Back in June, we heard from some unhappy neighbors living near the newly renovated (and now taller) 205 Avenue A — a property billed as an "East Village frat house" in ads.
For several months, neighbors said that they've had to endure various DJ-fueled rooftop parties between East 12th Street and East 13th Street.
When landlord Icon Realty didn't respond to noise complaints, nearby neighbors took up the issue with the offices of Councilmember Rosie Mendez and State Sen. Brad Hoylman. The address was also a topic during June's Ninth Precinct Community Council meeting.
Any progress to note?
Yes, apparently the parties are as loud as ever, as this video that a neighbor who lives several building away shared.
Said the neighbor, "The DJ was up there with sound equipment. It wasn't a charge-at-the-door DJ party. One of the tenants is a DJ and brings his equipment up there sometimes."
The music kicked in around midnight. The neighbor shot the video at 2:05 a.m.
"Many people called 311 and the police showed up around 2:30," the neighbor said. "Not coincidentally the music ceased."
We heard that Lt. Hernandez from the 9th Precinct Community Affairs office has been in contact with Icon Reality about reworking rooftop and backyard use guidelines.
As the resident noted about Lt. Hernandez: "He's been very helpful, but as you can hear, it's still a work in progress."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Your 6-bedroom dream 'frat house' awaits you in the East Village
How's life by 326-328 E. Fourth St. these days?
Icon Realty's new Avenue A 'frat house' is attracting attention
47 comments:
Wooo this hood is ours bro. I imagine this is what goes through the heads of these inconsiderate jerks as they turn the sound system to 11. How is it that the landlord is not fined after repeated noise complaints? I get a $25 fine if I put a milk carton in the wrong recycling bag? This is the biggest quality of life issue the LES yet nobody cares to do a thing about it.
Iggy Pop would be spinning in his grave if he were dead.
The first poster makes a great point about this noise being the biggest quality of life issue in the neighborhood but no one doing anything about it. Why the hesitation?
Call the police en masse. Fuck 311 AKA the 'listen to parking rules for 20 minutes before speaking to a human' hotline.
Does anyone know the best way to contact the 9th precinct without calling 911? I've given up on 311, which doesn't accomplish anything. But the one time I tried to call the 9th precinct with a noise complaint, I let the phone ring about 50 times (literally--no exaggeration), and no one ever picked up.
Backyard parties there are as bad and frequent as the roof. It's a nightmare. Icon doing little or nothing to monitor or manage tenants.
It's amazing what does bother and what does not bother the Bros infesting the EV these days, a/k/a Generation Selfie:
Loud rooftop rages at 2 AM: Not a bother.
A Halal Cart parked on the corner, bothering no one: A bother.
Chain stores opening on every block and replacing all the mom and pop shops: Not a bother.
Local residents who complain on EV Grieve that the neighborhood is changing much to quickly: A bother.
Landlords harassing rent stabilized tenants to move out so they can jack up rents even more: Not a bother.
Other people who occupy much larger and more affordable rent stabilized apartments: A bother.
Sky-high rents for tiny little apartments: Not a bother
Tenants complaining on EV Grieve that their landlords are harassing and trying to illegally evict them: A bother.
A money-losing CitiBike program that can't fix all the problems with broken, empty or full kiosks that is about to either go bankrupt or have massive price increases in order to survive: Not a bother.
Loud Bros and Hos who getting drunk in the streets every night, the annual SantaCon that turns the EV into a giant vomitorium, and NYU students turning StuyTown and walkups into their own personal frat houses: Not a bother.
If this was in housing project or if this rager was being held by minorities, cops would be swarming them, complete with tear gas and riot gear and all. White bros get a pass at Broken Windows.
When the police dont help, you need to take action yourself. A hose that can spray from your apt to the roof does not cost much and can hook up to a standard kitchen sink. Spray the rats, they will scatter. Esp the DJ. Let them complain to the police (they wont). You need to introduce street jutice...
I think we need to organize a phone-chain flash mob response. Next time there's a rooftop rager the word goes out and a group of concerned citizens gaters in front of the building to form an instant protest that the cops will be forced to respond to. Eventually the cops will get tired of dealing with this and address the root of the problem by fining landlords and tenants who violate noise laws, heavily.
