Eli, were you on one of the Naperville high school debate teams, or go to college for something like this? For someone so young I am blown away by how well you're able to represent yourself and the things you believe in. You will always have the upper hand in whatever you decide to do because you have the motivation to stand up for yourself and take action. Don't ever change!

You don't have anything to worry about, you're right, the people who are not in favor of the noise ordinances will never do anything but complain amongst themselves! This is evident by this very discussion! It's sad, really. People are always so quick to blame the government for doing things they don't like, but lack the gumption to do something about it! As someone said earlier, "Just another sickening example of our government going to wrong way." I cannot help but laugh! It's one thing to get discouraged about invoking any type of change on the federal level, but this is a local problem! The mayor and city council don't drive around with some secret service entourage! They are normal people we elected who attend all kinds of public events. Introduce yourself to them and they'll remember you next time!

It's true, we do live in a democracy, that's why I've done nothing but encourage people who disagree with the enforcement of the noise ordinances to contact their representatives in local government. Naperville is still small enough that anyone can speak at a City Council meeting about absolutely anything that they feel like talking about. Whether you want to ask the city to reexamine a traffic sign, complain about the treatment of animals at the circus that Naper Settlement hosts, or request that noise ordinances not be enforced. All are valid topics for discussion during the public forum and require nothing more than showing up on time and writing your name on a list.

The problem is, this is the attitude most people have:

"And for the question of people not joining in on your reindeer games as opposition, we have this thing called APATHY.
...
Just another sickening example of our government going to wrong way. Oh well..."

Something is happening in my town that I don't like, instead of contacting the easily accessible members of the municipal government which I elected to represent me, I'll just shrug my shoulders, say "Oh well..." and join the crowd of people too apathetic to do anything.

Since you've been working in a downtown bar for 12 years, can you answer a question which every single person who opposes me has dodged? If the current noise ordinances too strict, what should they be raised to, and how is the city of New York possibly able to function on noise ordinances which are over six times as strict and vehemently enforced? Why should a bar have bands performing for crowds of hundreds which are many times louder than music performed at city festivals for crowds of thousands? How is being able to hear Beatles covers a quarter mile away anything less than flat out noise pollution?

As far as what originally started all this, as I've stated multiple times, this isn't a new development by any means. I've been in contact with various levels of city government ever since Rizzo's first opened and I discovered that it was built without even the simplest sound-proofing measures. My original avenues of complaint were based on potential building code infractions, thinking that possibly there was something on the books in regards to sound-proofing. Not too long after that I was made aware of the local noise ordinances, and came to understand that the "new restaurant" opening next door was closer to a "night club" than anything else.

Earth-shattered bass pounding through my walls six days a week was just the way things were going to be, after all, I live within 100 feet. And that's fine. I live in downtown Naperville, I have to take the good with the bad, and I will always be within the 100 foot window to the Rizzo's dance floor. I learned to ignore the pounding of sub woofers which complied with every law I could find, writing it off as the cost of living in such an awesome location.

Last summer, Rizzo's decided to kick it up another notch and had live amplified music practically set up on the sidewalk. The fruits of my complaints to city council last summer resulted in Police Chief Dial himself telling Rizzo's to cut it out. Unsurprisingly, the effect of this warning barely lasted until the end of the week.

This summer I decided that maybe I needed something more than mere emails. "Loud" is too subjective. Since the local ordinances are based off distance rather than decibels, it didn't take anything more than Google Maps to measure distance and my lousy digital camera to come up with the best way possible to show the city officials what was happening down here after they had gone home to spend time with their families. The unfortunate part of the production of my video is that the microphone in my digital camera focused more on wind noise than lower ambient noises at about the 700 foot mark from the band performing. You have no idea how much I would have loved to been able to capture standing in front of the Nichols Library listening to terrible Beatles covers.

Getting the local media involved turned out to be unnecessary as City Manager Peter Burchard responded to my video at 9:22 AM the next morning. Either way, all I have accomplished is getting the existing laws which have been in place since Rizzo's even started construction enforced. I'm starting to feel like a broken record player here, but if you don't like it, contact City Council (council@naperville.il.us or (630) 548-2983)- It's as simple as that.

How is it my fault that everyone who disagrees with me is too lazy to draft a simple email or even pick up a telephone?

Chris: All Democracies work the same way. In theory, the majority rules. In practice, the vocal, organized minority can get the politicians' attention and can get things changed. Even if the apathetic majority doesn't want it.

