Originally Posted by
11B10
I understand and agree with your explanation. However, I have a question that - unless I missed it (including rereading the actual text of the 1st Amendment) - hasn't been addressed yet. OK, here's my hypothetical situation: There are legally gathered people in front of my house, which is located in a residential neighborhood. That would place them a maximum of 10 yards from my front door.
We've always kept our windows & doors open whenever weather permits, but even if we were to close them in this hypothetical situation, the nearness of them to our home would render closing everything virtually useless, even to a guy like me with diminished hearing. Knowing all that, just how loud can these people, who are utilizing their freedom of the 1st Amendment, be? I'm asking this because in the 20 + years we've lived here, there have been some noisy "conversations" with only raised voices (no shouting/chanting) which have been very disruptive. Thankfully, they were short-lived and non-violent. And, I'm sure increasing the distance between the sidewalk/street would be but a minor improvement. Guess I coulda just asked: "How loud can they be?" - but I just finished an ill-advised 2nd cup of coffee.