RSS FeedCity Noise In Gallery Place/Penn Quarter And Calling 311
Being residents of a busy downtown city, we can expect some level of city noise on a daily basis. We hear police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, loud vehicles, occasional loud crowds, street performers, and dance club music. Most of these noises are tolerable and fade into the background of normal tasks, but some noises seem to cross the line and become a nuisance.
Gallery Place is known to attract its fair share of street performers: singers, solo guitarists, saxophonists, bag pipes, and even improvised instruments – like “bucket drumming.” We’ve even experienced a preacher who is very fond of broadcasting his message via a megaphone.
These performances bring an artistic element into our neighborhood and some add to the character of Gallery Place/Penn Quarter. For example, a writer talks about the saxophone player who sits at the top of the escalators in Gallery Place during game nights.
These performers can be an asset to our neighborhood, but there seems to be no limit on the appropriate hours of performance – so it would seem. A couple of times in the past weeks, Gallery Place residents have been awoken from sleep to the tune of repetitive bucket drumming. Many may be [pleasantly] surprised to know that any time after 10pm, residents may call 311 (non emergency police) and report a noise disturbance. The next available police officer will respond to the report (generally, in 15-45 minutes).
But, as we have observed, some officers will not interfere with dance clubs – doors wide open – broadcasting music into the streets and neighboring residences. Another method of silencing excessive noise has been rather effective: calling the club owner directly and asking them to close their front doors.
In Gallery Place, direct communication with the street performers has resulted in a huge reduction in “after 10pm” noise. When bag pipes were blaring in our neighborhood, a Gallery Place resident simply approached the musician and let that person know that people actually live above the sidewalk where she was playing. The same technique has been successful in reducing a bucket drummer’s performances in front of residences.
It seems as though that when street performers are notified that several hundred homes exist just a few feet away, they choose their times and locations more considerately.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
I’ve got a great one. I live in the Meridian at Gallery Place building, and I was awoken one night around midnight to “Amazing Grace” on what seemed like a 20-piece bag-pipe and drum band. This occured during that Police Appreciation Week that they have every year and most of the participants stay at the Red Roof Inn. (On a sidenote, I swear that week and St. Patrick’s Day are the only days the Irish Channel Bar in the RRI does any strong business.)So what am I to do now? It is midnight on a Wednesday and who am I going to complain to? The cops who are being entertained by Amazing Grace on repeat? I don’t think so!
Police Week is the worst week of the year. Those people are noisy as fuck, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. Try to be on vacation is my only advice.
Anyone ever hear or see that marching band which comes by every month or so? The two times I have seen them, it was about midnight and they were marching down D Street, holding up traffic and claiming both sides of the street. I guess it’s festive and fun (looks like middle or high school kids), just an odd hour to be marching.
The issue is not with city noise, it’s with amplified noise directed into bedroom windows after midnight.
Frankly, I’ve lived in the suburbs.. and high school aged suburban kids make much more noise during summer parties than is normally experienced living downtown.
“If you don’t like noise, move to the suburbs.”
That isn’t the issue.
Even if some cop band was playing “Amazing Grace” on the corner at midnight in the ‘burbs, it still wouldn’t be right.
i’m sympathetic to noise, but one-time /continuous late-night noise means we’re in a good commerical area. Continuous nuisances from nightclubs or the like need to be addressed and eliminated.
A very disappointing piece for what I thought was an urban-loving blog.
I have to agree with a previous poster. If you don’t like noise, go back to Fairfax.
The performers are one thing. What about the completely illegal, overnight construction going on? What can be done about that?
Anon: we were told by a visiting police officer that many construction sites actually have building permits that allow night construction. However, many don’t. The proper course of action is to check the site’s permit. I forget what the appropriate agency is called, but a responding officer should be able to retrieve from the site manager.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
We probably could have written a post 10 times longer than this on the “city noise” topic.. Does anyone have a noise related story or pet peeve?