Well the inevitable finally happened. After a quick skate session during the day this holiday weekend Max and I were leaving the house. As I turned from my door I see a police officer walking up. While seeing police officers hasn’t been a rare occurrence in this neighborhood over the past few months, the fact that he was walking with purpose directly towards me told a different story. Low and behold he was called out on a noise complaint due to us skating. The cop was cool about it (as they generally always are out here in San Diego). But this still unnerves me that someone calls the police on me for skating in my backyard and during the day. If I was playing basketball or had a bunch of kids swimming in a pool and screaming, would someone have called the cops? If I was running a chainsaw and hammering would that still have prompted someone to call the police? I think not. Here we encounter the decades old stigma of skating.
Not one to back down, I did some research and am going to assert my rights to my neighbors. Read my handy-dandy letter which I will be hand delivering to my neighbors. More after the jump…
To my neighbors,
First off, I would like to introduce myself as your new neighbor who lives below you! If I haven’t met you yet, my name is Matt Hough and I recently purchased a house in this beautiful neighborhood. I am a first-time homeowner and have been working hard to reach this goal for many years. I’m 31 years old, am a motivated professional at a large financial institution, and am also am enrolled at City College working towards another degree. So, I’m a pretty busy guy! I don’t party and view myself as a responsible, respectful, and mature person.
You may be wondering, why am I getting this letter?
As a lifelong skateboarder who has dedicated himself to the sport, a few friends and I recently built a small mini-ramp at my house. I had spoken to my neighbors to the immediate left and right to make sure there were communication lines open in case there were any problems. However, recently the police were called out during the middle of the day on a noise complaint about our skating.
While I believe I am fully in my rights afforded to me as a property owner and that I am in compliance with San Diego Noise Ordinance Municipal Code Section 59.5.0404 which states “Loud construction noise is permitted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, but not on Sundays or legal holidays”, it is still of prime importance to me that I am a good neighbor and am respectful of others that have lived for many years in this neighborhood. (There are no noise ordinances specifically stating sporting activities such as basketball, backyard pools, baseball, or other activities like skateboarding. So I am referencing the construction noise ordinance since skating the ramp is no louder than someone sawing or hammering in their backyard)
The peace and serenity of this neighborhood is part of what attracted me to it. And so, I wanted to outline some of the self-imposed rules I have established so you can be assured that the peace and serenity will be kept.
It is my hope these rules will help you take the guess work out of my skating activities.
Rules:
1. Skating will not only follow the 7am-7pm guidelines for noise established under Municipal Code Section 59.5.0404, skating will not be done on the ramp prior to 10am.
2. We will not skate on Sundays.
3. Skating will not be done after dark.
4. Skating will last no longer than 90 minutes.
5. We will not skate more than once per day.
6. While we skate we will be cognizant of those around us. This is in no way going to be a party ramp. It is, and will remain, secured and locked at all times. Our sport is skateboarding, and we are in it for that end only. Not the party lifestyle it is so often stereotyped with.
7. We will always respond courteously to the requests of others if we are asked to stop skating for the day.
So, in summary: if you hear us skating it will only happen once per day and will not exceed 90 minutes. (Most times though we do not skate for more than 1 hour)
Further, I wanted to hand out my contact information in case we were skating and you had a problem. I promise I am a nice guy and do not fit the typical stereotype of skateboarders as aggressive or unruly. I will respond promptly and courteously when contacted.
Feel free to call or text me on my cell phone with any issues at 858-xxx-xxxx. My cell phone will be with me every time I am skating.
If you still do not feel comfortable communicating with me through any of these channels and if you still wish to call the police, please give the dispatcher my number! As a brother of a police officer and a citizen of this county, I know how valuable a police officer’s time is in this economy and I would hate to have to take up the time and resources of a patrol car when a simple phone call will do the job.
I hope that these rules and communications channels I have established will not only afford me the freedoms guaranteed to me as a property owner and are within noise ordinance guidelines as established in Municipal Code Section 59.5.0404, but will also help me to be a good neighbor and remain respectful of your rights as well. I am hopeful that in partnership we can make sure to accommodate each other.
Thank you for your time and for reading this! Again, please, please, please contact me at any time. And if you’re in the area and wish to stop by and say hello please feel free to do so. Thanks!
Your neighbor,
Matt Hough
I wish you were my neighbor!