Quarantine noise complaints grow in Guadalajara metro areas

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The City Councils of Guadalajara, Zapopan, and Tlajomulco dealt with 7,225 complaints about noise problems

Due to the contingency of COVID-19, bars, casinos, and other businesses considered as “black money orders” closed, but people took the party to their house. Last April, the Municipalities of Guadalajara, Zapopan, and Tlajomulco dealt with 7,225 complaints about noise problems and celebrations in private homes, when in March there were 4,491. 

Guadalajara reports that in March 2,611 complaints were received and in April they almost doubled to 4,200. The most conflictive colonies are Oblates, Santa Cecilia, Independencia, and Echeverría.

In Zapopan, they went from 1,259 to 1,605 complaints in that period. Outlying colonies top the list. Tonalá and Tlaquepaque did not provide information.

In addition to the phones of the municipal police and 911, the authorities attend reports via social networks. 

Clubs closed by viruses, but they take the party home

  • The Imeplan enabled the SIGmeter information platform, in which complaints are filed against noisy neighbors

Citizens seek by all means to record their noise problems in their environment, especially now that a large majority carry out school and office activities from home. Through the SIGmetro information platform, from March 2017 until March 30, a thousand 427 complaints were filed for noise pollution, of which 671 correspond to the inhabitants of Zapopan. 

In addition to the 911, emergency number and the Town Halls’ complaint means, people use this route operated by the Metropolitan Planning Institute ( Imeplan ) to carry out citizen reports. 

Although the cut of last April has not yet been made, some of the citizen complaints received can be read on the platform. Most complain that they cannot be calm during isolation. 

On April 26, a person reported that at the confluences of the avenues of Patria and Vallarta, in Zapopan, events take place until dawn. “There is very loud music at parties … without respecting quarantine. Several young people throw parties and their screams and music do not let them sleep. ”

On March 26, another person reported that he was unable to work due to the noise problems in the Las Palmas subdivision, in Tonalá. “There is music with very high volume throughout the day and late at night. They do not respect. And especially in this quarantine season that there are children at home all day, they do not allow work or school activities. ” 

Another neighbor of the Paseo de la Caña subdivision, in Tonalá, complained that the authorities have not responded to his reports. On April 15, he filed a complaint on the platform, requesting “urgent” help. He said that three months ago he bought the house on that site, “but the neighbor plays music at full volume.” 

He stressed that due to the quarantine he works from home with his computer, “and I have to take refuge in the back room .”

He added that he is considering selling the house, but it doesn’t seem fair. “I went in person with the municipal authority of Tonalá and his response was: ‘It is the Lord’s house.’ I spoke on the phone to 911 and they told me I had to call 3586-6100. I spoke and they answered the same thing ”. 

He asked for the report number but was denied it. “The last time, the telephone operator rudely replied that the Police cannot do anything because it is the house of the Lord.” He even attached a video to record “this torture.”

THE LAW

  • In 2018, the reform that seeks to inhibit and sanction noise pollution came into force.
  • In the adjustments to the State Law of Ecological Balance, it is established that the Government of Jalisco and the City Councils must have a care system, available 24 hours a day, to receive, attend to reports of noise pollution and go to verify the decibels.
  • People who do not respect the permitted noise levels will be warned; if the recommendation is not heeded, they will be summoned before a qualifying judge to determine the nature and amount of the corresponding fine. And it will apply until the administrative arrest for 36 hours.
  • Trade orders are required to install noise monitoring equipment at their facilities. The sanctions exceed 40 thousand pesos.

They register few penalties

Although the number of complaints filed with municipal authorities against noisy establishments or neighbors is high, there are few sanctions that are applied against them. Via Transparency, the municipalities of Tlajomulco, and Tonalá report less than 50 fines issued so far by the current administrations. 

In the case of Tlajomulco, it is reported that, between 2018 and 2020, only 11 fines have been lifted for exceeding the number of decibels allowed. Of these, the highest was for 16,958 pesos against an establishment where events take place. 

For its part, the Tonalá City Council reports that between January 2019 and January 2020, 34 economic sanctions were issued against commercial premises and only two against private homes.

In August 2018, the State Congress approved reforms to the Ecological Balance Law, known as the “anti-noise law”, which provides for a fine of up to 500 Units of Measurement and Updating to businesses; that is, it can exceed 40 thousand pesos. 

In the case of the domiciles where the infraction is committed, a warning will be delivered and the judge will be summoned to determine the sanction, which can lead to an arrest for 36 hours. 

Last August, Congress also approved amendments to the Revenue Laws of the City Councils of Guadalajara, Zapopan and Tlaquepaque so that they could apply the highest fine contemplated in this legislation, for up to 42,245 pesos.

Complaints

Last April, the City Councils of Guadalajara, Zapopan, and Tlajomulco dealt with 7,225 complaints about noise problems and celebrations in private homes or places that are not allowed.

This represented an increase of 62% compared to March when 4,491 were reported. 

Tlaquepaque and Tonalá did not submit information.

Sanctions. Due to noise pollution, the fine against money orders exceeds 40 thousand pesos. In houses, noisy neighbors can be arrested for up to 36 hours. Police continue to attend to the complaints of neighbors. 

