|
|
|
Articles
|
| Hill residents make some noise in Georgetown |
VOICE writes, "By ELIZABETH WIENER
Current Staff Writer
The amplified sounds that awoke Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans last weekend rattled some of his Georgetown neighbors, but they apparently didn't change his mind about enacting legislation to set a limit on amplified non-commercial speech in residential areas.
"The demonstrators had an absolutely legal right to be there, but no, it didn't change my mind," Evans said Tuesday. "My sole participation was to move to table [the bill]. It's up to Tommy Wells and Mary Cheh," two chief sponsors, "to fix it."
Nonetheless, supporters of the creative -- and very loud -- protests say they believe they made their point.
David Klavitter, whose "quest for quiet" campaign was spurred by amplified preaching on H Street NE, said he was not sure how Evans reacted. "He's gotta talk to his neighbors," Klavitter said. "They were really incensed."
Klavitter and others have been pushing for years to limit decibel levels in residential neighborhoods -- from Benning Road to H Street to tony Woodland-Normanstone, where protesters have shown up every Saturday for six months to protest programming outside the home of Black Entertainment Television president Debra Lee."
|
Current city law sets no limit on amplified non-commercial noise from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. By a 7-5 vote in February, with Evans a leader among the majority, the council tabled indefinitely a bill that would have limited the noise to 70 decibels. Washington is now the only major U.S. city with no limits on such noise.
Evans and other council members who voted to table say the bill needs more work to achieve a balance between free-speech rights and residents who desire quietness. The AFL-CIO's Washington DC Metro Council lobbied vigorously against the noise limits, but two locals of the Service Employees International Union backed them.
Thus was born the idea of the early-morning amplification outside Evans' home in the 3100 block of P Street. Only four protesters showed up Saturday in a cold rain, and just three on Sunday. They waited until precisely 7:01 a.m. to let loose with speeches, lyrics and poetry -- at what one participant said was 110 decibels, the level of a rock concert.
That's the beauty of the idea, said Klavitter. "We can pop up anywhere. We don't have to schedule it, don't need 100 people." With amplifiers, "we can make as much noise as a rock concert."
Police, who were notified in advance, said the protest was absolutely legal under current law. "Neighbors were furious, but the police said what we were doing is legal," said one participant. "The neighbors said it was 'truly an annoyance.' We said, 'Contact Jack Evans.'"
Evans appeared one time and waved. "He wasn't happy," said the participant.
Klavitter said he is not sure what the group's next step will be -- traditional lobbying, more "pop-up" protests, or both. But he said the weekend's event was at least ear-shattering, and hopefully effective.
"Maybe Evans didn't understand the full impact" of tabling the noise bill, Klavitter said. "Hopefully now he understands. His neighbors certainly did."
The issue came up at the Citizens Association of Georgetown's Monday meeting, where several speakers said they fully understand the H Street residents' concerns about unrestricted noise. "I wholeheartedly sympathize," said one resident.
|
Posted on Mar 22, 2008 08:47am.
(Return)
|
|
|
|
|
Categories
|
|
|
