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Warm weather hell is now upon us. I've noticed lots of cars in the Bronx and Brooklyn blasting music the last weeks, but as of this weekend some of the people who have made our lives a living misery in summer have started with the music. They are several houses away, yet it's filling our house. From 9:30 until 4am last night they blasted music, smoked pot (with kids running around the whole time), did karaoke, barbecued (!), and didn't give one crap about anyone or anything but themselves. Today near noon they must have come around from their party haze, as they started it all again. It's been on for nearly 6 hours now. I've called 311 and also called the cops twice. The cops came after a few hours, the music went down (how about off??), then went up. So the cops came back. A while later the music came on again. I don't see any sign of this stopping. If they have no concern for their own young children, then I assume they have no concern for anything but themselves.
The officer I spoke to the second time said there is nothing that can be done other than ask them to turn it down. They can't force them to turn it off (even though we have noise ordinances?), they can't fine them, they can't give them tickets. So that's the point? He said it's typical that the police will show up, the people will turn it down, and then they'll turn it back up later. This is what I noticed last year as well.
This of course is when the police show. Oftentimes the reports say they showed up and heard nothing (which is impossible). I've also seen conflicting reports minutes apart saying they showed and heard nothing, and they showed and took action to fix things. Either way, whether they show up or not, the apparently are powerless to act. So if the police aren't allowed to act even at 4am, then who is? My street is full of middle class people. The street from hell (whose yards face ours) is full of what I'll nicely call scum.
Two months ago I wrote the mayor, the police commissioner, the Bronx borough president and the local council representative. I heard nothing. I contacted all again last night, but I'm sure I'll still hear nothing. I know others have taken this far. I've found many links over the last year with people saying they've tried the same.
We can't move for about two years, so our hands are tied. If the police's hands are tied, and the elected representatives don't give a proverbial F, then what can those of us suffering with this do?
Also, I have to ask: are people who do this deaf?? When we can see the people in the houses that do this in their yards, they are almost invariably just sitting there, not speaking to anyone, or standing on their own. Sometimes there are party situations, but most of the time they're just playing music at ear deafening volumes for no reason. Don't they get headaches? Doesn't their hearing become affected? Can they hear anyone speaking to them? Is this a different breed of human or are they simply lifelong adolescents?
the worst is the nightly marathon of bachata and reggaeton music in spanish harlem. i used to visit a friend a few times who lived with roommates there and i was shocked that the music doesn't stop at all until sunrise. how do people go to work?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kunniholm
I totally agree with this point. Lots of "transplant" types still insist on turning NYC into a typical American burb. It ain't gonna happen. It's the CITY, it is LOUD, it is diverse. You don't like it? Plenty of burbs out in NJ , Connecticut or upstate.
How can these people move into the CITY which is obviously loud?
it's NOT a "burb" or "transplant hipster blah blah" issue. it's an issue where kids have to wake up for school and adults have work to go to. something that these music-blasting cretin's cannot understand because section 8 has them covered for life, even as they entered the country illegally and made anchor babies at nearby hospitals on taxpayer dime. there's no such thing as any place on earth where you can blast music so loud that people cannot sleep but they should be expected to go to work nice and fresh the next morning. that makes no sense and has nothing to do with the topics you mentioned.
i also rented out an apt. a few years ago for a short time on 72nd street right near central park. it was NOT loud like you say "the city" should be. certainly not as bad as spanish harlem. not even close. and the FiDi is also super quiet. like some guy here said, it's the poor people/riff raff that bring this type of behavior. move out of those bad neighborhoods (that is if you don't get robbed/shot trying to move out) and move into a good one (you can hang out outside for a few days and nights, late into the night, in a neighborhood you are prospecting).
Last edited by Hairy Guy; 04-13-2014 at 05:47 PM..
I received a response from the Bronx Borough President's office. I'm sure they didn't read my letter at all. No points were addressed from the original letter or followup. They simply said they were advised by the DEP to keep calling 311 when there's noise.
