Bombarded by complaints from bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived residents, a pair of downtown aldermen are trying again to silence street musicians that are part of the fabric of Chicago.
Two years ago, Aldermen Brendan Reilly (42nd) and Brian Hopkins (2nd) proposed banning street music altogether on Michigan Avenue and State Street.
When the American Civil Liberties Union threatened a court challenge, Reilly and Hopkins proposed a watered-down version narrowing the boundaries and confining street music to the hours of the day when there is the greatest amount of pedestrian traffic.
That is, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
When the revised proposal was not enough to counter City Council opposition, Reilly and Hopkins dropped the issue altogether.
On Wednesday, Reilly and Hopkins tried again.
At the first meeting of the new City Council, they introduced an ordinance that would limit street performances in the area roughly bounded by Oak Street, the Chicago River, Michigan Avenue and Dearborn.
Within those boundaries, street performances that include the use of a “bullhorn or loud and raucous electronic amplification or an object that is struck manually or with a stick or similar item to produce a sharp percussive noise” would be allowed only from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
“Complaints from residents of my ward … have continued unabated. We think we have a reasonable compromise which allows for street performers during certain hours. And we’re gonna try to make the case once again that this is a quality of life issue for the people who both live and work downtown, especially along Michigan Avenue, where the constant noise can really be annoying,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins acknowledged the hours are limited. But, he argued, local residents need and deserve a “reprieve” to relax, sleep and not be driven crazy by incessant drumming and saxophone playing.
Two years ago, those same residents described listening to the “Bucket Boys” — not one group, but three of them — for 10 hours a day.
They discussed how, even with the windows closed, they couldn’t talk on the phone, watch TV, listen to their own music or read a book because of the racket.
“We think, ultimately, the resolution should be street performers should be allowed in Chicago Park District properties and all of the subway stations and L platforms, as opposed to the select few they’re allowed to perform in now,” Hopkins said.
“They make more money when they’re playing subway stops and L stops. And they make more money in the parks. And there’s nobody around to be annoyed. If you don’t like the music, your train comes before you get annoyed. Ultimately, that is the direction to go, but we haven’t gotten the cooperation that we’d like from the Park District or the CTA. So, this is going to be our approach in the meantime to address legitimate complaints that people who are subjected to this have lodged.”
In an email to the Sun-Times, Reilly noted that the earlier compromise that stalled two years ago was “much broader, covering all street performances.” The new version is “less restrictive and more specific,” he said.
“It narrowly targets only those activities that are already violating legal decibel limits in Chicago,” Reilly wrote, noting that the ordinance was crafted with “ample input from street performer representatives.”
“These activities are a source of widespread and chronic complaints from downtown office workers, medical and psychiatric offices, hotels, building owners and residents alike. We have received literally thousands of complaints about this noise disrupting work environments, interfering with productivity and degrading the quality of life for residents.”
Reilly called the ordinance a “win-win for all parties involved.”
ACLU spokesman Ed Yohnka strongly disagreed.
“While the city can regulate the amplification of the human voice, they have to regulate the amplification of the human voice for everyone — not just for people engaged in street performances, but for everyone. Whether it’s someone who’s at a protest or a street preacher,” Yohnka said.
“Why are they singling out this single activity for this particular regulation? Because it’s such a change in terms of the restrictive hours, we need to look especially at what the rationale is for singling these individuals out.”
- Also during Wednesday’s meeting, Reilly re-introduced his stalled proposal to ban bicycle riding on the Chicago Riverwalk.
