Members of the music community in DC rewrote the Amplified Noise Amendment Act of 2018 ahead of a public hearing for the anti-busking legislation scheduled for Tuesday morning. Opponents of the legislation as written worry that it would impact the cultural fabric that makes this district unique and exciting, and attempted to edit the bill in a way that preserves that culture.
Back in July, as news broke that the City Council was considering this initiative as emergency legislation that would be rushed through the process, community activists, musicians, and concerned residents joined together and held an emergency press conference to fight back. Council members responded by putting the measure off until after the summer to allow for greater input from the public.
During that summer break the music community kicked into action, "working together for the past 3 months to come up with a set of fair edits" according to an email sent out earlier today by Listen Local First. The press release included their modified version of the legislation, with an extensive description of the efforts they took to determine the specifics.
With fall only weeks in, they are wasting little time getting back at it. This Thursday, October 4th, the City Council will hear testimony during a Committee of the Whole Public Hearing at 11:00 AM in room 412. If you have not already, contact your City Council members and Chairman Phil Mendelson, both before and after the hearing to let them know how you feel about this issue.
