Mérida, Yucatán — Residents frustrated by businesses that illegally flood their neighborhoods with noise have a friend in Olga Moguel, a cultural promoter, owner of the Amaro restaurant and cultural center as well as a candidate for political office.
Moguel told La Jornada Maya that the problem is not limited to the Centro; it’s happening everywhere in the capital.
Residents faced off with city officials on Monday to discuss the problem. They were told that within a period of five days a noise proposal will be offered and, in the event that an agreement is reached, in 15 days could be voted on, coming into force in a maximum of two months. A councilman, José Luis Martínez Semerena, said that bar owners will be asked to keep music indoors, in soundproofed rooms.
Moguel insisted that the issue is the responsibility of the city’s Urban Development Directorate and the state’s Ministry of Health. She insisted that in no way the residents are asking that the businesses be closed or that the workers be punished.
“That is a false debate; what is required is that there are measures that balance the possibility of life and work for all,” she said, in Spanish.
“Why do they allow this proliferation? Why do they not regulate? If the problem does not stop, it will continue to multiply throughout the city,” said Moguel.
The candidate for District 2 delegate said that there is an official Mexican standard for noise pollution, but it is not enforced. If police show up, the owners moderate the volume, at 15 minutes after the police leave, they raise it again. It makes a mockery of neighbors and authorities, she said.
The neighbors wrote a document that they are not against the youth having fun or against the bars and workers who need income to support their families.
“We are for the respect of the police who are tired of trying to prevent violations of the regulations in force, and unfortunately do not let them do anything,” she said. “We ask that the authorities do their job, protecting the weakest — children, the elderly, the sick and people with different abilities — who need to rest without having to take tranquilizers or sleeping pills.”
The neighbors warned that if they do not have an immediate response, they will carry out an unspecified new action on Monday, Feb, 12.
Source: La Jornada Maya
