Noise ordinance and first amendment rights

[Anonymous]

I live on Van Ness St a few blocks from the Israeli embassy. The anti-Israel protest has been going on there for months. In reality the protest is two or three people who lay out megaphones on the curb outside the embassy and then leave. The megaphones that I hear all day wailing from 7 am to 10 pm are just laying on the sidewalk. The protesters have left except the one sitting on the corner beating his tambourine.

So my question is does the DC noise ordinance allow just wailing of siren noise through megaphones 15 hours of the day. It is spring break and I cannot even open my windows (and yes I can hear it through the windows).

I think it is funny that we will shut a restaurant down in Ward 3 that wants to play live music for three hours on a Friday night, but these wailing sirens laying on the sidewalk have been "allowed" for months.

[Anonymous]

Political speech is protected unless you are inciting a riot. Get with it.

[Anonymous]

It is not political speech. It is sirens laying on the ground. There are not even people there. Just sirens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not political speech. It is sirens laying on the ground. There are not even people there. Just sirens.

If there is no one watching the siren, turn them off or call the police to report a suspicious box

[Anonymous]

>OP moves to a city that is the capital of a country that facilitates war abroad
>is mad people protest in said city
>is mad people protest by the embassy of the country implementing ethnic cleansing

lol. Just lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:>OP moves to a city that is the capital of a country that facilitates war abroad
>is mad people protest in said city
>is mad people protest by the embassy of the country implementing ethnic cleansing

lol. Just lol

There are no people protesting.

The people drop off the sirens and leave. It is like having a robot do your protesting for you. You are not actually protesting. Just doing the occasional battery change.

[Anonymous]

If there is no one there, then it's abandoned property or litter. Blame the city for not disposing of it. Call 311 until they are sick of your voice then switch to your ANC

[Anonymous]

Just throw their crap away every time they leave it.

People need to get lives

[Anonymous]

Lawyer here.

The protesters are using the public space rules DC has.

The megaphones on the ground are not considered abandoned property or litter if you know that is not the intent.

You would win in court ultimately, but do you want to risk going to court over throwing the megaphones away? I know for a fact that they group there protesting has a lawyer on speed dial.

Same thing with the OP's original comment about restaurants playing music. The issue is intent. Could the restaurant simply say that they are exercising free speech? Yes, but if somebody wanted to take them to court they would have to potentially prove they were not doing it just to make a more pleasant dining experience.

The issue here is intent and MPD does not bother themselves with that. The courts do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not political speech. It is sirens laying on the ground. There are not even people there. Just sirens.

This is the laziest protest ever. Apparently they don't care that much...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lawyer here.

The protesters are using the public space rules DC has.

The megaphones on the ground are not considered abandoned property or litter if you know that is not the intent.

You would win in court ultimately, but do you want to risk going to court over throwing the megaphones away? I know for a fact that they group there protesting has a lawyer on speed dial.

Same thing with the OP's original comment about restaurants playing music. The issue is intent. Could the restaurant simply say that they are exercising free speech? Yes, but if somebody wanted to take them to court they would have to potentially prove they were not doing it just to make a more pleasant dining experience.

The issue here is intent and MPD does not bother themselves with that. The courts do.

I wonder if you could find out who the leader of the protests is and set up similarly loud sirens outside of their home as a protest to their protest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lawyer here.

The protesters are using the public space rules DC has.

The megaphones on the ground are not considered abandoned property or litter if you know that is not the intent.

You would win in court ultimately, but do you want to risk going to court over throwing the megaphones away? I know for a fact that they group there protesting has a lawyer on speed dial.

Same thing with the OP's original comment about restaurants playing music. The issue is intent. Could the restaurant simply say that they are exercising free speech? Yes, but if somebody wanted to take them to court they would have to potentially prove they were not doing it just to make a more pleasant dining experience.

The issue here is intent and MPD does not bother themselves with that. The courts do.

I wonder if you could find out who the leader of the protests is and set up similarly loud sirens outside of their home as a protest to their protest

You could if you could make the protest political. You can't just annoy someone from the sidewalk in front of their house. Again, these protesters are walking the line of saying they are being political, free speech, use of public space and well...laziness.

They are very careful not to touch the Embassy property where Secret Service would get involved. Right now this is strictly an MPD matter and we all know MPD is not going to do anything to a non violent protest.

Believe it or not the OP's best bet would be to contact anybody in the Israeli embassy and have them report the unattended microphones as potential abandoned explosives. MPD would eventually make somebody hold the microphones if they wanted to continue using them.

But remember, the embassy staff cannot hear the wailing from inside their blast proof walls. The protest is purely theatrics without any regard for the neighbors of the embassy. But then, that is the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lawyer here.

The protesters are using the public space rules DC has.

The megaphones on the ground are not considered abandoned property or litter if you know that is not the intent.

You would win in court ultimately, but do you want to risk going to court over throwing the megaphones away? I know for a fact that they group there protesting has a lawyer on speed dial.

Same thing with the OP's original comment about restaurants playing music. The issue is intent. Could the restaurant simply say that they are exercising free speech? Yes, but if somebody wanted to take them to court they would have to potentially prove they were not doing it just to make a more pleasant dining experience.

The issue here is intent and MPD does not bother themselves with that. The courts do.

I wonder if you could find out who the leader of the protests is and set up similarly loud sirens outside of their home as a protest to their protest

You could if you could make the protest political. You can't just annoy someone from the sidewalk in front of their house. Again, these protesters are walking the line of saying they are being political, free speech, use of public space and well...laziness.

They are very careful not to touch the Embassy property where Secret Service would get involved. Right now this is strictly an MPD matter and we all know MPD is not going to do anything to a non violent protest.

Believe it or not the OP's best bet would be to contact anybody in the Israeli embassy and have them report the unattended microphones as potential abandoned explosives. MPD would eventually make somebody hold the microphones if they wanted to continue using them.

But remember, the embassy staff cannot hear the wailing from inside their blast proof walls. The protest is purely theatrics without any regard for the neighbors of the embassy. But then, that is the point.

Hear the hostages voices seems like a reason to protest the protesters at their homes. Bonus points if you can find out who they have on retainer and protest them at their office and home with similarly loud microphones

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not political speech. It is sirens laying on the ground. There are not even people there. Just sirens.

Dude - go take the sirens

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live on Van Ness St a few blocks from the Israeli embassy. The anti-Israel protest has been going on there for months. In reality the protest is two or three people who lay out megaphones on the curb outside the embassy and then leave. The megaphones that I hear all day wailing from 7 am to 10 pm are just laying on the sidewalk. The protesters have left except the one sitting on the corner beating his tambourine.

So my question is does the DC noise ordinance allow just wailing of siren noise through megaphones 15 hours of the day. It is spring break and I cannot even open my windows (and yes I can hear it through the windows).

I think it is funny that we will shut a restaurant down in Ward 3 that wants to play live music for three hours on a Friday night, but these wailing sirens laying on the sidewalk have been "allowed" for months.

See what remote work has done! Even the protestors have gotten lazy.