Combatting Night Noise

Ken · Mar 13, 2004

The noise from the Voodoo Lounge in Sosua, which opened in the past year, is a problem. Gets started about 11:30 pm and lasts until 3 am.

What is worse, it is a karaoke disco, meaning the background music is provided and people, drunk or sober, get up and "sing" their lyrics. No need to carry a tune to be able to perform.

Complaints have been made to local officials (promises but not action) and sent other officials without result or response. Individuals have contact the local Politur, got no satisfaction, and in some cases were treated very rudely. Surprisingly, only the Polica Nacional has been helpful. On 8 different occasions, on receiving a complaint from someone whose sleep was being interrupted, the PN sent a man who turned down the loud speaker. But the message was lost on the disco manager, since the following night it was back on high volumn.

The question: Are there legal steps that can be taken? Are they effective?

mountainfrog · Mar 13, 2004

Two Questions - Two Answers

There is a law (spectaculo publico or something like that) and in radio announcements a telephone number is aired to report complaints. This is the YES-answer.
The NO-answer is, that the law is not likely to be enforced by anybody.
The police, however, will be pleased to be sent to the disco to look into the matter. I?m sure they will not leave empty-handed nor with dry throats either.
M?frog

gerd · Mar 13, 2004

What about the weekly fireworks at Sosua Bay Club every Saturday at 11PM?:tired:

It wakes up our children and the ones in our neighbourhood (probably all around El Batey) and keeps all the dogs out there barking for 15 minutes. Is there a way to keep them from doing it, or do they have the mayor on their payroll?

Oh hell, just a few minutes left before it starts, gotta close all windows to try to keep the noise away from the babies....

mountainfrog · Mar 13, 2004

They Fled

I have always wondered why there are so few wild animals and birds in this country.
Now, I know. They fled, they couldn?t stand the noise the people make.
The volume is always set to max.
If there is a pneumatic hammer, people gather round it.
The rhythm makes them dance.
M?frog

lhtown · Mar 14, 2004

FYI, all of the critters fled to Haiti where they were then eaten.

End of story.

I have to agree that the noise thing can really get out of hand. Just last night, I had trouble getting to sleep because of someones party which lasted until at least one or two in the morning. It was far enough away, that I don't even know where it was. It likely disturbed the peace for about 50 neighboring houses. I could go on, but I really don't know what else to say about such selfishness and .....

Eddy · Mar 14, 2004

Welcome to the DR. There have been a few other threads concerning noisy places but remember that NOTHING can be done. You have to learn to live with it or should I say sleep with it.

Rocky · Mar 14, 2004

Solutions

If anybody does find a solution, please let me know, so that I can try it on my noisy neighbours as well.
Marco.

Gabriela · Mar 14, 2004

Roosters

Eddy's right. Welcome to the DR. I remember my kids and I being kept awake by a rooster (in the middle of Sosua) that started crowing every morning at 2. We tried stoning it, no luck. As for the Voodoo lounge, I've sung croakie there myself. Apologies to anyone I kept awake. As I recall, the management is pretty young,and friendly, and may need to be reminded that not everyone enjoys 30 decibel music. As I recall, what bothered me the most was the old man and the young puta having sex at the next table.

Ken · Mar 14, 2004

Eddy said:
Welcome to the DR. There have been a few other threads concerning noisy places but remember that NOTHING can be done. You have to learn to live with it or should I say sleep with it.

Vamos a ver. I'm betting on Fabio.

Island Treats · Mar 14, 2004

A simple solution to this problem would be for the Voodoo Lounge to be socially responsible and enclose their windows as oppose to having it an opened air enviroment. On a number of occasions I've asked this young manager why the high decibels at such a late time? Why not 9pm-11pm?
He stated that the surrounding restaurants would be "infringed" upon therefore, we have to wait until the restaurants closed in order to pump up the volume to attract customers".

BTW- I wished I lived next door to this decision maker. I would wait until he was snuggle in bed and sound asleep and I would turn my "BOSE LIFESTYLE 28 SYSTEM" to volume 8 or 9 and play "ERES AJENA" forward and backward-over and over until he got the message of what it means to be NOT

socially responsible.

XanaduRanch · Mar 14, 2004

I Think ...

Ken said:
Vamos a ver. I'm betting on Fabio.

... your best bet is to bang on your neighbor Escott's door and ask him to stoppartying all night with DR1'ers in Sosusa he's trying to impress.

Tom aka XR I used to think I was indecisive. Now now I'm not so sure.

PICHARDO · Mar 14, 2004

Welcome to the Dominican Republic!

Where you own your property and do whatever you want within it, as someone pointed out earlier Dominicans love to hear the music loud, the louder the better and yes if that pneumatic hammer has a bit of tune to it some people will dance around it!

