It finally happened…shut down by the cops!

[Skullheadrac]

We had 4th of July Punk rock block parties. Cops would be called, bands would continue to play. They'd be fined so everyone would donate 5-10 bucks to pay the fines. Always worked out for us.

 

[bassdude51]

Some people "get off" on complaining. The loudness/music was not the issue. It was just an opportunity for "whoever" to complain. Which "they" enjoy.

I like what you said about lawn mowers. And that goes for chainsaws, barking dogs, motorcycles and air blowers. But music? No, no, no, no, no!

Sorry about your bad experience! Thanks for relating this story.

 

[Altitude]

Also, your neighbor might not be a complete jerk. I've been on the side where I just got home from a 30 hour work day and am trying to sleep when my neighbor's band decided to have a session. If similar happened with your concert, and I didn't know who you were, I'd call the cops.

Maybe, but if you called the cops to report an event that was occurring under proper permit and observing the established noise limits, your complaint should be refused.

I believe the OP's gripe was about how the cops handled it as much as that there was a complaint in the first place.

 

[bassicmike]

I really like the idea of getting your permit and inviting the Mayor, Council, or whomever to come to the event and meet-and-greet.

 

[arbiterusa]

One @$$&#% neighbor called the cops.

One is all it takes and I'm sure they had their reasons. I haven't played house parties since I was in college. You WILL get shut down unless you are way out in the boonies. Think I've been shut down in every county in this state!

And yes, they can take your gear. Never get into it with them; say "yes sir" and just shut your stuff off immediately and load it out.

 

[Treblefree]

Deleted - Off topic

 

[kmon]

The selfishness of people these days, and their total inability to realize it is nothing short of incredible.

I think a point could be made about the gaping blind spots that a significant minority of dog owners exhibit when it comes to the awful behavior of their animals.

Sorry, I meant "fur babies"...

 

[40Hz]

Often the police know you are not actually in violation, but SOMEONE COMPLAINED! So they say a bunch of BS to get you to shut down anyway. There is no reasoning involved, no way to compromise. I remember asking an officer to take a reading with the decibel meter and we’d turn down the PA until we were 5dB below the threshold. He snarkily told me if took a dB reading he would be writing a ticket.

One solution is to have as many people as possible video the entire exchange with their smartphones. If it doesn’t stop the nonsense right then and there, or it escalates because you’ve had the audacity to remind a police officer that they’re supposed to be behaving like a police officer rather than a soldier in an army of occupation, it’ll eventually end up with a public apology from the chief of police and (possibly) an eventual legal settlement.

 

[Bullitt5135]

With all due respect, please feel free to start a new thread in Miscellaneous about dogs and fireworks.

 

[arbiterusa]

A/f/a snowflake dog owners; Seriously, you're asking folks not to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks?

Yes. And not to start "celebrating" in on June 28th and to continue through July 15. I can handle one night of it. Two weeks nonstop of artillery-worthy explosives makes both my dog and I a total wreck.

But it's cool, you guys do you with the illegal fireworks and the dog owners will just come together and get all fireworks banned, legal or not.

 

[Treblefree]

With all due respect, please feel free to start a new thread in Miscellaneous about dogs and fireworks.

Fair enough. I deleted my comments.

 

[arbiterusa]

I should also add, on topic, that the cops here in San Diego have a nasty new tactic of dealing with noise complaints; they don't fine the band, they fine the property owner. As a result, all venues now have DB meters. House parties with bands don't happen much anymore.

They will still take your gear if you decide to keep playing, though. And getting it out of impound is expensive.

 

[Corigan]

Saw this happen at the GWARbq at hadads lake in Richmond, VA. I knew the soundman. He ran up the hill twice with the police with a db meter to show he was in compliance. They did not shut down the show.

 

[DirtDog]

Good on you for calling them out on the BS. There are indeed actual laws that allow for this, and it does require an actual DB meter to prove you're over. You should check you local town or city laws for the actual statute or whatever they want to call it.

That said they do have guns and apparently too much power. The anonymous thing is another BS tactic, there are no anonymous calls to 911.

I'm surprised they didn't try and use a Covid excuse.

In my jurisdiction, the bylaw SPL measurement is taken at the site of the complaint. Threshold is 55 dBA outside and 45 dBA inside. Of course there’s a distance decay function. Even if you’re, say, keeping it at 85-90 dB on site (reasonable for a band, IMO) depending how far away the complaint is, there will be different readings.

Are you sure this was a 911 call and not a 311 type bylaw/code enforcement call? In either case, though, an anonymous call is possible.

And it may be the case that the cops/bylaw enforcement are under no obligation to identify the complainant. Ask me how I know!

 

[Bullitt5135]

I was quite impressed with my lead guitarist, who was fully committed to wearing the Jason mask for the entire two hours. And yes, I felt a tad self-conscious arguing with 5 police officers while dressed in a Rocky Balboa onesie.

