# Woman plays music loudly, gets noise complaint, writes WaPo piece **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 29, 2018, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019 "2018-05-29T03:57:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/21 "2018-05-29T12:50:54Z")
> [@Fuji](#): > > I > That hasn’t been my experience, at least not in the US. I know, plural of anecdote isn’t data, yadda, yadda, but my two encounters with noise complaints in America began and ended with police involvement, whereas my two experiences with noise complaints in Ireland began and ended with conversations at my door with my neighbors. (And I’m a white dude.) That’s not really what this is about though. She’s not complaining that the neighbors didn’t speak to her first, she’s complaining about her interaction with the police. > [@](#): > > Not in my experiences. Both US encounters had the cop on their way, alright… with me in the back of their cruiser. You should checks the books in that jurisdiction. As I mentioned above, in NC it’s just a warning or ticket. > [@](#): > > Probably because he might reasonably come across other illegal activities, as he did in both of my cases (smoking weed in Texas in the 90s, if you were curious). You pretty seriously misrepresented what happened above. You didn’t get arrested for loud music. > [@](#): > > Which is part of why I think people should think a bit more deeply before they pick up the phone to 5-0 for some loud music or other minor nuisance. You might only be concerned with getting your neighbor to quiet down and not really give a shit what else they might be up to. But once you make that call, it’s out of your hands. People call the police, specifically, so it’s out of their hands. Honestly, if I have some reason to call the police on you, I really don’t care if you’re going to get busted for other things as well. That’s not my problem. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/22 "2018-05-29T13:15:44Z")
Too bad there isn’t video, so we could see if there might not be something that either the cop, or the good doctor, is leaving out of the interaction. > [@BigT](#): > > It’s strange enough to call in a noise complaint during the day, but even stranger to call in a noise complaint without first trying to contact the person involved and not get the police involved. > > The problem could possibly be that the article is leaving out pertinent information. Maybe they have called before. Maybe what she considered a normal low volume is actually really loud. But, if her report is accurate, then I do wonder why they didn’t treat her like a human and talk to her first. Maybe they did, and she told them she was a doctor and accused them of racism. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/23 "2018-05-29T13:19:55Z")
> [@Jake\_Bullet\_Traffic\_Control](#): > > I’m white and when I played my music too loud the first I heard about it was a warning letter from my local council off the back of a noise complaint filed by my white neighbours. They didn’t approach me once. Some people just _really_ don’t like face-to-face confrontation. This. I have never seen someone contact a neighbor in person about noise - they always either call the police or contact building management. We had an ongoing issue at one building I lived in where an anonymous tenant constantly accused me of blasting my stereo - except I didn’t own a stereo or television, and the building manager knew that; it was a 10x15 studio, you could see the entire apt from the door, and my decor was 500 books, a futon, and some free weights (my electric bill came every 3 months because they won’t bill you until you hit $20). We couldn’t figure out why the complainer kept accusing me, and they wouldn’t be convinced otherwise. I offered to let them see for themselves, but they never wanted to be identified. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/24 "2018-05-29T13:27:39Z")
Loud base booming through the walls (Hip Hop) at 11PM is annoying. I don’t care whose apartment it is coming from. It’s either call the cops or pull her circuit breaker when she refuses to be considerate of her neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/25 "2018-05-29T13:38:42Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Too bad there isn’t video, so we could see if there might not be something that either the cop, or the good doctor, is leaving out of the interaction. Maybe they did, and she told them she was a doctor and accused them of racism. > > Regards, > Shodan Hey **Shodan** , you never did get back to me on what you meant in that other thread, and seeing as this is a pretty similar topic, maybe now’s a good time to remind you. What _do_ you mean by this post? > [@Controversial encounters between law-enforcement and civilians - the omnibus thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/13574): > > You don’t get it. Just because the video shows the cop being completely professional doesn’t prove _anything_ - he probably pulled her out of the car, beat the crap out of her, and _then_ turned the camera on. > > Black Lies Matter! > > Regards, > Shodan As I said at the time: do me a favor, please make your point clear. Like, what, exactly, is the message you’d like us to take away from this? Please be explicit, I’m _really_ bad at subtext. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/26 "2018-05-29T13:41:53Z")
Dammit snowflake, WiFi earphones. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/27 "2018-05-29T13:57:09Z")
