The cacophony at the corner of a busy intersection in Adams Morgan on Sunday afternoon seemed to have accomplished what Quest for Quiet intended.

Chaos.

Quest for Quiet, a group of residents who live near H Street in Northeast, brought its second annual Amplified Free Speech Day to 18th Street and Belmont Road N.W. to spread the word, via microphone and amplifier, about legislation it supports that would restrict non-commercial free speech to 70 decibels at 50 feet from the noise source. The group, which protested in Georgetown last year, was prompted to action by street preachers who set up every Saturday in the Northeast neighborhood and loudly spread their word for hours at a time.

In Adams Morgan, a neighborhood accustomed to loud, raucous partying Friday and Saturday nights, it didn’t take long for residents to react.

This story continues below
Advertisement

A ragtag group of guerilla poets who rent a home nearby heard the protest and sprang to action, setting up shop just feet away with an amplifier of their own to oppose the Quest group as anti-free speech.

Belmont Road resident John Fortin left his home to tell Quest organizer Dave Klavitter to “shut up.” Klavitter used a bullhorn to try to explain to onlookers what the group was seeking to accomplish.

“I have two babies trying to sleep right now,” Fortin said, standing next to two Metropolitan Police officers who arrived to make sure the protest didn’t get out of hand.

A resident who lives above a bar overlooking the protesters stuck an amplifier in his second-floor window to convey a message similar to Fortin’s but with expletives.

Nearby resident Tony Norman said he opposed the group because it was trying to limit free speech. He said he would testify at a July 9 hearing on the bill, introduced by Council Member Tommy Wells, D-Ward 6, scheduled before the D.C. Council.

“Ironically, they are using the law [they oppose] to advance their cause,” Norman said.

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com