For the record Eli, I think you are being completely ridiculous. I'm not going to "take the hook" as you say and compare you're overzealous religious pursuit to drunk driving, capital punishment or any other legal debate, those are real issues. I would like to point out that because of people like yourself and Ms. Stella Liebeck (of McDonalds coffee fame) we now have to have Warning Labels on toliet bowl plungers (I'm not even going to mention Mr. Roy Pearson and his $54million pants at a local dry cleaner in DC).

When are people going to start taking responsibility for their actions and lack of common sense? If I trip on a crack in the sidewalk, I'm not going to sue the city; I'm going to look around, see who is laughing at me, laugh at myself, get up, brush myself off, and go on with my life. It really is that simple, if you don't like what Don Imus said, change the radio station channel. IT'S THAT SIMPLE!!!

We have bigger issues in this country to deal with, PLEASE Eli (and all of Eli's fans), put your energies in a direction that makes a difference for a real issue.

And for the question of people not joining in on your reindeer games as opposition, we have this thing called APATHY. I'll refer back to Warning Labels on toliet bowl plungers, our life has been clouded with so much redicuous rhetoric for our government being pushed by individuals like yourself, Ms. Liebeck and Mr Pearson. Most people just don't care about more than their immediate lives any more. Terrible, but true, because of rediculous issues brought about by people like you.

Now I can get to the real question, YouTube and more importantly the internet. The internet is a great avenue for an individual (or small group) to reach the masses. However, the public reaction is what matters. The City of Naperville should be ashamed of itself here. For ONE person to affect a community of 130,000 is assinine! Last time I checked we live in a Democracy, where, I believe, government officials are supposed to represent the masses, not .00076% of the population as in this case. Just another sickening example of our government going to wrong way. Oh well...

I would like to hear your response Eli as to why you started on your pursuit... I mean the TRUE reason why. By the way, I have worked in a local downtown bar for 12 1/2 years so I think that qualifies me to ask the question and give my opinions.

There's a difference between hustle and bustle and flat out noise pollution. It seems unnecessary to me that cover bands playing on week nights for 50 people should be louder than the music performed at city festivals for thousands.

I think your expectations are ridiculous. For all of those who don't care for the hustle and bustle that Naperville offers, why did you move here? There are plenty of "sleepy" towns in surrounding suburbs. I grow tired of people complaining about the way Naperville is or what it has turned into. If you're unhappy, then move.

I'm not sure how long Eli has lived in his apartment, but the fact is the downtown area has had an active nightlife for at least 10 years. This isn't something new. Perhaps Eli should have done a little more research before moving in??

Andre,

The original blog post stated, "The point of this post isn't so much to debate whether it's loud downtown, but to consider the means by which Eli got the city's attention." ...But, I'll bite.

How am I unreasonable by expecting the existing laws which have been on the books for years to be enforced? That's all I was trying to accomplish, and all I have accomplished. I understand that given the location of where I live, I'll always have to put up with music- and that's fine. I practically share a common wall with a dance floor that was built without a shred of soundproofing. It's always going to be noisy, and there's nothing I'll ever be able to do about the thumping of sub woofers through my walls from around 10:00 PM until last call. That's fine, I live with 100 feet, of course I'm always going to hear the music.

What's not OK is when I go out jogging at night and can still clearly hear the live music blasting out the open front of Rizzo's from Eagle and Jackson. As the bird flies, that's a quarter of a mile away, 1,320 feet, over thirteen times louder than the noise ordinances allow. If the noise ordinances shouldn't be enforced, what other laws also shouldn't be enforced? Should the police look the other way when drunk drivers are swerving all over the roads because "Hey, it's downtown Naperville, it's energetic!"? Should they stop writing tickets for public urination in the alleys? I mean, when you've got to go, you've got to go, right?

The old woman from the McDonalds suit suffered third degree burns on her thighs and groin area, requiring a week's stay in the hospital and multiple skin grafts. What did she originally want out of it? McDonalds to pay her $20,000 worth of uninsured medical bills. What did they offer? $800. When the case went to trial, she was awarded close to 3 million dollars, which was quickly overturned and reduced by 80%... I'm guessing you only remember the "some old woman got 3 million dollars for spilling coffee on herself" part like everyone else.