They ask to attend measures

  • César Martínez, director of the Proximity Police of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, reports that through the telephone system and social network groups citizens are invited to stay at home to respect quarantine and avoid contagions due to the coronavirus. 
  •  “Every day we go out. When they are in a sports unit, we try to dialogue with them, invite them not to do this type of activity, because of the topic we have at the moment, “Martínez stresses. 
  • He assures that they have had a good response. “There are other people who are reluctant and do not accept being called to attention. At the end of the day, asking is also giving… and we believe that we have invited citizens in a good way. Fortunately, we have had that positive response. ” 

Bars and aesthetics concentrate the closings 

Decree

After the call to close non-essential businesses due to the declaration of sanitary emergency by COVID-19, bars and aesthetics are the establishments that concentrate the greatest number of closings by the City Councils of Guadalajara and Zapopan. The above, because the owners decided to continue their work after being warned by the authorities and also for operating without complying with the provisions of the authorities of the three levels of government in the country.

Closings

According to the mayors, until April 14, Guadalajara documented 33 closings: 10 were in bars, eight in similar places with an annex to restaurants, as well as three in spaces that offer wings. The rest of the sanctions corresponded to shoe stores, stores dedicated to selling clothing and accessories, as well as a winery and a motel.

Actions

In Zapopan’s case, 45 disqualifications had been registered: seven in aesthetics, six in barbershops, six in self-baths, and five in places with restaurant-bar lines, among others.

On March 18, the decree came into force, which determined that bars, nightclubs, canteens, party halls, nightclubs, and casinos should be closed as of that day.

Census

More than 19 thousand establishments with restaurant licenses operate in the metropolis alone. In the entire State, there are 32 thousand. 

Guide to reporting noise pollution

Guadalajara 

• Call 070. 
• Report on the Ciudapp mobile application.
• Call 3818-3647 Monday through Friday. Also to the cell phone (33) 2840-1545.
• To the Guadalajara Police Station: 1201-6070. And for the account @PoliciaGDL. 
• You can deliver a letter at the Environmental Inspection offices (Avenida Revolución without number, in Colonia Analco) and at the Directorate of Sanitary, Environmental, and Construction Inspection (Hospital number 50, in El Retiro).

Zapopan 

• Reports can be made on line 3818-2200, extensions 3312, 3313, 3331, 3342, and 3324. 
• Through the social networks of the Government of Zapopan. In the case of Twitter it is @ZapopanGob.
• Through the Ciudapp application.
• To the Police telephone: 3836-3600, as well as the account @PoliciaZapopan. 
• Citizens are invited to avoid using the 911 number, only for an emergency.

Tlaquepaque 

• For nightly reports against bars, you can call: 3837-0376 and 3837-0380. 
• For noise complaints between 8:00 am and 9:00 pm, at 3837-0342. 
• The police station telephone number is 3050-3050. And the Twitter account is @ComisariaTlaq. 

Tonalá 

• Communicate at the phone number 3586-6000 of the City Council, as well as on the Twitter account: @Gobierno_tonala. 
• The Police telephone number is 3586-6100. And the Twitter account is @PoliciaTonala. 
• You can enter the league to make a service report specifying that it is due to noise: https://tonala.gob.mx/portal/levanta-tu-reporte/ 

Tlajomulco 

• To attend to noise reports, you can call 3283-4545. 
• Write on the Twitter account @GobTlajomulco. 
• Contact 089 for anonymous complaint.

TESTIMONY: “They don’t stop him …”

A month ago, two young people began to hold parties with high-volume music in one of the departments of the Fraccionamiento Jardines La Magdalena, in Zapopan. 

Mario Castro, who lives in one of the buildings, says that on April 23 he decided to report them as soon as the meeting began. “She’s a girl who still doesn’t live on the floor, but she arrives on weekends and they don’t stop at the party. They turn the music on full blast… they rumble throughout the block. At one of the parties, the woman arrived at 10:00 p.m. and turned on her music. At that time I made the call to 911. It was really fast and they took my data and the patrol (from the Zapopan Police Station) arrived in 15 minutes. ” 

The police asked those present to download the music. “At that moment they lowered him and after about 15 minutes they raised him again.” 

Because of the above, he decided to call 911 again, but they answered that, being a second call about the same report, he should contact the Zapopan Police phone directly. “They gave me the number, they answered me quickly, and the patrol arrived in 10 minutes.” 

After this second visit, the people who were at the party decided to take him down. “In fact, from that day on they continue to do their meetings, but they don’t go up that much anymore. It did work. ”

He explains that later they made a BBQ, but they did not upload it to the music. 

Castro points out that the house where such meetings are held is inhabited by two people, who almost always receive four others on weekends. “They just come to the party. The whole block is very quiet, just these guys make a mess … “. 

“I could not sleep”

The party was two blocks from her home, but the noise was unbearable. On April 25, Agustín González decided to file a complaint against residents of El Tapatío, in Tlaquepaque, who held a party that lasted until dawn with music at full volume. 

He relates that the event started at 22:00. At the gatherings, there were between 20 and 25 people without face masks. “They put music on the large speakers. At about two in the morning, I was already very angry, and that the party was about two blocks from where I live. So I decided to dial the police. ” 

Because he did not have the number of the Tlaquepaque Police Station, he called 911 on three occasions. “But I got a tape recorder. He was telling me to stay on the line, that my call was important. There was no answer”. 

Subsequently, he sought contact with the municipality where they were slow to respond, but finally, they attended to his report. “The policeman was kind. Since I couldn’t sleep because of the same noise, I listened when the patrol arrived. That was around 02:45 ”. 

Two police officers arrived and asked the people at the party to turn down the volume of the music. González remembers that no one was taken because they did not bring a mask. “The police left and returned in about 10 or 15 minutes … they had all gotten in.”

A few minutes later, the neighbors came out again, but played a small speakers with low music. 

“They did manage to get them in, but minutes later they came out again. There it is already a question of the neighbors; it is not the fault of the Police ”. 

Source: informador.mx

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