 

[bassbones2]

Back in the day (tell us another story Grandpa!)…when we played in garages after school and we’re shut down numerous times, we went to Radio Shack (remember those?) and bought a DB meter……one parent would show the cops we were in compliance (if I remember it was 85db at 35yds).
My area now, the local gospel church plays outside every Sunday from 9 to 1 and they are LOUD!…..and so damn good I went over to see if they needed a bass player! Don’t bother me a bit.

buy a DB meter

JB

 

[Plain Old Barry]

Nearly anyone who grew up rehearsing in garages absolutely knows what it's like to see the boys and girls in blue walking onto the property.

 

[Derry Murbles]

The irony to me is that anyone would want to limit a celebration of our freedom. Thank God I live where people appreciate that and where fireworks and the best country in the history of the world are loved and celebrated.

My brother and I spend about $600 or more every 4th of July on fireworks and put on a show for our whole family. What happens EVERY single year is that people stop on both sides of the road and park their cars to watch our show. Neighbors come out and join the watch party. At the end, we get a lot of applause from people who appreciate it.

Gosh, so much cringe in there.

I won't take the "AMeRiCa Is ThA bEsT" bait since I don't get into politics without being able to look a person in the eye.

I'm really happy for you and your brother, and your neighbors. It's great that your community seemingly enjoys your celebration and that you get applause from passersby. But maybe you're inadvertently terrorizing a neighbors old dog or a neighbor's new child. Maybe not, but the fact is that most people don't even consider that. And if they do, they don't care enough to eliminate their potential negative impact on others. The fact that you get applause from 10-20-30 people doesn't negate the other 100 people that can't stand or are negatively impacted by your actions (hypothetical of course, but just an example to illustrate my point).

And yes, the onus is is on the impacted to let you know about it, and maybe no one has asked you to stop. I get it, it's an easy excuse to justify questionable behavior ("Well, no one asked me to stop so I just figured everyone was cool with it"). But, I don't know where you live or how many other neighbors just simply tolerate your little display. My point isn't about celebration, or about how people shouldn't celebrate on 4th of July. In fact if you read my previous replies, you'd see that I'm not against fireworks or the 4th of July at all.

My point is how people celebrate, and the impact that it has on others. Let me repeat that, because you seem to be missing the point as well as Keyser: It's about how your actions impact others, and how you move forward from there.

Maybe you both actually do give a damn about how your display impacts others. Maybe you're aware of the local ordinances, only use legal fireworks (if any), operate them within the bounds of your local regulations, let your entire neighborhood know so that they have an opportunity to limit their exposure, and do it all safely. That's great and I applaud you.

However I just can't get behind the mindset of "Well I'm gonna just do what I want, to hell with anyone else who doesn't like it, EVERYONE ELSE should leave so that they can not be bothered by whatever I have going on here" just because it's 4th of July, or any other holiday.

Celebrating this country, or celebrating anything does not alleviate your responsibility to be considerate to those around you. Perhaps that's where we differ most: A fundamental difference in what we view as our responsibilities to society and each other in the context of local music/shows and holidays.


Edit: Out of respect for the OP, I'll end the discussion about fireworks here to keep the thread on topic.

 

[equill]

There is a very soulful BBQ that’s been a lynchpin of our neighborhood for decades. For years they featured live blues in the “shanty” portion of their restaurant. Over the years the neighborhood has gentrified significantly. The vacant lots and ghetto liquor store across the street from the BBQ have been replaced by hundreds of pricey condos. It didn’t take long for our new “neighbors” to start calling in noise complaints to the cops about the music. So, another live music venue bites the dust.

“We want to live in a hip, edgy neighborhood, just not *that* edgy.”

This, I can relate to.
Lived in two areas with a pattern of people moving into the lively areas, specifically to be where the fun is, then making a series of noise complaints because... it's a lively area.

 

[Bullitt5135]

In my jurisdiction, the bylaw SPL measurement is taken at the site of the complaint. Threshold is 55 dBA outside and 45 dBA inside. Of course there’s a distance decay function. Even if you’re, say, keeping it at 85-90 dB on site (reasonable for a band, IMO) depending how far away the complaint is, there will be different readings.

Are you sure this was a 911 call and not a 311 type bylaw/code is enforcement call? In either case, though, an anonymous call is possible.

And it may be the case that the cops/bylaw enforcement are under no obligation to identify the complainant. Ask me how I know!

Out of curiosity last night, I checked the dB level in my first-floor powder room. 44 dB with only the sound of the furnace/air coming through the vent. 75 dB when I flushed the toilet. Whatever the parameters stated in the code and permit, the officers had no idea what they were or how to measure them. I suspect the complainant has the PD on speed dial for the slightest perceived outrage (this, according to other neighbors who deal with them all the time).