There have been close to 2,000 noise complaints made by Bushwick residents since March 20, when New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo ordered New York City to undergo lockdown and shutter non-essential businesses. According to NYC Open Data, there have been 1,826 noise related complaints across Bushwick’s four primary zip codes of 11206, 11207, 11221, and 11237. Of these noise complaints, about half were called-in for apparent disturbances in residential buildings or homes and the other half due to loud music and parties.
Hi, you can report a social distancing violation in progress for the City to enforce as appropriate at https://t.co/j7VZBPnGi6. Also, you can file a noise from a neighbor complaint at https://t.co/mh1YUWDp8O, or please send me a DM to assist https://t.co/hDTCu9JZPB
— New York City 311 (@nyc311) April 6, 2020
It comes as no surprise that in the city that never sleeps, when everyone is forced into their homes and closed quarters, 311 complaints experience a spike. Densely packed around the city there are neighbors above, below, and on either side of you, many at home all day due to social distancing requirements making it a near certainty that people will be operating on short fuses. A citywide survey cby RentHoop, shows that in the period between March 20th and the 28th, the first week of NYC on PAUSE, 11,687 noise complaints were reported across the five boroughs, a 23.2% spike from the same period last year.
On March 28, the city began giving a new 311 complaint descriptor never needed before: social distancing. Brooklyn lodged the most complaints in that category since its inception until April 5th, according to patch.com, with a staggering 1,480 complaints made in a little more than a week. The complaint is used to report instances where people are gathering together in groups, directly contradicting health officials’ orders to avoid large groups and enforce social distancing measures. Additionally, the NYPD has received 448 calls from Brooklyn alone as it relates to social distancing and the data, according to patch.com, states that in 448 of those calls there was no evidence of disobeying social distancing measures and in 352 of those calls no action was necessary.
Cover photo by NYS Governors Office
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