Even then, I'm still not seeing what this has to do with the Naperville noise ordinances- laws which not only are clearly defined, but have been in place for years. I also highly doubt my opinions will fall on deaf ears.

Throughout this whole experience and the explosion of comments I've received from people on both sides of the debate, I could count on one hand the number of people that didn't agree with me who were able to articulate their thoughts in any kind of reasonable manner without resorting to sexual or similar slurs.

I encourage you, or anyone else who agrees with you to contact local government. A good place to start would be by emailing City Council at council@naperville.il.us . Keep in mind they represent you as much as they represent me. So get involved, write emails, start petitions, that's the way to get things changed.

I responded to every negative YouTube comment no matter how derogatory and poorly spelled explaining in a very simple manner how to speak during the public forum of a City Council meeting. How many actually showed up? Zero. Surprising, huh?

I suspect most people would rather just cry about it, call me a jerk, or question my sexuality than... you know... actually try to accomplish something and get the laws changed. That requires way too much effort.

That's the problem, there's no one to patrol the noise. I think the idea of having a decibel meter on the front page of The Sun is a good idea. It's funny tooo.

Someone has to take advantage of this.

This is a funny issue--one that needs to be tackled by one of the columnist at The Sun...that young kid on Thurdsays who always poking fun at the town..he's got some pop in his style and I'd think he'd make the most out of this.

Even if the noise keeps up, and it will, I think The Sun should have a decibel meter on the front page as in to weigh the controversy first hand.

While I respect that Eli has an opinion and the right to some reasonable amount of noise that he should have to deal with, I think he is a little unrealistic in his expectations. Naperville has become somewhat of the city away from the city. Hundreds of people pour into downtown Naperville weekly to take part in, what most people consider, decent nightlife without having to go to Chicago. With all that money that people spend, comes some noise, some bad behavior, and some inconvenience. Get a clue! You move into a "DOWNTOWN" area, you're going to have to deal with noise and people. It's common sense. Yes there is a noise ordinance and yes it applies to Rizzo's as well as everyone else, but at what point does someone has to be smart enough to realize what they're getting themselves into before they do it. I assume the convenience of living in downtown Naperville is a luxury for Eli. The walking distance to coffee shops, retail stores, restaurants, bars, etc... doesn't come without a price. One place not only got a citation, but pulled their outdoor music completely because of the stink that Eli put up. This is ridiculous. One person can take on the entire downtown marketplace and get these kind of results. Naperville has become more and more attractive to people from outside the area because of it's small-town feel but yet energetic and lively personality. This is a step backwards for this town. I say all this because I also live above a bar in downtown Naperville and I would never complain about the noise that I EXPECT to hear living in an area that is just about completely commercial. I hear more noise from the sirens of ambulances and fire trucks than I do from the bars. There are plenty of people who would love to have Eli's apartment because of the location. I say move Eli. Move to where you can hear the birds chirping and the water rippling, and all that jazz. Leave the downtown living to those who can handle it. Leave it to those who don't mind getting what they pay for. Leave it to those who don't mind the bustling energy of a new attitude in downtown Naperville. This reminds me of the person who sued a major corporation over burning themselves with their hot coffee. Did they really want warm or cool coffee? Isn't there a certain amount of responsibility taken on by that person to not spill on themselves? Welcome to 2007, my friend. You've won your little battle, but the war is far from over. Your opinion will fall upon more deaf ears from the masses than you can imagine, but they will all have a word of advice for you...."Go West young man!

I can sympathize with the gentleman on YouTube who has received no help
from the City of Naperville regarding noise at night from Rizzo's. We
have contacted the city several times with concerns regarding
construction going on next to our home. They have not returned a single
call even after a promise from the mayors office that someone would
contact us. They are very quick to take residential tax monies but
could care less about anything other than commercial interests.

In my opinion, the noise isn't the bigger issue here... It's the constant stream of drunks flowing from downtown Naperville to the parking garages where they proceed to drive home drunk, potentially killing themselves and others in the process.

I just watched and listened to the YouTube video on The Sun's web site. I couldn't believe the noise - especially when Eli opened the window just a mere couple of inches. How he's able to sleep at night is beyond me. It's insane to have to put up with all that noise, as he says, six nights a week.

I was also on The River's "The Morning Blend" this morning at 7:15.

The interview is here: http://a-13.net/2007/07/27/fm-radio-is-still-being-broadcasted/

Geno Brien kind of misses the point, but even so, it was fun to be on the air. :)