They are terrorists and need to be treated as such, but like the saudies the Bush family flew out of the country on 9/12, they are protected.
The Ninth Precinct, for whatever reason, stops answering the phone at some point in the evening. One weekend I had a rooftop party at 325 East 10th Street start at 4 AM, with a sound system; I called the 9th and got a recording, so tried every department extension they listed to see if I could get a human being anywhere, but nope, so called the main number one last time and left a rage-fueled rant about what a useless excuse for a PD they were. Lesson here is, don't expect the 9th to be of any help when it's time for their naps.
Giovanni, seriously, I want to be your campaign manager.
I like the idea of a demonstration of some kind in front of the building to bring attention to the lack of a response form the police and the elected officials. Is Rosie Mendez actually in the City Council? Her office doesn't seem to do much of anything to help with the quality of life issues in her district, which is the main issue everyone seems to have.
These DeBlasio-loving millenial bozos are ruining the neighborhood.
They're self-entitled , and are destroying the fabric of this community
Noise is noise at 2:05 am. Still, I wouldn't *mind* as much if they were playing the Stooges or the Ramones. Of course this is all subjective.
A huge sack of water balloons can also work harmless wonders, especially from multiple directions.
Any AMPLIFIED sound that reaches the ears of unwilling listeners is noise pollution, plain and simple -- especially when it invades people's homes.
This principle should be enshrined in the City Charter.
(And, BTW, it's not just about decibels.)
I like 9:22am's idea/style. Hopefully he/she follows through on it.
Rosie Mendez most likely receives campaign contributions from Icon Realty, what else?
"It's a work in progress." HUH? What "work in progress" is there to be done. If they throw a rooftop party again, shut it down, fine them, and arrest the guilty party. Asshole do-nothing cops.
I don't mean to be smarmy but to people in these comments saying they call the Ninth Precinct and no one answers the phone GO TO THE NINTH PRECINCT and make your complaint IN PERSON. They see you coming in at 3am to complain they'll snap to it. Ask to see who's in charge no one else.
D
Go urban guerilla on their asses. Give the crusties $20 and or a bottle of booze to hang out front all day. Buy some glassine bags at a shady bodega, scatter liberally. Borrow a few used syringes from a diabetic friend, leave in trash cans. These idiots will eventually start self-reporting to the cops, and once it is labeled a problem building, it will get much more attention.
This hurts my brain. I have my own trouble with asswipes who party all night in the backyards right outside my window, but at least usually there's no DJ involved... Although when I hear all the wooing and mindless screaming, I sometimes wonder if loud music to drown out all these assholes wouldn't be preferable. After a couple of years of failed attempts to reason with them (yup, being in the same age bracket as those idiots, I did try to reason with them), and failed attempts to get 311 & NYPD involved, I gave up. When I managed to get one group to bring their 2am party indoors, 2 others popped up. And then another group of asswipes moves in, because they're not here to stay and build community with neighbors like me.
Good luck to the affected residents; many of us hear your pain.
The last person makes a good point regarding music and screaming. I prefer the steady sound of party music over the sound peaks when some ass wipe decides to scream out woo. Music is closer to white noise than that other "white" noise. (it's okay I'm white so I can say that).
You are standing right next to them and the music isn't even that loud, quit whining!
I'm not sure if it helps if the issue is not coming from your building, but if it is you can take the landlord to court for violating the warranty of habitability clause in your lease. Do an HP action - it will cost about $45 and a bit of time, but if you have videos etc of the offending idiots then a judge might act.
"you can take the landlord to court for violating the warranty of habitability clause in your lease"
and then get blacklisted by every landlord in the country. They keep lists, you know, of tenants who sue.
"You are standing right next to them and the music isn't even that loud, quit whining!
Wow! clueless to how society and neighborhoods works.
All you folks talking these tactics like water balloons and hoses are herbs. thats just as cowardly as what they are doing, if not more so. Deal with them head on, in person. show your face. and if you're not comfortable doing that, befriend some large fellas or call Uncle Pete.
Take the high road people.
