Spring Break
Letter: Student questions Narragansett noise ordinance
Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Editorial/Opinion
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10/16/07 - To the Cigar,
Narragansett has made it clear that its leaders consider students here at University of Rhode Island a public nuisance. The ordinance it drafted and passed over the summer, which targets us specifically is, after all, a public nuisance ordinance.
We are told that this ordinance reflects the standards and will of the community, to which we are mere visitors, if not outright pests. If I were to guess, from looking at this ordinance and the behaviors it targets, that the single most important and valuable thing to this community is a good night's sleep, made possible by utter, deathly, neighborhood-wide silence. But, why stop at bedtime disturbances?
Since Narragansett has shown itself to be in the mood to crack down on us little monsters, I figured perhaps it is about time they took the lead in taking care of other sources of public nuisance. I've got a few ideas on where to start.
Let's start easy. A few days ago, I was eating in a restaurant in Narragansett with my girlfriend, when a pair of mothers came in to be seated, along with their toddlers. Now, I have nothing against children, but these two were nasty little hellions.
Running in the aisle, I was sure at any moment that one of the poor waitresses would be taken out at the knees, along with someone's dinner, by their antics. The mothers got them to sit finally, and their spawn was not pleased. By the time I was finished with my mozzarella sticks, I had such a headache from the children screaming and crying that I had lost all appetite.
When another patron confronted the pair of mothers, all they got for their trouble was a disdainful dismissive sneer. Unruly toddlers and their mothers are certainly a public nuisance, as I'm sure many would agree. Why doesn't the town take the bull by the horns here, and stand up for the peace of restaurant and store patrons? A quiet meal is at least as crucial as a quiet night to our health and well-being.
Narragansett has made it clear that its leaders consider students here at University of Rhode Island a public nuisance. The ordinance it drafted and passed over the summer, which targets us specifically is, after all, a public nuisance ordinance.
We are told that this ordinance reflects the standards and will of the community, to which we are mere visitors, if not outright pests. If I were to guess, from looking at this ordinance and the behaviors it targets, that the single most important and valuable thing to this community is a good night's sleep, made possible by utter, deathly, neighborhood-wide silence. But, why stop at bedtime disturbances?
Since Narragansett has shown itself to be in the mood to crack down on us little monsters, I figured perhaps it is about time they took the lead in taking care of other sources of public nuisance. I've got a few ideas on where to start.
Let's start easy. A few days ago, I was eating in a restaurant in Narragansett with my girlfriend, when a pair of mothers came in to be seated, along with their toddlers. Now, I have nothing against children, but these two were nasty little hellions.
Running in the aisle, I was sure at any moment that one of the poor waitresses would be taken out at the knees, along with someone's dinner, by their antics. The mothers got them to sit finally, and their spawn was not pleased. By the time I was finished with my mozzarella sticks, I had such a headache from the children screaming and crying that I had lost all appetite.
When another patron confronted the pair of mothers, all they got for their trouble was a disdainful dismissive sneer. Unruly toddlers and their mothers are certainly a public nuisance, as I'm sure many would agree. Why doesn't the town take the bull by the horns here, and stand up for the peace of restaurant and store patrons? A quiet meal is at least as crucial as a quiet night to our health and well-being.
