Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.<doc-sep>D.C. lawmakers dropped a plan on Tuesday to crack down on amplified sound in public places. The bill introduced last month by D.C. Council Members Anita Bonds, Mary Cheh and Jack Evans would expanded what amplified sound is illegal. At a hearing this week, supporters of the bill said the measure would protect their right to peace and quiet in their homes. Opponents said it would violate free speech and unfairly criminalize street performers. Bonds said she introduced the Amplified Noise Amendment Act of 2018 to make D.C., particularly downtown D.C., a better place to call home. "We’re trying to make sure that downtown is a viable entity for people to live in," she said. The bill would make it illegal for anyone to amplify sound in a public place if it can be heard at 80 decibels or louder from inside a home or commercial building at least 100 feet away. Eighty decibels is louder than a washing machine or dishwasher, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under the current law, the sound is illegal only if it's that loud inside the nearest home — not a home further away, and not inside a commercial building. Also, the bill would let police confiscate a noise-amplifying device for as long as 24 hours. And it would reduce the punishment for violating the law after a verbal warning. The current maximum fine of $1,000 would be dropped to $300. Exceptions to the 100 feet rule would include parades, public gatherings and demonstrations. At the hearing Monday, residents in favor of the bill said amplified noise affects their health, work and businesses. "Please take the action required to get performers to turn it down and cure this problem before summer gets into full swing so we the citizens and taxpayers can enjoy our homes, workspaces and outdoor environments without being bombarded,” a woman who has lived in downtown D.C. for 10 years said. A man said noise outside his home in Chinatown exacerbates his tinnitus. He said it's difficult for him to concentrate, despite spending thousands of dollars on noise-insulating windows. Others asked the Council members to reject the bill. “[The Amplified] Noise Amendment Act of 2018 seeks to provide suburban amenities in urban settings by further criminalizing youth and street musicians with standards that are subjective and not verifiable, with more negative police encounters,” another D.C. resident said. The man described the sounds of drums, horns and amplifiers as the “sounds of the city." He said the musicians were downtown before many residents were. “You’re not going to get a quieter city and a denser city at the same time. But you can soundproof these buildings ... it just costs some money,” he said. “The city has the resources to make that happen. I think this is an easy fix if we’re willing to truly invest in the people and not into punitive punishments.” Bonds, the Council member, said her goal is to find a solution everyone can live with. “It’s not designed to take your First Amendment right from you. We’re just saying, don’t do it so loudly, so you don’t disturb the person next door,” she said. Though the legislation was withdrawn on Tuesday, the Council is expected to consider it again in the fall.<doc-sep>Council chair withdraws amplified music ban after street musicians rally against it. WASHINGTON -- A drumbeat of opposition on Monday shut down plans for a ban on amplified music in D.C. The chair of the D.C. Council withdrew the Amplified Noise Emergency Act. Street musicians and buskers said the emergency noise bill hit them like an unexpected trumpet blast. But they rallied the band, and at this point, the opposition is just too loud for skittish politicians. There was Dixieland outside the council chamber and spoken word in the Mayor's hallway, as D.C.’s street musicians celebrated a win. Hoping for more time to figure out a compromise, Council Chair Phil Mendelson withdrew the emergency bill, which would have banned amplified music you could hear more than 100 feet away. Music makers would have faced up to a $300 fine after a warning. Lots of residents have been complaining, some of them for years, that loud amplified music is rattling their apartments and making it impossible to think. And they said it’s been getting louder. But musicians argued the council was cutting off the volume on a unique feature of city life and making it even more difficult for some of them to support themselves. Councilmember Jack Evans said on Monday that there has to be some balance between people who want to blast music and people who want to live in peace. He thought there were nine votes for the noise ban. But with the bill withdrawn, there won’t be any vote at all.<doc-sep>
At a meeting Tuesday night, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson defended the legislation, saying there was a fundamental misunderstanding of the proposal. WASHINGTON — The amplified noise bill proposed by three D.C. Council members was withdrawn during a meeting Tuesday by the council’s chair. The Amplified Noise Amendment Act was proposed in the hopes to clarify noise levels and lower fines for street performers, but the bill drew criticism from performers and residents, who launched the hashtag “#soundproofDC.” Standing here with fellow DC Residents to stand against a ban on amplified music in DC. #SoundproofDC pic.twitter.com/vwL57AuSvR — Carlos F. McKnight (@CarlosFMcKnight) July 9, 2018 Under the bill, violators would first receive a verbal warning from a D.C. police officer or other law enforcement officer. If they continued after receiving that warning, they could be punished by a fine up to $300, up to 10 days imprisonment or both. At the meeting, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson defended the legislation, saying there was a fundamental misunderstanding of the proposal. He said the bill would not prohibit amplified noise but only limit the levels of amplification. Mendelson said if the music was so loud that it interfered with a normal conversation 100 feet away from its origin, only then would performers feel the repercussions. “It’s simply a way to accommodate both the street performers and the people who are affected by excessively loud, disturbing noise,” said Councilwoman Mary Cheh on the Sunday before the meeting. Though the legislation was withdrawn, the original bill is expected to return for council consideration in the fall. WTOP’s Keara Dowd and Jenny Glick contributed to this report.