the limping messenger

In 2013, 5 years ago, I made this map and statement to visualise and made understood the extreme sound nuisance produced by the street stages that are part of the Gay Pride manifestation. There is hardly any effect of all the protests (especially by the inhabitants of the inner town of Amsterdam against the street stages with blasing sound systems during three days in a town with a refined structure of working and housing. The Amsterdam city authority are deaf for these protest and favour the Gay Pride use of public space which has developed into a party-industry. There is NO respect for the inhabitants of Amsterdam. The only difference is that we do have this year – 2018 – 21 hours of sound blasting from street stages as compared to 27 hours in 2013. Here we see 5 main street clusters with sound producing stages. In 2018 we count 10 place (in three clusters). [see my article and map on Gay Pride 2018]

CANAL PARADE? OK!
but before and after another 27 hours of too loud sound? NO!

Gay pride 2013 offers pleasure and fun for many who all say they LOVE Amsterdam as a tolerant city BUT do they love its inhabitants?

Why is it that we who live close to none less than 5 different outdoor stages near the Amstel river have to flee our houses, because during 3 days there is 27 hours of blasting sound with sub-sonic bass sounds that make our windows vibrate. NO consideration for those who live here, those who have helped to make it a tolerant town, which is now exploited commercially up to the limit making our living habitat into an industrial party zone.

Neither the city of Amsterdam nor the Gay pride organisers seem to be aware of the fact that the quality of Amsterdam is that the inner town has a great mix of functions, one being housing for a very mixed population, from the very rich, to middle classes and even low income housing that has escaped the gentrification process.

JUST THE CANAL PARADE and parties during 1 DAY OK! but 3 days of super loud outdoor events is TOO MUCH

Some of us ask themselves if the industrial booming sounds is the only thing Gay Culture has to offer to our city… The boat parade over the years has developed from a pleasure parade for the eyes into a horror flotilla for the ears.

CAN WE HAVE GAY PRIDE UNPLUGGED NEXT YEAR?

Can we be embraced in a more positive way next year by the local, national and international gay community?

YOUR LOUDNESS MAKES MANY DEAF TO YOUR MESSAGE which is about EQUALITY

We are made into UNEQUAL AND UNWILLING PARTICIPANTS by this form of Gay Pride… many living near the open air stages have fled their homes by now… and think about those who can NOT move from their houses because they have no money to go somewhere else, are ill or bound to their house in other ways.

I am about to leave to return only after midnight…. and have to leave again on Sunday from midday to late in teh evening because there is that third day of open air loud music and shouting once more.

Tjebbe van Tijen Saturday August 3. 2013 living very close to the Blauwe Brug over the Amstel river.

PS you should know that the maximum noise levels set by the authorities for the Gay pride (and similar festivals) are constantly broken by the DJs who do not give “a fuck” about anybody else than their fans. Also the specific structure of the city with its canals and the Amstel river and the location of the 5 stages from Amstelveld, Rembrandtplein, Paardenstraat and near the Munt, makes that through reflection and interference the sound produced by the huge loudspeakers travels over the water much further than in other circumstances, it even gets louder at times when two waves of sound combine.