Fighting Against the Noise

No one expects to leave college with a criminal record when the offense in question is playing lighthearted music with friends on a Saturday night.

We understand that we are obligated to respect our neighbors, yet we question if the punishment of jail time as outlined in the D.C. noise ordinance really fits the crime of having too much fun on the weekend. With the advent of student arrests, we're shocked by the severity with which the noise ordinance is being enforced.

Early last week, a Residence Life area coordinator sent an email to students living in university townhouses informing them that students from another District university were arrested for violating the city law. While the exact circumstances of the arrests remain unclear, what is certain is that police officers from the same jurisdiction that patrols Georgetown university arrested multiple students for being too loud.

Technically, late-night revelers can be arrested for making "an unreasonable amount" of noise between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Consequences for violating this ordinance range from a $500 fine to up to 90 days in prison. Although students were up in arms when the law was announced, we never thought the D.C. Council's move would result in police reports.

Let us be clear, students' rights to enjoy their rented property — including playing music and having guests — do not outweigh their neighbors' rights to sleep. Students also are obligated to follow police orders and should face the consequences — up to and including arrest — for not doing so. It is not just, nor is it acceptable, that students have been arrested merely for being noisy.

As the ordinance becomes less of a hypothetical situation and more of a reality, however, student anger has been reignited. We understand that we shouldn't expect to have free reign of the neighborhood. That said, we also shouldn't expect to have blemishes on our permanent records for neglecting to turn down the music in time to prevent a 911 call.