So, back to the circle of nothingness with this problem, at least as far as the Bronx Borough President's office is concerned.
Beyond a few noise incidents already with others on the street from hell near me, the same people who had the all night party I mentioned a few posts above did it again last night. Started at 10pm, went till at least 5:30am. They started a BBQ soon after the music came on. I don't know what they did to create it, but there was more smoke than I've ever seen and not a normal BBQ. It looked like a fire, and while we heard voices and kids at first, for a while the smoke just puffed everywhere, along with the burning smell of whatever they put on it to char to ash. I had already called 311, but the smoke was so massive that I called the cops directly as I was getting worried. As with the last time, the cops weren't moved. The amount of smoke (on a wood porch), the kids, the fact that these people party all night with drugs and kids around didn't shock the policeman I spoke to at all. I don't get it - there are children - many from what we've seen, about half babies and toddlers. Yet that doesn't push up the priority of things for the cops?
Soon after we got a heavy pot smell from their direction just like last time. Keep in mind this is 5 houses up. Then as the smoke finally got lower after about an hour and a half, there was a terrible burning smell all over. It was in our clothes, I was coughing for a while, and everything stunk. The rain didn't stop them at all. They did lower things for a bit, but at 5am came the blasting karaoke.
According to 311 reports today, the police showed for the first time at 3:30am and then again around 5:30am. So much for concerns about children being up all night around pothead parents, loud music and heavy smoke!
Today I can hear music from that direction again, but it's much lower (as if the house is closed up, though it's still audible). I don't know if it's the same house or from other places on that street from hell. However, I got a pot whiff when I went out to get some things, so I have a feeling it's them again. There used to be a crazy old Puerto Rican guy in there doing karaoke all night a few times per summer on his own, but he seems to be gone. Now the house is full of young people with tons of babies and young kids, yet they have this old man's equipment.
Since the NY government doesn't want to do anything about this, we're screwed till we can leave. However, what bothers me horribly is those kids. I don't even like kids yet I seem to have a lot more fright for these children than their own ****ty parents. There are also many other babies and children on that street along with elderly and a care home facing their yard. Because this house in particular is doing this repeatedly, and because they're putting their own children at risk, would calling CPS do anything? I've read via Googling that others have occasionally called CPS when there are cases like this. Has anyone here ever done it? I'm sure if the children were taken that these people would continue to party and not care. But the children at least would be far away from this scum. I don't know if doing this would be worse for them though than leaving things be.
We've had terrible problems with noise from this street and it's getting worse and worse, but even the worst offenders have been nothing like this one house, and it's only the start of May! I'm fearful for those children and I'm sickened to death that people like this exist.
I could write a book about the crazy noise levels in my old neighborhood of Inwood in Upper Manhattan, the area I used to live in wasn't that bad until nightclubs set up shop a few years ago. Now it's one of the loudest areas of the five boroughs during summer and has a lot of quality of life problems for residents- was unable to fight it (even after the Anthony Lieu attack shed light on a major source of the noise problems in Upper Manhattan), gave up and retreated for Queens but I living there had made me sensitive to normal ambient summer noises that didn't bother me in the past when I used lived in Forest Hills (the 7 train passing by a block away with the window open, the occasion honk of a car passing by, planes landing at LaGuardia). Noise levels are much more manageable in Sunnyside but Inwood planted the seeds of moving to the burbs for peace (and other reasons too)
Now I live in Larchmont up in Westchester and no complaints here. The only noise are the birds outside and neighbors occasionally coming and going. Can't hear anything outside from my bedroom and can sleep with the windows open on a warm night without the need for white noise machines. I'm not saying that people who live in noisy areas of the city should move to the burbs but it might benefit those who are sensitive to noises.
