Dealing with the Dreaded Door-Slammer
Question: I came across your recent articles and I'm hoping it's a Godsend to me. I've lived in the same apt. for 38 years and within the last couple of years there has been an ongoing problem with the security guards here. These guards come crashing through the building at all hours of the day and night. It's gotten so bad I've starting keeping a log. I've recorded them anywhere from two to 10 in the morning. These security guards slam the heavy metal doors at all hours of the night and day so hard it makes my own front door rattle visibly. I'd like to ask your advice and your help. These security guards seem appallingly ignorant and oblivious to the fact that people might be trying to get some sleep in their natural habitat. Scott Lifshin Answer: At long last, someone has raised the issue. The slamming of the door of a stairway or apartment doors fits right into that list of relatively trivial offenses which are, nonetheless, a significant source of noise and aggravation for many people. The sufferers are untold numbers of residents in multiple dwellings. The culprits - almost always fellow residents - usually don't give two decibels, so to speak, that they are fracturing others' peace and comfort. As a result, door-slamming also fits snugly into that category of behavior that is widespread but serves no legitimate purpose other than to demonstrate ignorance. Door-slamming is a double whammy, a double dose of incivility, because, just like blasting music, it generates a disturbance that's both heard and felt. In the precious privacy of their units, those affected hear a mini-explosion and household objects shake. People may even feel their floors, walls, and furniture tremble. In the many buildings with young people, door-slamming is a constant background noise, to the dismay and detriment of the elderly, the sick, the hard-working, and the studious. Is it no longer considered a duty to teach our young those little, yet crucial ways in which they should be considerate of others and thereby contribute to a better quality of life? Not that youngsters are only or even mostly the ones slamming doors. As with most misconduct, adults lead the way. It's quite common for them to slam doors to get back at a neighbor, to mark their territory, or just for the heck of it. Now on to some of the specifics of your letter. Your next step, you write, would be to 'take videos of these criminal offenders and take them to a criminal grievance hearing.' I have no idea what the latter is, but I can say with certainty that your situation, as with most instances of door-slamming, isn't a matter for the police, especially since the culprits, as 'contractors' of the landlord, have a right to be on the premises. Thus, your situation is a landlord-tenant matter. If, on the other hand, those slamming the stairway doors have no business at all in the building, the police could arrest them for trespassing, and possibly charge them with disorderly conduct. I spoke by phone with the manager of your complex, Arnold Cohen. His side of the story is that 'there are no other verbal or written complaints' about the stairway doors being slammed, that 'the other 406 apartments [in your building, presumably] don't have a problem.' So you're the only one complaining? In my considerable experience in these matters, this often happens with noise problems; one person gripes publicly, while everyone else seethes in silence or fights the noise by making noise of their own. Cohen surmised that the guards, in order to punctually make their rounds several times a night, are rushing from floor to floor and unintentionally letting the doors slam. Moreover, the doors, as required by the fire and building codes, are fire-retardant, heavy, and self-closing. 'With a little bit of force,' said Cohen, 'they can make a lot of noise, and in the middle of the night, sounds are exaggerated.' (This makes perfect sense to me, having grown up in a complex with the same type of doors.) Cohen said that he'll speak with the security company and have them instruct their employees to try to make less noise as they go through buildings. He'll also speak with your super about padding the stairway doors throughout the building. John Dallas is founder of the Bronx Campaign for Peace and Quiet. Sound Advice is copyrighted by John Dallas and cannot be reprinted without his permission. Recent Sound Advice Columns include:
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