Noise ordinance and first amendment rights

[Anonymous]

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

Couldn’t incessant noise cause someone to riot? Blaring 24/7 sound is known to cause insanity.

[Anonymous]

I don’t like Netanyahu one bit but Israel has the right to destroy Hamas so that it can’t attack again. As for the protests, lose the sirens and the offensive terrorist scarves already!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Couldn’t incessant noise cause someone to riot? Blaring 24/7 sound is known to cause insanity.

It's like psy ops on the neighborhood. Do they expect 7 blocks of CP busy bodies to force a cease fire?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So basically we have virtual protesting. Except for the impact on the local population. But that is OK becacause, hey, they chose to live in DC.

I thought the constant sirens were part of crime ticking up. We live 7 blocks away. Now I can't unhear them... Where does the buck stop? Can they lay a 100 sirens on the sidewalk? What's the impact on restaurants and schools nearby, sheesh.

Find out who these idiots are, where they live and post all over social media. Invite people to come protest in front of their homes. You are protesting their protests. I’m fine with protests but it’s total BS when it’s in a residential area. People have a right to enjoy peace and quiet in their homes.

[Anonymous]

If they're leaving their noisemakers unattended, couldn't you just switch them off without damaging their property? (Not that they would have any compunction about damaging property, BTW...)

I expect they would start sending a minion or two to mind the "protest" soon enough, but that would almost be better than letting them phone in the effort like this, maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t like Netanyahu one bit but Israel has the right to destroy Hamas so that it can’t attack again. As for the protests, lose the sirens and the offensive terrorist scarves already!

I think the scarves are very, very clearly fine under any interpretation of any law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t like Netanyahu one bit but Israel has the right to destroy Hamas so that it can’t attack again. As for the protests, lose the sirens and the offensive terrorist scarves already!

I think the scarves are very, very clearly fine under any interpretation of any law.

Sure. But OMG has wearing a keffiyeh become loaded politically. The same people crushing Sex in the City for portraying a keffiyeh are now saying that it is a sign of resistance and everybody should be wearing them. Try wearing the wrong keffiyeh in the wrong area actually in the middle east.

No the people wearing them now in DC know they are wearing them because it makes a statement. Plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Or just pick it up and take it. It’s unattended abandoned junk. Just take it and throw it away.

[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.

No cops are going to arrest you for throwing away some unattended megaphone. Not. Gonna. Happen.

[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.

Incorrect. Abandoned property is litter. I would be tossing the sirens in trash bags and throwing them out. Every day.

[Anonymous]

OH I would be tossing all their crap in trash bags and in dumpsters every day.

If you feel strongly about something, sit your ass in the chair and protest yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Tik Tok won’t scroll itself, you know. How can they perfect their dance moves and operate a siren at the same time?

[Anonymous]

So has anyone thrown their noisy crap away yet?

It's not like Marxists believe in private property, anyway!

[Anonymous]

Found this thread because I live farther away than OP (on Yuma St) and the sirens have been getting louder. Today I can hear them inside my house.

Is there really nothing that can be done about this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Found this thread because I live farther away than OP (on Yuma St) and the sirens have been getting louder. Today I can hear them inside my house.

Is there really nothing that can be done about this?

Do you believe in free speech?