Wednesday, June 16, 2010
NOPD chief Ronal Serpas on crackdowns on live music and noise ordinances
Posted by Kevin Allman on Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 9:37 PM
NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas has provided a statement regarding the NOPD's new enforcement of existing noise ordinances in the French Quarter, which enforce a curfew on live music on public rights-of-way after 8 p.m.
Here is the chief's statement in its entirety (and the bolding is his):
The New Orleans Police Department’s 8th District has for many years, and as recently as within the last several weeks, received numerous complaints from residents of the French Quarter noting that musical street performers are violating existing ordinances. These complaints have also resulted in repeated request for enforcement from the NOPD. Residents of the French Quarter have also complained about the size of the walking tours and the apparent disregard for Ordinances that define the conditions of legal walking tours in the City of New Orleans.
The Quality of Life Officer of the 8th District has been distributing NOTICE of what the ordinances are as it relates to: Sec. 30-1456. Use of Bourbon Street restricted. Sec. 66-205. Persons playing musical instruments on public right-of-ways. Sec. 30-1489. Walking tour guides rules and regulations. Sec. 30-1490. Identification (tour guides).
Please know that there has been no enforcement action taken as a result of these particular notices, and that the NOPD wants to ensure that all persons are fully aware of the applicable existing ordinances. Officers of the NOPD will continue to use discretion, appropriate to the circumstances present, to enforce any Ordinances of the City of New Orleans.
The NOPD has been approached repeatedly by residents who seek enforcement of these statutes; likewise the NOPD recognizes the concerns of the residents and the uniqueness of the historic French Quarter. In this regard, early and frequent notification of what the ordinances are may help to alleviate the concerns of the residents of this part of our community, as well as better inform those who participate in activities that are prohibited or regulated by long-standing city Ordinance(s).
We will continue to encourage all persons to respect the ordinances of the City of New Orleans and the concerns of those who live and work in the historic French Quarter.
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Comments (15)
Showing 1-15 of 15
A lot of this makes sense to me. I would personally prefer if they had begun this campaign by shutting down the stupid Haunted History/Vampire bullcrap tours instead of musicians playing in non-residential areas.
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What do you have against the tours? Serious question, not a rhetorical one. Part of French Quarter life... part of the magic and privilege of living in such a wonderful neighborhood... is understanding that you're living inside the engine that powers New Orleans tourism and thus (in recent years) the New Orleans economy itself. - People who want to shut down the tours, shut down the mule carts, silence the musicians etc. make me so sad. Jackie Clarkson is the devil.
So has there been any action on clubs like BBC and Fat Catz? Not only do clubs like that blast music out their doors as early as 4 p.m. most days, they turn the volume UP about 2 or 3 a.m. I live a few doors down from that corner, and those two businesses rattle my windows all hours of the night. I've NEVER had a problem with a street musician. And before anyone tells me that that noise is part of living in the Quarter, forget about it. My family has lived in the same property for almost a century. It wasn't until the past five or 10 years that we started to have to put up with the artificial noise destroying our quality of life.
It is so easy for us to forget that the French Quarter is a residential neighborhood. The ordinances are to benefit the residents and merchants.
I don't understand either. Why live in the quarter if you don't want to deal with tourists, tours, musicians, mule carts. These things make the neighborhood what it is.
I don't care one way or another about walking tours, but ... ahem ... I'm quite sure that "the magic and privilege of living in such a wonderful neighborhood" existed before tour guides appeared.
The Quarter was a neighborhood long before it was a tourist destination. I had a friend who lived on Barracks, rather quiet for the quarter, and I was shocked how loud it was inside her house. The trash trucks were very loud. I support any compromise that can be found....that respects the rights of property owners to get their sleep.
I think it's a slippery slope from trying to outlaw mule carts, storytellers (which is what the nighttime tour guides are) and buskers to calling the cops on the "loud, disruptive" second lines in other neighborhoods... and it's part of the same mentality
I think it would be more appropriate to enforce the noise ordinance on clubs, especially those that blare high decibel RECORDED music into the streets. The street musicians are not or just minimally amplified (a vocal mike, for instance). They are not the problem!
I think the street music adds to the ambiance and charm of the French Quarter as a local neighborhood and also a National Historic Distric..
I think the street music adds to the character and charm of the Quarter as a local neighborhood and National Historic District..............
We will never be free until the government cannot afford to violate our rights. That's why I'm Libertarian. Conservative minus the bible and the wars
If he would also enforce the decibel levels at the loud, canned-music clubs and have them CLOSE their doors, as used to be required, I could go along with the 8 PM enforcement. But what's legal for the street musician should also be required from the loud club noise offenders, both live and canned. At French Quarter Festival, the canned music was so loud as to make the 3 stages on Bourbon Street unhearable! Both disgusting and probaly not legal! Clubs closing doors could bring back doormen's jobs on Bourbon.
