Seattle City Council member holds community meeting over noise complaints in Magnuson Park

SEATTLE — Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera hosted a community meeting Wednesday night regarding the excessive noise and violence happening in the Magnuson Park neighborhood.

The meeting comes after months of complaints from residents who say excessive noise from car stereos and volleys of gunfire are echoing off the hillsides above Magnuson Park.

The all-night parties have been going on since summer began, and according to several neighbors, the noise they generate can rattle windows on homes that are blocks away.

"Many of you have reached out to me with questions and concerns about crime in Magnuson Park and across the district," Rivera said. "I am convening this meeting to provide an opportunity for you to hear from representatives from the city."

READ MORE I Seattle's Magnuson Park noise complaints from neighbors reach boiling point this summer

The Seattle Police Department, the mayor's office, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the Seattle Public Utilities Clean City Team attended Wednesday's meeting.

The View Ridge Community Council (VRCC) is urging people in the area to report the violations, which primarily involve loud music blasting up the hillside from the parking lots around the park. Neighbors said the amplified music and late-night carousing kicks in at 2 a.m. and blares for hours until dawn.

People who live nearby said it can get so loud they can't even hold a conversation in their own homes, and confronting the group can turn dangerous.

Rivera said the city plans to put up gates at the entrance of the park, and she was working with the mayor's office to make sure the gates are locked after park hours.

In addition to the loud music, neighbors also report hearing gunfire. Many neighbors said they found shell casings and beer and liquor bottles scattered about the parking lots.