Even with the assumption that the column was written to reflect the author in the best light (“I just learned I was pregnant and celebrating! I NEVER disturb ANYONE with my music because I’m super respectful!”) and the police officer in the worst (“His hand was by his hip! He asked me for ID!”), this sounds like a big yawner to me. And, if I had the full story, I’m sure I’d be even less impressed. I know a number of people who would call the cops first for a noise complaint. A mixture of “I don’t want to get into a confrontation” and “This isn’t my problem to fix, that’s why I pay taxes”. And they’d be calling regardless of whether you’re deafening the neighborhood with hip-hop, southern rock, Taylor Swift or James Taylor. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/28 "2018-05-29T14:01:37Z")
> [@](#): > > his hand was on his gun IIRC, the holster was unsnapped as well > [@Joey\_P](#): > > As stated earlier, his hand may have been ‘on his gun’ because it’s a convenient place to rest it She didn’t say his hand was on his gun. She said his hand was near his hip i.e. standing normally with his hands at his side. > [@Nava](#): > > Starting with “good evening, ma’am” and with explaining that there had been a noise complaint probably wouldn’t have killed him. It’s not a verbatim conversation. There’s no mention of a noise complaint, for example. > [@Joey P](#): > > If you play your music in your car loud enough that they can hear it when you pull into work, perhaps your playing it too loud. Exactly. She has such an aura of cluelessness about her. I wonder if the thought that if your neighbors can identify the type of music you’re playing in your apartment that perhaps it is too loud. > [@Isaru](#): > > racism probably played some part in it I’m genuinely curious as to how you conclude this. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/29 "2018-05-29T15:04:27Z")
Here’s the problem, people are dicks sometimes. I think people are dicks to black people more than white people, but you never know which particular incident is triggered by conscious or unconscious prejudice. I was once at a restaurant with a colleague. We’re both white. The place wasn’t crowded. We were dressed normally. The white server was a complete asshole to us. Not just slow, but she was actively rude. If we were black, I would have bet the house that she had a problem with black people There could be no other explanation. Since we were white, it was just unexplainable. (maybe her cat just died or something). I’ve had cops act rude to me a time or two also. However, I have never worried the encounter would escalate to a point where I would be dead. That’s white privilege I suppose. Anyway, the cop could have handled this better, but she needs to shrug it off. On the other hand, maybe after a lifetime of slights and rudeness, she is tired of it all. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/30 "2018-05-29T15:05:45Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > As I said at the time: do me a favor, please make your point clear. Like, what, exactly, is the message you’d like us to take away from this? Please be explicit, I’m _really_ bad at subtext. It’s so cute when you bat your eyes like that. _[noparse]:pinches[/noparse] **BPC** ’s cheek:_ Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/31 "2018-05-29T15:15:13Z")
Back about 10 years ago, I lived in a townhouse community with neighbors on four sides. Left, right, front and below. The woman on the north side of me used a bedroom right over our mutual doors as her sewing room. She was a big fan of marching music (John Phillip Sousa\*) and patriotic music and would listen to it during the day at high volume. Never at odd hours. The people directly below me were a Mexican couple. One day I arrive home to find the police there and marching woman complaining to them about the Mexican couple playing loud music. She complained that it was “hurting my heart” because it was so loud, just as I was walking by. Even though we were on friendly terms, I couldn’t help but stop and point out that she listened to marching music at even higher volume than she could possibly hear from below, and if she had a heart condition, how did that work? Then she turns full on racist and says the music is ‘in a foreign language’ and that she wouldn’t have any problems with it if it was Christian Music. :smack: Turns out the woman below was practicing for her church choir and it was indeed Christian music. At which point racist as all fuck neighbor blows that off and complains that it isn’t in English. :mad: Yeah, that’s the point where the police warned her not to complain about loud music at 1pm - in the early afternoon - and left. - American composer, Portuguese last name. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/32 "2018-05-29T15:19:26Z")
> [@Jake\_Bullet\_Traffic\_Control](#): > > I’m white and when I played my music too loud the first I heard about it was a warning letter from my local council off the back of a noise complaint filed by my white neighbours. They didn’t approach me once. Some people just _really_ don’t like face-to-face confrontation. > > Verdict: Not racism, and _certainly_ not worth an article in the Washington Post. You are probably right, but it goes well with previous news stories - sleeping while black playing golf while black barbecuing while black etc etc etc. Is this the same thing? Probably not, but these days, who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/33 "2018-05-29T15:19:35Z")
