Dear Editor,
Elders of Queenstown and Bel Air Park tremble with fear as February 23, 2020 approaches, because every year, the local government, police, and organizers of Mashramani allow big companies to set up massive speakers, more than one storey high, in their neighbourhood, less than 20 feet from the nearest homes — speakers that blast forth excessively loud music for up to 20 hours, causing the elders’ chests to vibrate dangerously, leaving them deaf and discombobulated for days, rocking their old wooden homes like a level 4 earthquake, knocking pictures off walls and ornament off of tables and shelves, and creating a physical stress that medical experts have proven leads to strokes and infarctions (heart attacks). Passing floats with music that come and go are not the problem. They can’t even be heard. It is the stationary speakers that are a danger to the health of the neighbourhood.
Our elders, disabled brothers and sisters, and young children are most at risk, but everyone in these neighbourhoods within a four-block radius of these speakers suffers terribly. What is fun and money for organizers, businesses, and street party-goers is torturous and life-threatening for residents.
When did we become so heartless a nation?
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