City officials aren't really interested in noise abatement outside of desirable Manhattan neighborhoods where those in/ with power live and for those in noisy neighborhoods it's an uphill battle against tons of urban variables; 1/2 of which are out of our control such as the behavior of thousands of other people or (in the case of some Inwood nightclubs) unsavory business owners who may or may have bought out the local precinct to maintain their "business" booming, literally, until 4am... 311 can only do so much and usually it doesn't do much to call them anyway; really unfortunate since long term excessive noise causes all sorts of health problems.
I do think some of you complain too much. Its summer time. Allow people to enjoy the warm weather and feel merry. Now if this a everyday thing, I could understand but you dont hear much noise during the cold season.
Let people have fun for christ sake.
Then let them have fun under your bedroom windows or next door to you, or above you, or below you..... I think you will be singing a different tune, other than feeling "merry".
City officials aren't really interested in noise abatement ... for those in noisy neighborhoods it's an uphill battle against tons of urban variables ... out of our control such as the behavior of thousands of other people
Therein lies the problem: when thousands want to party all night, it's impossible to stop them. The noise comes with the party.
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Originally Posted by ehanson
outside of desirable Manhattan neighborhoods where those in/ with power live
in the case of some Inwood nightclubs unsavory business owners who may or may have bought out the local precinct to maintain their "business" booming, literally, until 4am ...
Another canard. NYPD dislike hot spots more than local residents do, as it's the police who have to respond to numerous calls at & around these locations & deal with the drunk clowns stumbling or getting thrown out of the clubs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ehanson
311 can only do so much and usually it doesn't do much to call them anyway
I've absolutely lost my faith in the police. I know they have bigger fish to fry, but this noise thing has been assigned to them by the city, and they have no choice but to work with it. So why did I just look up three noise complaint reports from the middle of this week when people were having a massive party all night and find that one wasn't filled out and the others claimed there was no music when it was blaring and they were given the exact address? I'm not surprised as there was a pattern of this last year with lying on the reports. But at the same time, if the cops don't help, then who can? One of the reports I looked at stated they heard nothing (a lie) and then repeated the erroneous information I gave the 311 operator when I called (I thought it was a children's party but it turned out to be an an adult party, which I figured out quickly -- though I have seen people blasting dance music all night for a first birthday in the past). Another report had no info on it at all. The other report was timestamped at a time when the music had been turned up and was blaring, yet they claimed they heard nothing. I should be used to this, but I feel absolutely sick each time I see this stuff. I was a zombie the next day as I couldn't even think of getting to sleep till 12:30 at night due to this. Yet it's ok to lie on these reports??
I've given up on getting a reply from any representatives, and I contacted a newspaper suggesting they highlight this problem as it's a citywide one. That's the only thing I can think of to get the attention of those who can make laws about this regarding tickets and fines. Otherwise, here I sit having thumping beats vibrating my house thanks to people who I'm convinced must be nearly deaf or simply mentally ill as they do these things, usually in a house full of children.
To the person who keeps insisting that 311 is not for neighbor noise complaints... from the 311 website:
You can make a complaint about non-emergency noise from your neighbor. Non-emergency noise includes loud music or television, talking, and moving or dragging of furniture. Officers from your local police precinct will get your report and respond when they are not handling emergencies. You can also contact your tenant association, building owner, or super for help if a neighbor in your building is often noisy.
Unfortunately, yes, it's still useless. As are landlords. As long as the offender is paying the rent on time, the landlord doesn't care. Although most leases contain clauses about not making noise or causing disturbances to other tenants, landlords act like they're not obliged to take action. But it is THEIR responsibility to enforce the terms of the lease to protect the rights of their other tenants. You don't want to enforce your own rules? Then don't make them. If, however, you DO include such provisions in the lease, I am entitled to have them enforced--somehow you manage to enforce the parts that benefit YOU. And I am not your employee, so don't expect me to do it for you. A lease isn't a one-way street. It contains rights AND obligations of both landlord and tenant. Not just tenant obligations and landlord rights.
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