Dominicans learn to live with the unwanted noise other party makers blare out because many do the same when they host a party or become guests at one, nevertheless if you want the local karaokee disco to do something about the decibel levels they use then you can either try to speak to the owner and explain in a nice way always with a sunny smile in your face the evils of it or get ready and move to another place where Karaokee Discos aren't close by!

If you paid for it you own it, and like hell you can do what you want with or on it! that's the Dominican Republic way...

Hillbilly · Mar 17, 2004

There have been news articles that say that

"Colmadones" have been shut down and their speakers confiscated.

Circulate a pertition, make copies, send them under registered mail or by courier to Frank Moya Pons at the Secretar?a del medio ambiente along with a letter explaining the situation.

register official complaints at the Police so you have evidence that you have tried to do something. Take pictures of the police intervening.

Take the bastids to court!

HB

Fabio J. Guzman · Mar 18, 2004

There are various possible lines of attack.

The first one is through the government authorities: Police, Politur, Medio Ambiente. Unfortunately, success often depends on who is more well connected.

Another one is through the courts seeking injunctions and damages. This may be a slow and more expensive route but perhaps the only way to assure a successful outcome in the long run.

I would try the Police, etc. first. If that doesn?t work, sue.

rafael · Mar 19, 2004

I had a unique approach. I used to live ABOVE a colmado, which was sort of cool at first. I could sit on my balcony and scream down to order a few grandes!

Then a new owner took over and his "muchachos" would blast the music way beyond loud all day. I went down a few times and asked them nicely to turn it down. One guy just smiled rebeliously while cutting fruit with his machete.

So. . . .the next time I see the owner, I explain the situation. he seems nice but says if he is not there he can't gurantee his "muchachos" will listen.

I said he better get new "muchachos" . . . .. .or. . . .my next trip I bring down my VERY LOUD guitar amp. I nicely explained that I have not played for a while, and try to make up for the lack of talent by playing VERY VERY LOUD.

I told him that after a few minutes of my "playing" his colmado would be cleared out. Plus if that didn't work, I'd "teach" my novia's 7 year old how to "play".

4 hours straight of "smoke on the water" and he'd give up. . . .

Fabio J. Guzman said:
There are various possible lines of attack.

The first one is through the government authorities: Police, Politur, Medio Ambiente. Unfortunately, success often depends on who is more well connected.

Another one is through the courts seeking injunctions and damages. This may be a slow and more expensive route but perhaps the only way to assure a successful outcome in the long run.

I would try the Police, etc. first. If that doesn?t work, sue.

Ken · Mar 19, 2004

Interesting idea, rafael, but not for our situation. What we are protesting is the loud music from 11pm to 3am. Adding to the din isn't the answer.

Tor · Mar 19, 2004

Interessting to see all the responses with: "welcome to the DR", "The Dominicans like to play their music loud" etc.
The Woodoo Lounge is a foreign owned bar, who only caters to foreigners, mostly bracelet people. They only play foreign music, and has no local flavour at all.

Musicqueen · Mar 19, 2004

I woke up in a 'special' mood today!

Let's just say I don't have any sympathy for people living in PARADISE and complaining about the music...

I will GLADLY trade places with any of you...bring on the loud music baby!

Rather have that, than live in this RAT race!!!

Stop the complaining...there are more important things in life to worry about!

XanaduRanch · Mar 20, 2004

Ken Has My Sympathies

Tor said:
Interessting to see all the responses with: "welcome to the DR", "The Dominicans like to play their music loud" etc. The Woodoo Lounge is a foreign owned bar, who only caters to foreigners, mostly bracelet people. They only play foreign music, and has no local flavour at all.

It annoys the heck out of me.

I hated our time in Santiago full time because of the rudeness of the neighbors. From apartment neighbors who played music in their place all ours of the night that our windows rattled, to another neighbor who quite literally and very loudly, slammed a door in her apartment building right across from us on the 4th floor every 10 seconds all day long, to another neighbor in another building nearby who play music loudly all day, while at the same time signing loudly - a completely different tune, to dogs baring all night, roosters crowing, cars and trucks blaring horns everytime the Aguillas had a base hit, and on and on and on.

On the other hand, I beleive that other than fighting fire with fire there's not much to do here. It's just part of the culture. And, I don't really want to infringe on the guys right to be a big time pest. It's his property. I can move. That's why I live our here. When I want noise, I go to town (any town) and when I want peace and quiet, I go home.

No need for lawyers, high blood pressure pills, sleeping tablets, or arguments with an unresponsive neighbors.

Tom aka XR Four out of five people think the fifth is an idiot.

mountainfrog · Mar 20, 2004

The Only Remedy

Even before I came to this country I knew that its people are friendly but very noisy.
Thus I decided to buy a lot large enough (120 tareas) to see the next neighbour the size of a thumb - with his hat on.
It?s me who makes the noise, whenever I feel like.
Sometimes we can hear noise from the republic, faintly though. But we know it comes from far and the wind has carried it from a bar about a mile away...
They must all be deaf down there.
M?frog
www.samanave.com

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