An unresolved noise dispute in Fort Greene makes news in publications (Post, Times) that didn't write about Barclays Center paying fine

So the Barclays Center paid a $3200 fine for excessive noise at the Swedish House Mafia concert, and what kind of coverage did it get in the New York Times and New York Post? Nada. (The only mainstream publications to follow up were the New York Observer and, in a brief I wrote, New York Magazine's Daily Intel.)

But the Post on May 28 (‘Spike’ sound & fury: Neighbors rip dad) and the Times yesterday (One Man’s Music Is His Neighbor’s Headache) write at length about a dispute in Fort Greene, where a neighbor of bassist Bill Lee (Spike's father) has filed 17 noise complaints this year.

While the dispute understandably newsworthy--Lee seems to think that playing music at all hours is part of the ambiance of the block, and it's unclear exactly how much noise penetrates adjoining buildings--neither article gets to the crux of the matter.

The Times noted that the police have not found any violations of the noise code. However, that should be a job for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which is the agency that finally levied violations on the Barclays Center.

Neither article reported on whether the DEP had been called, or whether the DEP was able to take readings of the noise.

Around the arena, however, the DEP finally responded, and a Forest City affiliate paid a fine.

The Times and Post earlier mentioned fines proposed against the arena for a separate show, Sensation, but those fines ultimately didn't stick. Still, the ongoing complaints and additional fine indicate a noise problem far more serious than that faced by one building adjacent to Bill Lee's brownstone.