It finally happened…shut down by the cops!

[Derry Murbles]

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"...

I am 1000000% with you. I hike and climb, and dogs out at the crag is a frequently debated topic. The issues with the dogs (in my belief) is very rarely the dog; it's the owner and their woeful inadequacies in training their animals.

I'm big on personal accountability/responsibility, and unfortunately the older I get (maybe THAT'S the problem ) the less and less I see of it around me.

 

[Eilif]

Oh man. As someone who -after 15 years- just moved out of a particular neighborhood 2 months ago largely due to noise issues this whole conversation brings up a lot of thoughts and feelings.

In Chicago we do have a pretty specific noise ordinance. It's not enforced particularly well, but it's specific enough that if you had a copy of the ordinance and were not exceeding it, you're likely to be able to keep your party going in the afternoon if someone complains.

I am planning on having an outdoor party in the spring with my band providing live music, but I've got a pretty sedate semi-acoustic trio (Upright, acoustic and Pedal steel) and it'd be a daytime affair so I don't think we'll be having any problems. ​

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 agree about the Guns and power, but regarding 911 not being anonymous, that is not necessarily true. Here in Chicago you can leave an anonymous complaint. It's a good thing too as in many cases you do NOT want a certain neighbor or their "friends" to have a reason to come back on you.

Of course anonymous complaints are much less likely to get a police visit and it's harder to get officials to take real action when most complaints in an addresses history are anonymous.

I wouldn't mind if it was just the 4th of July or a couple of days front and back, but there always has to be the idiots who wake you up in the middle of the night for months around the 4th.

A hundred times this.
Over 14 years I watched fireworks go from a thing that happens within a couple weeks of 4th of July to something that stretches from late May or June through early August. That's bad enough, but that it would often be after dark and on weeknights really made it unbearable.

 

[Derry Murbles]

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).

It's surprising just how high a decibel meter will read for common everyday occurrences that we don't typically think of as loud. Flushing toilet at 75DB is a great example.

Definitely sucks that you went through all that work and due diligence to have it called off anyway. Could be an opportunity to link up with the neighbor to establish some clearer expectations for next time, assuming the person is able to be reasoned with at all, of course.

 

[john_g]

Same here! Saturday night, private Halloween party on this huge "estate". This guy hired us and threw a huge party with it fully catered with bartenders and servers. He has alot of acres but one neighbor on the one side isnt all that far away. We were to play til midnight in his "barn". 11:40 pm the owner came in and asked us to stop because the cops were there. We had started our third set early, so really, we played about the same amount as usual.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

Did you have to pay for the permit you said you had for the event? If so, I would call a TV lawyer to reclaim your fee.

 

[bassicmike]

Did you have to pay for the permit you said you had for the event? If so, I would call a TV lawyer to reclaim your fee.

That's a great point. Let the issuing department know that the cops showed up and didn't give a crap about the permit, and had no idea about enforcement of the regulation.

 

[Jefenator]

Sometimes I don't appreciate being subjected to other people's music. (Like the apartment next door with the loud stereo. Or the boom box at the campground - hate that!)
But calling the cops on a permitted block party in the afternoon on a holiday? That seems a little chicken$#!& to me.
I guess there's always that one person...

 

[DwaynieAD]

My band just played a Halloween block party today …or “attempted to play,” I should say. We even had a permit and notified the neighbors (they all showed up and we’re having a great time). I ran sound and erred way on the side of “just loud enough to get the job done.” Standing 30 feet in front of the mains, I had a conversation with my friend without raising our voices. Most of the neighborhood (who was not at the party) was outside trick or treating or doing yard work. We were no louder than a couple of freaking lawn mowers.

The opening band played for an hour, then we switched over and started our set. About 5 songs in, the cops showed up. This was 3:50pm on a Sunday afternoon…Halloween day no less. One @$$&#% neighbor called the cops. We were shut down not even half way through our first set. The cops were just doing their job (although they were lying out their &$$ about decibel levels and fines and confiscating our gear if we failed to comply). When we asked them to show us the ordinance, they could not. They did not have a decibel meter, nor would they have known the difference between a decibel and a doorbell. “You can have a party as long as nobody complains, and somebody has complained.” It was an anonymous call, so they claimed to have no way to go back to the complainant to say we were in compliance, we’d be done by 5pm, etc. By the time 5 cops and a sergeant showed up, We just decided is was a no-win situation. Hours of prep work, hauling and setting up gear, having the support and encouragement of 99% of the neighbors… down the crapper.

No more block parties for me. Yeah, I’m still a bit cheesed, to say the least.

Sorry bud but if you disturb someone you're disturbing the peace decibels be damned. Was that crappy of someone to act that way? Absolutely. But it is what it is

 

[Black Out Jazz]

When you fight authority, authority always wins.

Sure?

 

[MrLenny1]

I hate outdoor gigs.

 

[Thumpinshelton]

We had the cops called on a private event/birthday party we were playing that was outdoors a couple months ago in a neighborhood. The owners of party organizers did all the proper paperwork and had the permits along with copies of the cities noise ordinance. Our FOH engineer also has a DB meter he always runs with. When the cops came and questioned things we supplied all the paperwork and they left. Got called back about an hour later, but what they did not know was that the mayor of the city was actually at the party as well. So.....lets just say the mayor and a couple members of the city council greeted the cops and a good time was had by all.....haha!