As to the OP article, my question for the neighbors would be if they ever tried to speak to her about it and what her response was. I’ve called the cops on two neighbors in my current apartment over the last 6 years or so, after attempting to speak to them on several occasions to no results. I’ve had several who repeatedly refused to open their door when I knocked. For one of them, a party in the apartment below me where I never heard the adults but was being kept awake past 1am on a weekday by children slamming into the walls, after three attempts to knock on the door were ignored, I slipped a note under the door saying they had 10 minutes, then I was calling the police. The party broke up within five. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/34 "2018-05-29T15:21:58Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Here’s the problem, people are dicks sometimes. Sure. But even with her presenting the story, the cop doesn’t seem particularly dickish. And I’m assuming that human nature prevails here and she’s presenting the story with her as the protagonist and the cop as the antagonist just as almost everyone does when describing a confrontation. So the cop was probably even less dickish as the events actually transpired and she’s probably not as wonderful and respectful as she thinks she is. But even if she gave an faithful retelling of the events, it’s still not much of a story. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/35 "2018-05-29T15:53:20Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Loud base booming through the walls (Hip Hop) at 11PM is annoying. I don’t care whose apartment it is coming from. It’s either call the cops or pull her circuit breaker when she refuses to be considerate of her neighbors. It was 3pm. > [@treis](#): > > She didn’t say his hand was on his gun. She said his hand was near his hip i.e. standing normally with his hands at his side. Yes, you’re right. I addressed that in my next post after I found a way to read the article. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/36 "2018-05-29T16:07:37Z")
In these days and times, I would think thrice before calling the cops for a minor situation involving a neighbor, and it does annoy me that not everyone has gotten that memo. We can’t count on cops to have the diplomacy, the self-restraint, or the common sense to manage conflict without escalating it. > [@BigT](#): > > “Pardon me, ma’am. I’m afraid we got a noise complaint about this apartment. Are you here alone?” “Yes, I’m alone” “Thank you, ma’am. Now standard procedure is that I need to see some ID.” “Why? I live here.” “I know, ma’am, but it’s procedure. I need to see your ID so I can record the incident. Don’t worry, a single complaint won’t get you in any sort of trouble.” Nowadays, it’s simply too much expect cops to say anything like this. If we can’t depend on police department to train basic decorum into their officers, it’s up to us to stop using them in situations that require decorum. It’s messed up, but anyone summoning cops needs to just assume that a bad experience is going to come out of it for someone, and ask themselves is it really worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/37 "2018-05-29T16:50:03Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > It’s messed up, but anyone summoning cops needs to just assume that a bad experience is going to come out of it for someone, and ask themselves is it really worth it. Well, let’s see - if my neighbor is playing her music too loud, and I call the cops, they might go to her apartment, knock loudly on the door, ask her to ID herself, check if she is alone, and tell her to turn the music down, and then she will write a stupid op-ed in the WaPo blaming it on racism. If I don’t call the cops, I have to listen to her music. Not a tough call, IMO. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/38 "2018-05-29T17:11:19Z")
Perhaps you could shoot the neighbor, thereby becoming a kind of person that certain other people would like to have around? A person who knows how to deal with ignorant loud music playing people? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/39 "2018-05-29T17:19:55Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Perhaps you could shoot the neighbor, thereby becoming a kind of person that certain other people would like to have around? Don’t be ridiculous. What do you think we pay the police for? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019/40 "2018-05-29T17:46:26Z")
> [@](#): > > His hand was near his hip, close to the gun in its holster. Leaving aside the rest of her piece, and acknowledging the well-known adage about anecdotes, here’s an incident involving myself and a cop: He was my close friend’s brother. I’d seen him at her wedding but had not met him. I was at the courthouse where he was on duty, approached at a normal pace, and called out to him by name and rank. He turned, and his hand went to his hip near his gun. It stayed there until I mentioned his sister by name; then he relaxed and was pleasant. Mind you, there were other cops nearby and I had just come through a metal detector. It was clearly a reflexive move, either training or experience. I also note that I’m a white woman, middle-aged at the time, and fairly well-dressed. I dismiss this statement as irrelevant. A sidenote: At the wedding reception, he stood in a corner and swept the room with his eyes almost the entire evening. In a roomful of friends and family, he still couldn’t relax. That is, of course, just him and not other cops, AFAIK. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-plays-music-loudly-gets-noise-complaint-writes-wapo-piece/815019.md?page=3)