Big stereo could cost you your car

STL Today ^ | 01/27/2006 | Jake Wagman

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

City police would be able to seize cars blasting loud music under an ordinance passed Friday by the Board of Aldermen.

The ordinance, which would take effect once signed by Mayor Francis Slay, prohibits the use and even installation of some enhanced speakers.

Slay was out of town and unavailable for comment.

Alderman Craig Schmid's proposal easily had enough votes to pass, but only after aldermen turned up the volume on their own concerns. Impounding a car for playing loud music is too severe, opponents said, and ripe for abuse.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Seems a little severe. I'd be happy if the city would let me shoot at them with a pellet gun. But when they wake me up, I'd like to see their car crushed and melted.

[samtheman]

What about a ticket and a fine?

[King Moonracer]

Gosh, not another racist policy...eyes rolling. Seatbelt laws in MS allow for greater harassment of black yutes now this.

[BooksForTheRight.com]

Someone will say this is racist.

[Flyer]

I have never understood how a vibrating trunk lid is considered music.

[ErnBatavia]

Oneof those mobile boomboxes went down the street the other day, and the vibes were setting off car alarms as it went...

[DogBarkTree]

People have the right to drive what they want as long as it's legal. That said, these boom cars drivers and Harley rider are not entitled to wake up everyone in town just because they like making a lot of noise. Fine em & and seize em.

[Condor51]

***Seems a little severe. I'd be happy if the city would let me shoot at them with a pellet gun. But when they wake me up, I'd like to see their car crushed and melted.***

Severe? Not at all. And I'd opt for more than a pellet gun. A full magazine from my 9mm is more to my liking.

(One's 'right' to blast music at 120 decibels ends at MY ear drums, or the foundation of my house)

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Funny, I was thinking the same thing. Hit them for violating noise ordinances.

If I'm blasting my house stereo, I get hit with a misdemeanor ticket and fine. If I do it in my car, I lose the car? Doesn't seem consistent to me. I know that bass boomers are obnoxious and I'd like to line up and pimp-slap all of them, but this car seizure thing is ripe for abuse. It's proven time and again that the cops can't handle this kind of authority.

[postaldave]

nice, so child rapers get a few months in jail but god forbid you here someones stereo or motorcycle. seize one of these items would result in 30 to 50 thousand dollar fines.

when did the rule of law turn in into a third world witch hunt based on a few local dictators?

[KarlInOhio]

If St. Louis outlaws installng big car stereos, it will just help the back alley stereo installation business across the river in Illinois.

However I would love to get a directed EMP device for my car, so if "Thumpy" is next to me in traffic sharing his music with everyone I can kill every bit of electronics in his car.

[Arkinsaw]

Jeez, now we are going to see the Conservative blind-spot again. The government seizing other people's private property without recompense is wonderful. In some cases the owner has to prove that the property is "not guilty". Wonderful. Joint property can be seized if one of the joint owners does something wrong and the other joint owner never has. Wonderful.

Yes, its wonderful. Smoking at home? Seize it. Gun not locked up properly in the home? Seize it. Trash can too close to the curb? Seize it. Marine Corps flag flying in the yard on a pole too high? Seize it.

Gotta love a Free Republic where the government can sieze private property when they want and don't have to prove you guily of anything to do it.

And people on here support it when its a seizure for their pet peeve. Don't come crying about the liberals seizing gun owners houses when they get in charge.

[IronJack]

Impounding a car for playing loud music is too severe, opponents said, and ripe for abuse.

Ya think????!!!!

[FreePaul]

I don't think anything is too severe if it shuts down the noise carefully created to disturb others.

[raybbr]

In addition to impounding the car, possible penalties include a minimum of $250 fine on the first offense and $500 on subsequent offenses within a year.

You wrote: "nice, so child rapers get a few months in jail but god forbid you here someones stereo or motorcycle. seize one of these items would result in 30 to 50 thousand dollar fines."

Excellent hyperbole! However, it still is that - hyperbole.

Perhaps reading the article would be a good idea.

As for the Harley riders? Why do they think its fun to ride through the neighborhood waking up babies sleeping in their cribs?

[LRS]

***... so if "Thumpy" is next to me in traffic sharing his music with everyone...***

You're being far too kind calling it "music".

BTW- In regards to early comments that someone made about racism, I live in a rural area, where our "boyz from da hood" are a bunch of country white boys "boom da booming" ghetto rap as they roll on down the road...

[afnamvet]

Think of this as an opportunity to open a hearing aid dispensary.

[raybbr]

However I would love to get a directed EMP device for my car, so if "Thumpy" is next to me in traffic sharing his music with everyone I can kill every bit of electronics in his car.

That goes double for cell phone users and Harley riders in my book.

[Enterprise]

WOW! A motorized boombox!

[FunkyZero]

Racist?
Young white punks are the main culprit here (I can say that, I'm white...).
I don't agree with this ordinance at all, and I am the first one irritated when I have to listen to the thumping garbage.
This sounds like a law imposed by the Chinese gov.
We have things in place now as simple as disturbing the peace. Use it, don't create more laws. And confiscating someones personal property for being too loud? Ridiculous and over the line.
As long as modifications to the care aren't interfering with the safe operation of the vehicle on public roadways, it is a violation to tell someone what they can and cannot bolt onto their vehicle.
I think this will get overturned if anyone ever gets their vehicle confiscated and appeals it to a higher court.