By Antonio D. French
Filed Monday, January 30 at 6:41 AM
In the city's continuing effort to alienate young people, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted on Friday to make it illegal to have large speakers in your car. You read that right; not to play loud music, just owning the speakers would be illegal. To add injury to insult, the law allows the police to take a citizen's car (before being found guilty) and force them to pay a fine of $250 to $500.
The bill, sponsored by Craig "Guess What's Playing on My iPod" Schmid, outlaws speakers larger than 12 inches, possession of more that one 10-inch speaker, or more than 2 amps (or just one with more than 300 watts output). Perhaps most ridiculous, "Craig's Law" also outlaws speaker boxes.
[Update: Ed Rhode, spokesman for Mayor Francis Slay, said that the mayor does not have a position on the bill yet.
Here are some interesting quotes from Friday's debate on Board Bill #81...
Dionne Flowers (2nd Ward), in support of the bill: "We're not talking about loud music, good music. We're not talking about trying to restrain you. We're just talking about nuisance."
Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward), in support of the bill: "Here I am with my ten year-old and they're playing some of the most foul music you ever heard. They're not playing Mozart. They're not playing Paganini. They're not playing anything that you would really want to hear. They're playing some of the foulest stuff, cussing people, calling ethnic names out, popping their fingers to it. And what really amuses me, I see some of the women in there while they're callin' them all kinds of names in there. And they're just popping and shaking. Well I don't like it. I think it's wrong."
Lyda Krewson (28th Ward), in opposition to the bill: "I don't really want to hear this music either. I happen to have a 16 year-old and I hear it more than I'd like to. But I attribute that to being old and cranky."
Steve Conway (8th Ward), in opposition to the bill: "People who run red lights, they can kill you. We don't seize those cars when people run red lights. Yet some kid's playing his music too loud and we want to take his car."]He's not running for re-election this year, but Aldermanic Board President Jim Shrewsbury is raising cash as good as anybody who is. During the last three months of 2005, Shrewsbury raised more than $40,000, according to his campaign's quarterly report. That brought his total cash on hand to $128,070.88.Over in Kansas City, Congressman and former Mayor Emanuel Cleaver is receiving criticism for not giving in quite the same manner he received.
The issue (as it always is) is cash. Cleaver received hundreds of thousands of dollars for his 2004 election from friends in Washington. Now, they want some of it back.
The KC Star reported that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which coordinates the party’s House campaigns, poured lots of donations into the congressman's campaign. Now, as they seek to help other Democrats across the nation, they want some of his nearly $200,000 war chest to go to the cause. So far he's only given 10 grand.
3 Comments:
Great graphic. The city's leaders just don't get it when it comes to people under 35. Speakers are as much about status and culture as they are about enjoying your music.
Playing music super loud is annoying to older people. That's understandable. So make that illegal. But for people who are responsible, why should we have to suffer?
Fuck this city!!! That's why hip hop culture lives outside of the city. Which is unfortunate.
8:14 AM, January 30, 2006
Anony, while I don't agree with your opinion that Hip-Hop lives in the county and I hope that in saying F "this city" you're a fellow St. Louisan refering to the place that you call home (It's that whole "I can call my friend a name, but you can't" thing), but I understand your frustration.
The fact is that if the mayor signs this bill into law, St. Louis City will fast be on its way to being the location for the remake of "Footloose". That's not how we want the city to make its return to film.
So don't wash your hands of the place just yet. Stay mad, but funnel that anger into action. Call Alderman Schmid (622-3287) and call Mayor Slay (622-3201) and tell them why you think this is a silly law. And make your friends do the same -- quickly, before your ride gets jacked by the po-po.
And remember, "Don't hate the players, hate the game." They can do things like this because young people like us don't participate in the system like we should.
11:41 AM, January 30, 2006
Wow, Lyda found her brain!
9:07 PM, January 31, 2006
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