Lindy (might not be welcome) in the parkBy Sara Schieron
Every Sunday between 11am and 2pm, a group of swing dancers meet in Golden Gate Park for a free dance they call Lindy In The Park (LitP). Over the last 13 years the group, which has grown from a few dozen to 100-200 weekly attendees, have only inspired one complaint (that they know of). Sunday, June 28 at 1:15pm, Park Ranger Raymond Wong came to organizers Jen Holland and Ken Watanabe and alerted them of a sound complaint. The complaint, which was vaguely worded, was formidable enough to close the event down for the day and possibly for good, as this free dance is now, after over a decade, being required to attain a sound permit; a cost that threatened to shut them down. Without that permit, Lindy would no longer be welcome in the Park.
Watanabe reports, “Ranger Wong first said there were a lot of complaints and then, when we pressed him, he said it was the staff at the DeYoung.” As the group has been meeting at the same place for over a decade, hearing that the DeYoung -- a fairly soundproof museum -- was finally offended seemed questionable.
When the dance was shut down, Watanabe alerted the dancers, many of whom had just appeared impromptu, lured in by the free lesson offered at noon. The regulars, however, rallied quickly and a petition style list of addresses and phone numbers was circulated. At the final count, there were 40-odd addresses, indicating the event regulars were sturdy in number.
Head Park Ranger Marcus Santiago explained, “We have had complaints about them before.” However, he added, “We don’t tell people who made complaints, unless you’re going to press charges.” Complaints are mostly made by
calling Park Control or via the city’s 311 number, which allows callers to lodge complaints anonymously. Person to person complaints are rare and paper trails are minimal.
“Before, LitP was at the Bandshell with a boombox and probably didn’t seem as elaborate a set-up as it is now,” says Watanabe. “It’s probably not as loud.” But that’s not the only object of concern for LitP, which takes up a considerable section of the sidewalk on the bridge facing DeYoung. Santiago noted that the group has engendered
complaints from some disabled persons inconvenienced by the group’s hopping monopoly of the sidewalk.
LitP’s shutdown is really part of a larger crackdown on amplified sound in the park. Santiago casually sited an acid rock band and the Sixth Avenue Skate Park as groups also cited by complainants in recent times. Watanabe says of the crackdown, “They’ve got an attorney working on the code and they have to find a way for us to do our event while still applying the law.”
Santiago noted that the neighborhood-facing direction of LitP’s speaker system is a factor contributing to sound complaints. “We’re just trying to make sure everyone is compliant with our rules and regulations,” he adds.
Watanabe’s proactive approach to maintaining the group’s regular operations has certainly assisted his success rate, as well; the group’s duration at the park is also a mark in its favor. He says, though proceedings are not yet final, “I have a good feeling about it, overall.” LitP -- which while recreational, is also recruitment ground for the area’s dance studios -- met Sunday July 5, with official permission.
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