Prospect btw Underhill and Washington

clementine

What is happening to this block? Last summer there would be noise for 20 minutes at a time; this year, people are hanging out playing music, loud, for hours, whenever. Yelling. 311, useless. Does anyone else notice? Does nobody else mind?[/i]

dailyheights

Welcome to Outdoor Loudness Season!

http://www.dailyheights.com/archives/361

doctorj

Subject: Re: Prospect btw Underhill and Washington

Clementine wrote: What is happening to this block? Last summer there would be noise for 20 minutes at a time; this year, people are hanging out playing music, loud, for hours, whenever. Yelling. 311, useless. Does anyone else notice? Does nobody else mind?[/i]

Really? Hadn't noticed (though I don't face the street). Would have to be pretty incessant before I minded; this block is quieter than where I was last in mid-Slope.

bigguy

Lincoln Pl between Washington & Underhill has gathered steam and is now fully participating in Outdoor Loudness. Interestingly, this time around the OGs seem to be less of a factor, and are being replaced more by kids. Many of whom are suddenly wearing lots of red for some reason.

whyfi

Subject: Re: Prospect btw Underhill and Washington

Clementine wrote: What is happening to this block? Last summer there would be noise for 20 minutes at a time; this year, people are hanging out playing music, loud, for hours, whenever. Yelling. 311, useless. Does anyone else notice? Does nobody else mind?

I walk my dog on that block quite often, and I have noticed some more hanging out, but none of the music. Is it a specific part of the block?

clementine

Okay, OLS--hilarious. Of course, it's easier to have a sense of humor at 10am when it's quiet. As to the part of the block, it's the middle, a specific stoop plus adjunct stoop, near the construction that sometimes starts at 7am. Although the worst of that appears to be over, for now. Maybe the building residents and their hangers-on are just blasting music to cover a deep anxiety that these buildings will also be cinderblock.

But how do other people handle these situations? It's kind of driving me insane, and I've been calling 311 and the 77th. Am I the only one? Do I oversubscribe to the "broken windows" idea that "quality of life" issues also affect the safety of the block? It was like, Guilliani's whole platform, and I hated Guilliani. But I also hate other people's music. I just want people to be considerate. Is it wrong to want things to change? Or is it futile and rude of me to try?

ben

Clementine wrote: Okay, OLS--hilarious. Of course, it's easier to have a sense of humor at 10am when it's quiet. As to the part of the block, it's the middle, a specific stoop plus adjunct stoop, near the construction that sometimes starts at 7am. Although the worst of that appears to be over, for now. Maybe the building residents and their hangers-on are just blasting music to cover a deep anxiety that these buildings will also be cinderblock.

But how do other people handle these situations? It's kind of driving me insane, and I've been calling 311 and the 77th. Am I the only one? Do I oversubscribe to the "broken windows" idea that "quality of life" issues also affect the safety of the block? It was like, Guilliani's whole platform, and I hated Guilliani. But I also hate other people's music. I just want people to be considerate. Is it wrong to want things to change? Or is it futile and rude of me to try?

Keep calling and get your neighbors to call, don't accept the quality of life issues as the norm.

clementine

Getting my neighbors to call is sort of why I posted, I guess. I can ask people in my building, but beyond that--this is New York, after all; I'm reaching out through the anonymity of the internet. Please, if you hear it, call the precinct or 311 so I'm not the sole cranky one distracting the cops!

doctorj

Clementine wrote:
But how do other people handle these situations? It's kind of driving me insane. But I also hate other people's music.

One way is to escalate. Turn up your music louder than their music. There was a time when I couldn't take any more Offspring from the neighbors, and when all the usual channels of asking nicely and complaining had failed, I'd just point the stacks in their direction, crank it to 11, put on Einstürzende Neubauten's Strategies Against Architecture on repeat, and go for a walk. Dunno if it ultimately solved anything, but it sure felt good.

alafairnadia

doctorj wrote: [quote=Clementine]
But how do other people handle these situations? It's kind of driving me insane. But I also hate other people's music.

One way is to escalate. Turn up your music louder than their music. There was a time when I couldn't take any more Offspring from the neighbors, and when all the usual channels of asking nicely and complaining had failed, I'd just point the stacks in their direction, crank it to 11, put on Einstürzende Neubauten's Strategies Against Architecture on repeat, and go for a walk. Dunno if it ultimately solved anything, but it sure felt good.


hahhahahah! great album. I'd love to be your neighbor.

sevenoneeighty

Email the Housing Preservation and Development commissioner's office directly. These are rentals and many are HPD buildings.

I've written instead of calling 311 and got a better response. In fact, I recommend bombarding them with complaints as often as possible.

Here was their response to me:

"We are in receipt of your E-mail regarding the noise levels emanating from [Address removed]. We have communicated these concerns to the tenant association president. In addition, we are in the process of setting up an on-site tenant meeting and we’ll address this issue before the entire board.

In the meantime, you may contact Mr. Edwin Lugo of our offices if you have additional questions.


Sincerely;

Mildred Velez"

email here:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mailhpd.html

The following people can be contacted directly by email also:

Francisca Pilgrim
[email protected]

Victor Hernandez
[email protected]

Mercedes Blackstone
[email protected]

Write, Write Write!!

elitt

Subject: Re: Prospect btw Underhill and Washington

What does '20 minutes at a time' mean?

Clementine wrote: What is happening to this block? Last summer there would be noise for 20 minutes at a time; this year, people are hanging out playing music, loud, for hours, whenever. Yelling. 311, useless. Does anyone else notice? Does nobody else mind?[/i]

ugarte

doctorj wrote: One way is to escalate. Turn up your music louder than their music.

I do not recommend this. The person who lived next door to me tried that once (I believe her choice of ordinance was Beethoven). She turned off the stereo when the cops knocked on her door in response to a noise complaint. The instigators had long since quieted down by the time the police were on the scene.

vanilla

ugarte wrote: [quote=doctorj]One way is to escalate. Turn up your music louder than their music.

I do not recommend this. The person who lived next door to me tried that once (I believe her choice of ordinance was Beethoven). She turned off the stereo when the cops knocked on her door in response to a noise complaint. The instigators had long since quieted down by the time the police were on the scene.

or then your neighbors lean out into the airshaft and start banging on your window all angry sounding, yelling::: "yo, bitch, ho".

clementine

The Housing Preservation and Development idea is a very good one, which I will try. It's something I never would have known about on my own, so thanks very much.

20 minutes at a time means, for twenty minutes, then it would stop, and would or wouldn't start again that day.

As to the noise war, I have to sadly fall into some kind of overly sensitive, complainer-type stereotype and say I don't have any music angry or loud enough to compete, not at this range. Years ago I retaliated against a line-dancing upstairs neighbor with early Kate Bush (Lionheart) on repeat, but I was young and callous and lived in a flimsier building. Besides, I don't want to drag my other neighbors into it.