It's interesting what people get into an uproar about. There are few jobs, companies going bankrupt and homes going into foreclosure. The citizens of my hometown of Chicago however are apparently not upset enough at this. Rather than tackle the state of the economy, they decided that "noise pollution" is an issue that the city's politicians must deal with.
Alderman Brendan Reilly of the 42nd District of our fair city has decided to initiate a "Jack Webb" kind of enforcement that would make it easier for The Windy City to sweep away those pesky street performers. The tactic? A proposed ordinance that would if have two, instead of three, violations on your record and take away your license to perform. If you are louder than the opening minutes of Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song", then you lose your license after the first strike.
The Bucket Boys, a group of young kids who bang on buckets to make music, are one set of street performers who will victims of this new ordinance should it pass. Some have commented that these kids, who really don't do any harm, should be in school rather than out on the street performing music. Given the violence in Chicago's Public School System these days, that would be like throwing them from the frying pan directly into the fire.
I don't know the story of most people who perform on the streets. I do know that whatever these street performers are doing, at least it doesn't involve robbing someone of their hard-earned money. R. Kelly certainly laid the groundwork for future stardom during his days of being a street performer. Imagine if this ordinance was really enforced back in his early days? We the people of the Chi would miss out on the "brilliance" that is the "Trapped In The Closet" saga.
Article comments
1 - Joanne Huspek
I agree. If you're going to live in a place like Chicago (or New York or San Francisco) you've got to expect this kind of thing. If you want pastoral pleasures, it's best to be in Hoffman Estates (or upstate New York or Napa Valley). City noise is half the charm of the city.
2 - Downtowner
With all due respect, this ordinance is not intended to push street performers out of the City of Chicago - it is intended to ensure that all street performances comply with the Environmental Noise Ordinance that regulates allowable decibel levels.
Under Reilly's proposal, any street performer - whether you're a bucket beater, a saxophone player or mime - continues to enjoy the right to perform on the public way - so long as they are carrying a valid performer's license and so long as they do not violate lawful decibel limits.
If the bucket beaters or other drummers need to shove pillows into their buckets or drums to modulate the noise, so be it. Turning down the volume, ever so slightly, on these otherwise incredibly loud instruments allows these performers to display their "talents" while also respecting the need for downtown employees to be able to focus and concentrate while at work.
Downtown workers understand that Chicago is a major metropolitan area and with that comes substantial ambient noise. That's not the issue here.
In this case, certain performers (including the bucket boys) are playing at volumes that reach double, sometimes triple the legally mandated decibel limits (intended to combat noise pollution).
Try to imagine 4 or 5 hours of non-stop drumming at incredible decibel levels - so loud that it sounds as though the drummers are playing in the middle of your office. That is the real problem this alderman is seeking to cure.
Alderman Reilly knows his ward is a noisy one - this is not about trying to bring a slice of the suburbs to downtown Chicago via "peace and quiet" - the Alderman is simply trying to establish reasonable limits
3 - lindsey
I would like to know what unamplified buckets could ever be heard in the middle of an office. Seems ridiculous. People playing music should be embraced rather than ridiculed. There are time and noise restrictions on music, but no one seems to turn down the microphone when a politician steps up to the podium.