The following is in response to a letter carried in the January 22 edition of The Gleaner.
THE EDITOR, Sir:
GREETINGS, I must apologise for the inconveniences meted out to you as outlined in The Gleaner dated January 22, 2003. I share your pain and recognise the importance of productivity in our society and urge you like other citizens who feel harassed by the intruding music on Sundays from 2 p.m. in the day till midnight, especially some of the lewdness that is passed on for music.
SOLUTIONS: To organise community councils in your community and lobby the government, as an organisation, to identify zones where music can be played without molesting citizens, to purchase a decibel meter which cost only US$35 and as a community select personnel to monitor these dances that the meter does not go beyond the ninety decibels ratings that can affect your health.
As an organisation, you would be empowered that when these dances want to be held they would have to have permission from you the citizens and not the police, as stated in section 12 of the Noise Abatement Act, it is you that get abused, 20 chances to one the Superintendent who gives permission for dances does not live in a 12 mile radius of these dances, so why give the police the power to give permits when they are powerless to tackle gun crimes, much less noise nuisance?
The council will then select a body that is vibrant, non-partial to their cause and make citizen's arrests that are legal in this country of any one who dares violate their right to a good night's rest. We must never lay down all our burdens on the state as a people, as there are times like in this case the state is burdened to pass laws that are unrealistic in its implementation, such as the present Noise Abatement Act which is used against the very people it was made to protect. Corruption in high places has replaced the true reasons the law was passed.
As you said, you called the police, yes they are only humans with choices and not enough vehicles or manpower, look at this case simply: you call 119, there is a murder which involves several police and lives have been placed on the line, they need reinforcement to apprehend the culprits and a dance noise is also being reported, are they going to leave the saving of their brothers' lives to lock-off a sound system? We have got to understand that we all must be our brothers' keepers, and those who want to sleep must be allowed to sleep and those who work with sound systems must be allowed to work, so when we make laws all must be comfortable working within the ambits of the law. Hence, I urge communities to establish community councils to ensure all is protected and their rights respected as one person complaining about the problems of many will make him/her look selfish, but when a group complains, it will protect the individual on the short term. The next time a sound system molests you, please feel free to write the name of the sound in your letter to the editor and the area and we will act on the situation immediately.
God's blessing and remember, please read Psalms 149 and together we can make the change for the better for all.
I am, etc.,
LOUISE FRAZER-BENNETT
P.R.O. of the Sound System Association of Jamaica
1 Whitehall Avenue
Kingston 8
