"The Cars That Go Boom"

Though Tigre and Bunny of the 90's hip-hop group Le Tigre sing their praise, some aldermen in St. Louis have no love for the roving subwoofers-on-wheels.

The trunk-rattling sounds of souped-up stereo systems may be thing of the past if the Board of Aldermen have anything to say about it.

The Board passed BB 81 today that not only prohibits the use of eardrum-blowing car systems, but also their installation. If an officer stops a vehicle equipped with speakers over 12" or supercharged amplifiers, the owner may have his car impounded for four days and be slapped with a hefty fine; no less than $250.

Installers of such equipment may also be subject to fines if they are located in the city.

The bill sparked a vigorous debate with Aldermen Bosley Sr. (3rd), Carter (27th), and Schmid (20th) in favor of the bill, and Aldermen Troupe (1st), Gregali (14th) and Conway (8th) opposed.

The opposing aldermen agreed that cracking down on excessive noise is a positive step. However, going so far as to impound someone's vehicle merely for the existence of high-power equipment was too far. Conway called it a, "job of poor legislation."

Ald. Troupe equated the measure with prohibiting the possession of cars that can exceed the speed limit.

Ald. Conway joked that they may have found a new way to fund the budget, seize all the cars at the Rams' tailgate party.

Ald. Bosley argued that retirees, children, those "trying to convalesce" and regular people should not be subject to "scurrilous" music that can be heard a block away. "They are not listening to Mozart," said Bosely. He dismissed concerns about impounding vehicles saying the violators did not deserve their vehicles because of their disrespectful treatment of the community. "We hope [they] don't have the money to get the car back," said Bosley.

Ald. Florida (15th) asked to be added as a co-sponsor and said the bill, "seems excessive but is necessary. It's time to try a different tool."

The discussion appeared to generate some friction between Alderman Schmid and Aldermen Grigali and Troupe. The two aldermen seemed to think Schmid was unwilling to take their concerns seriously. Schmid said there had been plenty of time for concerns to be raised in committee.

Gregali worried that those who were pulled over for reasons unrelated to violations of existing noise ordinances may be subject to having their vehicles seized. Seeming to miss his point, Schmid contended that if they aren't making noise, they don't have to worry. Yet the bill states that the existence of the equipment, not just its operation, is cause enough to impound the vehicle, regardless of the reason for the stop.

The opposing alderman would have gone along with the bill provided the section on seizure was removed but the board voted down the amendment.

The board passed the bill 22-4.

Update: In a funny coincidence, Bosley was quoted in the Post Friday saying he found hip-hop an interesting genre that bridged the gap between the races. Said Bosley, "...this music is a great neutralizer". He did complain that the music was often violent.

In other news, one of the features at the Contemporary Art museum's Audiophile Series is Moses, a Chevy SUV covered in speakers.