Kids: spraying water/throwing water balloons can get you arrested for assault. Try bright lights.
in the old days when we had stereo wars, the one with the loudest speakers won, and the guy who lost just turned off his music. The next time they have a party, get a louder set of speakers and blast your music right back at them. Problem solved.
The whoooooo bros have now officially infiltrated buildings east of Avenue C. A new crop of them just moved into my building and had a weekend-long red-cup beer-pong party in the communal courtyard. On Friday night, I heard neighbors from surrounding buildings shouting at them to shut up at 2am. At noon the next day, they were at it again, with the guys incessantly screaming "DUUUUUUDE! FUCK YOUUUUUUU!" at each other at the tops of their lungs and the girls running around shrieking in their cutoff shorts. I feel terrible for our super, who has to deal with the trashed hallways and elevator, pizza boxes and endless Bud Light can nastiness--not to mention our neighbors with kids. I agree with the other posters that music would probably be preferable, but it's hard to say.
Like the previous poster, I feel bad for my super. He's an older guy who has worked in our building for at least 20 years, and he has to constantly deal with these new nimrods. They have no respect for their neighbors. Do they act like this when they go home to the suburbs where they came from? Of course not. Their parents and neighbors wouldn't tolerate this kind of behavior. But we're all worthless scum to them and don't deserve neighborly respect.
And so the new fraternity of Alpha Beta Gamma Delta, or ΑΒΓΔ was born on the site of the place formerly known as the East Village.
RIP Alphabet City, 19??-2014
Hey Grieve, why'd you censor my second comment? There wasn't a curse word in it!
Hi Gojira,
I don't see any 2nd comment from you, I'm sorry to say ...
Is this a real frat or just randos? Does anyone know who they are?
@nygrump
The tenant blacklist is grossly blown out of proportion. Something like 5% of landlords in NYC use it, and I believe it only includes individuals named as defendants (you're the plaintiff if you're the one suing) in housing court. Sue in civil court instead of housing court and you won't get caught up in the database at all. You can also sue neighboring property owners for something called "private nuisance", which mean someone else's lawful use of their property impinges upon your lawful use of your property.
Why not have mr. Penley and others have a party in after all it is a land lord/yuppie
Unfortunately, folks-- it's not just the EV that has to deal with this kind of thing. It seems as if the entire city is becoming one big beer-soaked college campus.
Case in point-- I moved up to Harlem a decade ago so I could enjoy a chill, low-key, neighborly vibe, but in recent years it's turned into a nightmare of screeching, puking, trash throwing frat kids who treat the 'hood like it's their personal playground. They go up to my roof at night and throw food, cigarettes, used condoms and all kinds of other crap down into the alleyway.
One evening I heard a splashing sound and opened my window to find that they were pouring beer down onto the pavement outside my apartment. Drunken maniacal bro laughter followed. Needless to say, I wasn't amused. And the situation just keeps getting progressively worse as time goes on.
I know I did a lot of wild stuff when I was their age, but I'm 100% sure I wasn't the kind of lame-brained, self-satisfied a-hole that would do idiotic shit like that. I was too busy cultivating myself and being an interesting person.
At this point, I've been pretty much forced into acting out the role of the cranky old lady down the hall, and that is definitely not how I wish to spend my spare time.
Something's gotta give.
Does this building have a doorman? I'm sure he'd love to deal with an angry mob. Otherwise I like the flashing lights idea. Big, bright lights. It would confuse the fuck out of them and those pussies would end up calling the cops.
Ok, I'm gonna be showing my asshole-ish inner ugliness here (of which I'm slightly embarrassed):
There's too many of these assholes. What about increasing the riskiness of their buildings and bars? They voluntarily get drunk and stoned and do really stupid shit: let's give them some really dangerous places to act it out? I don't want them in my world, don't want them reproducing. How about a Darwin Awards Theme Park?
Part of me doesn't really wish any harm on anyone; but, then I get yelled at by one of them on my own block, or get woken by their noise, or find myself walking down the street listening to a group walking nearby with their nasty, entitled inanities (seriously, I've overheard some really ugly things) and then I wish they'd walk in the middle of the street when some other asshole on crank is behind the wheel of a mustang.
