Town votes to ban public singing

Town votes to ban public singing

ac360.blogs.cnn.com

Sing in the shower, not in public. That's the message to anyone visiting one South Carolina beach community. The town of Sullivan's Island has proposed an ordinance that would make it illegal to belt out show tunes, pop songs, or any musical notes, for that matter, if they disturb the peace. "I haven't had one islander complain about it," Andy Benke, the town administrator, told CNN. "There are places where you can go and be loud and vociferous. Sullivan's Island is not one of them."

(visit the link for the full news article)

Wow... isn't this a violation of the First Amendment?

Can you do this?

The article goes on to say..

The town council has already voted two times for the ordinance and after a third vote in July, it is expected to be put into effect in August, Benke said. He said the welcome mat is always open for people to enjoy the town but made it clear loud, disruptive noises, including public singing during quiet hours, will not be tolerated.

So maybe if it's really "disturbing the peace" by a jury of your peers... perhaps...

I dunno.. what do you think?






ac360.blogs.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Think they need to lighten up.. If anything they should ban fat women from wearing bikinis on the beach..
Truly bloody amazing with all the other problems of society to enact a ban on singing.. Stupidity doesnt run rampant there .. It gallops..

Sounds like the perfect little town for a weekend away or permanent holiday, if you are over 85.

reply to post by HunkaHunka

"It shall be unlawful for any person to yell, shout, hoot, whistle, or sing on the public streets, particularly between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. or at any time or place so as to annoy or disturb the comfort, or repose of persons in any office, or in any dwelling, or other type of residence, or of any persons in the vicinity."

Lol. Not about singing, but catchy title. This ordinance is about noise levels and disturbing the peace. Not unheard of, in fact, I would bet most towns/cities/communities have one. In fact, my building complex has one.

*Nice avatar, I had that downloaded and was thinking of using it, too.

It seems like a good idea to me. Have you heard most people try to sing? Terrible.

Maybe it is a first amendment issue, but that ship sailed a long time ago. Local statutes regulating loud and/or obnoxious noise, as well as laws regarding disturbing the peace, have been on the books all across this country for years.

reply to post by LadySkadi


That's the title of the news story on my local news page as well..

My question is, are kids held to this statute too? If so, will the parents be fined?

To me, it's a violation of the first amendment. Noise ordinances have always been around, yes, but as far as I know there has always been a decibel limit to apply to noise and it's always been a level higher than a human could produce without amplification.

Sullivan's Island is shooting itself in the foot as far as tourism goes. If you were on vacation and got cited for yelling to a friend/family member across the street, would you ever go back to that town?

To me, there needs to be a process where citizens can file legal motions against bodies of government for frivolous legislation. It would keep laws like this from even being thought of, much less wasting the time of governing bodies. It would also add a new and better check and balance to the system.

reply to post by PayMeh

Noise ordinances and disturbing the peace are two separate issues. While noise ordinances may state a dB level and apply to things like rally's, outdoor concerts, music from the local pub - disturbing the peace can be applied to your neighbor's dog barking in the middle of the night. So no, not part of Freedom of Speech (IMO).

I hate to quote Wiki - but I'm in a bit of a hurry - so forgive me...

Disturbing the peace is a crime generally defined as the unsettling of proper order in a public space through one's actions. This can include creating loud noise by fighting or challenging to fight, disturbing others by loud and unreasonable noise (including loud music or dog barking), or using offensive words or insults likely to incite violence.

Disturbing the peace is typically considered a misdemeanor or an infraction depending on the jurisdiction and is often punishable by either a fine or brief term in jail.
On other rare occasions it is considered an ordinance, the lowest level of an offense.

As far as the title goes - I was simply commenting on the catchy-ness of it, not dissing the OP. I realize it was from the article. I still find it a bit misleading, but it does its job and that's what counts in MSM print news, I suppose.



[edit on 22-6-2010 by LadySkadi]

reply to post by HunkaHunka


Blatant violation of the First Amendment and will eventually be overturned in court. As it should be.

Not to say that I don't support it. I am all for karaoke. I've even been known to practice it myself. Doesn't mean I like to hear the god-awful singing of a fourteen year old girl trying to sing today's hottest pop song.

In Other News...

Police in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina are offering a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this man:

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