Fight the Power!

Yesterday's Planning Zoning and Economic Development Committee Meeting at City Hall was grass roots democracy at its finest. What was supposed to be a sure thing, run it through, all in favor say "aye" ordinance became quite the spectacle. I knew the council was considering an ordinance to clamp down on panhandling. I have no problem with that. From the emails and comments I receive I think the majority of us would like to see fewer street corners adorned with the ubiquitous cardboard sign holders. Things got interesting for me when I received an email bright and early Tuesday. A concerned mother was asking for help because the council was about to pass an ordinance out of committee that would outlaw her son's sidewalk trumpet playing. So I did what any reasonable person would do. I educated myself. I read the ordinance. She was right! It specifically outlawed street performance. A special sentence dedicated to that very fact. So I blogged about it. Other bloggers picked up on it. They blogged about it. Emails began flying. Soon an entire group took a day off of work to go down to City Hall and testify. I was most struck by some council people's assertions that the ordinance was "just a rough draft" and they were "just trying to get the ball rolling." That argument rings hollow with me. Rough draft ordinances don't come with unanimous support from the board of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. No reputable organization votes to endorse a rough draft! In the end, the lowly citizens won a small victory and the ordinance was tabled for two weeks to be "reworked." The last citizen to testify was a representative of the Westport neighborhood association. I gathered from his comments that his neighborhood isn't really worried about street performers, just the noise they are capable of producing. The neighborhood is frustrated because the police tell them noise is a Health Department issue and won't ticket an offender. I understand, and I agree with the neighborhood. So wouldn't the logical solution be to re-write an ordinance giving police the power to enforce excessive noise violations? I think we could find some dollars to buy a few Radio Shack db meters. Let the police enforce, and let the performers perform.