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

My band just played a Halloween block party today …or “attempted to play,” I should say. We even had a permit and notified the neighbors (they all showed up and we’re having a great time). I ran sound and erred way on the side of “just loud enough to get the job done.” Standing 30 feet in front of the mains, I had a conversation with my friend without raising our voices. Most of the neighborhood (who was not at the party) was outside trick or treating or doing yard work. We were no louder than a couple of freaking lawn mowers.

The opening band played for an hour, then we switched over and started our set. About 5 songs in, the cops showed up. This was 3:50pm on a Sunday afternoon…Halloween day no less. One @$$&#% neighbor called the cops. We were shut down not even half way through our first set. The cops were just doing their job (although they were lying out their &$$ about decibel levels and fines and confiscating our gear if we failed to comply). When we asked them to show us the ordinance, they could not. They did not have a decibel meter, nor would they have known the difference between a decibel and a doorbell. “You can have a party as long as nobody complains, and somebody has complained.” It was an anonymous call, so they claimed to have no way to go back to the complainant to say we were in compliance, we’d be done by 5pm, etc. By the time 5 cops and a sergeant showed up, We just decided is was a no-win situation. Hours of prep work, hauling and setting up gear, having the support and encouragement of 99% of the neighbors… down the crapper.

No more block parties for me. Yeah, I’m still a bit cheesed, to say the least.

Awesome.

I held a five band metal fest in my backyard for my kid's 21st birthday. Two kegs, 150 people, and 5 metal bands tearing it up in my backyard. It was pretty awesome.

I built a stage, charged door fee, and charged for drinks. Ended up being able to pay each band 200 bucks, and almost break even.

Cops shut us down at 11:30. It started at 7. Two of our neighbors are sheriffs too. They're cool

Hahaha. Never again though. Clean up was terrible

 

[Black Out Jazz]

Sorry bud but if you disturb someone you're disturbing the peace decibels be damned. Was that crappy of someone to act that way? Absolutely. But it is what it is

HAHA! Where I live the deputies would tell you to put in your earplugs and suck your thumb. The ordinance here is there is no ordinance until 10PM, and that is waived until 1AM on firecracker nights.

 

[JohnnyBottom]

Friends told to stop by cops in a bar in long Island ny last month. They stopped without attitude. Cops took 1 guitar and a bass as evidence. Took weeks for my friend to get his guitar back after several trips to the station. Helpless, over my dead body ,you're not taking my 66 starfire. Good luck with that.

 

[2112]

This is precisely why I live out in the middle of nowhere on a large acerage. Yeah, it's always a long drive to town, but you don't have to listen to my music, and I don't have to listen to your noise.

 

[lordradish]

[QUOTE="Old Blastard, post: 25808954, member: 248233"Satans Kale and Houdini mushrooms For consumption.

[/QUOTE]
Sounds like fun. Satan's Kale... kind of like the Devil's Lettuce.

 

[BucketOfFish]

Friends told to stop by cops in a bar in long Island ny last month. They stopped without attitude. Cops took 1 guitar and a bass as evidence. Took weeks for my friend to get his guitar back after several trips to the station. Helpless, over my dead body ,you're not taking my 66 starfire. Good luck with that.

That could be arranged. lol

 

[39-Bassist]

My band just played a Halloween block party today …or “attempted to play,” I should say. We even had a permit and notified the neighbors (they all showed up and we’re having a great time). I ran sound and erred way on the side of “just loud enough to get the job done.” Standing 30 feet in front of the mains, I had a conversation with my friend without raising our voices. Most of the neighborhood (who was not at the party) was outside trick or treating or doing yard work. We were no louder than a couple of freaking lawn mowers.

The opening band played for an hour, then we switched over and started our set. About 5 songs in, the cops showed up. This was 3:50pm on a Sunday afternoon…Halloween day no less. One @$$&#% neighbor called the cops. We were shut down not even half way through our first set. The cops were just doing their job (although they were lying out their &$$ about decibel levels and fines and confiscating our gear if we failed to comply). When we asked them to show us the ordinance, they could not. They did not have a decibel meter, nor would they have known the difference between a decibel and a doorbell. “You can have a party as long as nobody complains, and somebody has complained.” It was an anonymous call, so they claimed to have no way to go back to the complainant to say we were in compliance, we’d be done by 5pm, etc. By the time 5 cops and a sergeant showed up, We just decided is was a no-win situation. Hours of prep work, hauling and setting up gear, having the support and encouragement of 99% of the neighbors… down the crapper.

No more block parties for me. Yeah, I’m still a bit cheesed, to say the least.

Well it is Michigan right?...lol just messing with you
Bummer and I understand not doing that again.

 

[Cave Puppy]

We used to play at a venue every Friday night where the neighbor across the street would complain if the noise level got over a certain DB level. Yes - she had a db meter as did we as we could see it whilst playing. Granted the venue was turned into an indoor restaurant after being an outdoor drive-in which made all the walls and ceilings corrugated steel (not the best for sound proofing). It got to the point where there were public meetings on this issue. We eventually got shut down. Some people ...

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Do u know who the @$$&#% neighbor is? Complain about everything they do. Even a shrub that looks like its dying!!