Readers Respond -- What can Newport do to silence loud parties?

I don’t understand why the city of Newport Beach is so wimpy when it

comes to Dennis Rodman. It would be so simple to stop his rude behavior.

1. Buy a decibel meter and with any answered call to a home emitting

noise above a certain level, fine the owner $100 on the first infraction,

$500 on the second, $1,000 on the third and $10,000 on any additional.

Make it worth your while to go out and talk to Dennis.

2. Any restaurant caught with excessive people, live music or dancing

without a permit, shoo the people out and close them down for 24 hours. A

few days without revenue will get their attention.

Why is this so hard?

BARBARA STREIT

Corona del Mar

The potential tragedy of the continuing Dennis Rodman matter is when

an emergency occurs requiring immediate police attention, and the

response is inadequate because of some incident that may be happening at

his property at the same time, thus taking up too much manpower.

GREG HUGHES

Costa Mesa

I think the city of Newport Beach needs to rewrite its city ordinances

as they are to put his behavior in check and to give the city some

accountability or leverage, if you will, in getting that nonsense to

stop. The impotence of the city of Newport Beach to effectively curtail

his outrageous behavior is as much an embarrassment to Newport Beach

nationally as the polygamists are to the state of Utah.

TOM STICH

Newport Coast

Leave Rodman alone for God’s sake. He’s not a criminal. It’s a party

on the beach. Newport is out of control; using the SWAT team is a bit of

overkill. Leave him alone.

NANCY PENN

Newport Beach

Yes, we need a revised noise ordinance in Newport Beach, thanks mainly

due to Dennis Rodman. This person, flamboyant and obnoxious as he is, is

an obviously undesirable and detestable resident and neighbor, and has

brought forward a problem, which has existed to a small extent in the

past, to a new level of awareness and consciousness in our community. His

claim as to being harassed every day may not be far from the mark, but

this harassment is not unjustified or unwarranted. Maybe Rodman would

feel less harassed if he moved from Newport Beach, and he would feel more

at home in another community that would be more tolerant his sad and

continuing escapades.

PAUL JAMES BALDWIN

Newport Beach

Actually, it’s not up to us. It’s up to the Newport Beachpolice to

handle the situation. My one and only comment to you, as a newspaper, is

stop publicizing it and putting it on the front page. It only propitiates

the situation. By you giving this clown any more advertisement, you’re

doing for him what public relations people are being paid for over the

years. So keep it out of the newspaper. We, the residents of Corona del

Mar and Newport Beach, are tired of reading about it. Let’s leave it up

to the Newport Beach police to handle it. That’s what they’re paid for.

CATHY KROOPF

Corona del Mar

I think the city of Newport Beach needs to lighten up a little bit.

They talk about the fact that Dennis Rodman has live music and dancing in

his restaurant as if it’s the greatest sin of all time. Come on. This is

a beach town. People are supposed to have fun here. It sounds to me as if

he’s trying to do all he can in soundproofing. All of his neighbors have

positive comments to say about him; I’m wondering if there really were

any sound complaints from his neighbors at the party, or if it was just

something the police contrived to be cruel to him. They’re just looking

at any excuse to pick on him. They’re just digging. It sounds to me like

Dennis Rodman is really not a bad guy. The city officials just don’t like

the fact that a successful black man can hang out and have a good time.

DANIEL SCURLOCK

Newport Beach

What, if anything, should Newport Beach do to keep party animals like

Rodman in check? Well, if the city has to babysit these people, then they

should be charged the babysitting fee -- it’s pretty simple. If 30

policemen are required to surround Rodman’s house for this birthday party

fiasco, then he should pick up the tab for that. That’s simple enough.

I’m a taxpayer in the city, and I pay enough taxes without having to pay

for our department to watch Rodman. That’s pretty simple, I’d say.

BILL THEOBALD

Newport Beach

I feel that the city should be more tolerant toward the partygoers. I

live in Corona del Mar. On Thursday nights, the streets of Marguerite

Avenue and Coast Highway are very noisy until about 2 in the morning. I

don’t see anybody doing anything about it.

I do feel that people, when they move to the beach, should realize

that they’re in a party zone, and that’s why they moved to the beach --

to have a good time. I don’t really feel that Rodman is doing anything

out of the ordinary. We’ve always had celebrities in Newport Beach, and

they too have always partied. Just because he may be a little bizarre

with his green hair or five earrings, does not mean he’s any more

dangerous.

I think he’s being targeted. Last night, we were down at Newport Beach

by the pier, and there were some young people in a car who were not

Caucasian. They were stopped by two Newport Beach police officers to

check their registration. I think, had those kids not been a different

race than the norm in Newport Beach, they would not have been stopped.

They were finally let go.

I think the police should take a check on themselves here, and check

out what they’re doing and their attitude. They are a good police force,

however, I think that there’s a double standard.

SANDRA BASMACIYANCorona del Mar