Unfortunately, the dangerous drivers never plow into the front of the 13th Step at 11:30 pm on a Friday.
Anon August 12, 2014 at 11:41 PM -
Not sure where you come up with the 5% number - I'm not arguing with you - but the landlords use tenant screening services which do subscribe to the black list service - not sure if your 5% means direct use by LL's or includes the screening services as well. Also, just too point out 5% of landlord doesn't equal 5% of tenants, certain LL's manage 1000's of apts, while others only have a few properties. I am sympathetic to LLs' in some cases of deadbeats or insane idiots?
My ears ache, are we really complaining about Avenue B being too noisy?
Moira- I so understand everything you just said. I've been living in a building in the EV that has a bar acting as a nightclub. When I moved in 20 years ago it was a regular bar. You had a little noise but nothing horrible. In 2000 it changed hands and for the last 14 years they've basically been running it as a nightclub on the weekends with music full blast til 4 am. To put the noise in perspective, my floor is their ceiling. They've been saying all year they would put in some kind of sound proofing but it's never happened and now when I ask about it I get no reply- so they have no intention of doing anything- and why should they when there are no consequences? My boyfriend can use his shazam app to tell the name of every single song from in our bedroom. That's how loud it is! The bed vibrates, stuff falls off the walls, there is a line with ropes to get into the club like it's studio 54!My mom can't come and visit me here as it's too loud for her so if she comes on a weekend she goes to a hotel! I am now feeling like I am the crazy old complaining lady. I've called 311 for years and noting happens. It's hard for me to complain to much as I am afraid of the wrath of my landlord. It makes it nearly impossible if I have to work a job on the weekend. Sleep before 4 am is just not going to happen as my apartment is bombarded by the sound system. We are talking 80 decibels on a little sound meter on my phone. I have been directed to complain to the 9th precinct's cabaret division. Has anyone tried that? The number is 646-879-8748. This bar has no "cabaret license" and so, in my understanding is in clear violation of the law. What I don't understand is, that since my landlord owns my building and their space is complaining going to get them fined or the landlord. I have reluctant to go further because I don't want to start a fight with my landlord. Whenever I have written my landlord about this issue he just says very diplomatically," we've tried to contact the manager- but he refuses to return our calls. We are trying to contact him about the issues" ??? In other words, nothing. In this city my boyfriend can no longer smoke a cigarette in the park but this stuff is allowed to go on unchecked?
@1PM The only thing that seems to work these days is public shaming, either with a blog, a YouTube channel or some other type of consistent public attention. I had a problem with a local bar and that's how I dealt with it. The cops were forced to deal with the problem bar and it eventually quieted down. The only way to win this war, and it is a war, is to rage a very strategic, persistent DIY media war with these places. It works.
@1PM To echo and add to what @2:52 said You could take video of your phone (or boyfriend's) with Shazam identifying the songs, then post the video online and send to BMI/ASCAP/RIAA - 98% of these places play music w/o licensing so at least you might get them some unwanted attention.
When calling the 9th precint, record the calls. If they don't pick up after 50 rings, which happens alot start sending the recordings to the news or NY1, let's shame them into doing their jobs.
@3:45 Excellent idea! Put that call on speaker, record, upload to YouTube!
Thanks for the above ideas about the bar/club. I actually have made several videos of the noise level in my room in which I show the clock with date and hour. It proves I've filmed them in my room and what time. Not sure what I will do with them. I have a paper sitting in my desk to fill out and send in to have the city come and do an official noise level reading. I haven't done that yet because although they say that they can do it confidentially I am not sure if it would get back to my landlord. I have checked into sound proofing- it could cost me as much as 800 dollars and it may or may not help if they aren't willing to put some kind of sound proofing in on their end, which is what the attitude has been as of now. I am going to try going over and talking to someone at the precinct at some point in the near future. As I type this tonight they are having live music, which I know they don't have permission for. I wouldn't mind so much if they'd at least to SOMETHING toward putting in SOME kind of sound proofing - but as I said- in December they were saying they would but never did, and now when I ask when they are going to get some sound proofing in there,I get no response on the subject.
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