Harlem Transplant Launches Crusade Against Mister Softee

HARLEM, NY — On hot summer nights the Mister Softee jingle can bring joy to a New York City block — its a sirens call that beckons neighbor's to leave their apartments in search of cold, creamy treats. But one new Harlem resident has recently launched a crusade against the ice cream truck jingle, taking her complaints to the police, local government and the press.

A woman named Mackenize told Gothamist that ever since Mister Softee showed up on her "quiet, serene block" she's been made miserable by the truck's loud jingle. Mackenize — who did not reveal her last name out of "fear that she be pigeonholed as an entitled white lady whining about her new neighborhood" — told Gothamist that she recently moved to a Harlem block near Central Park, but has lived in New York City her whole life and grew up on the Upper West Side.

The woman, driven to action by the sound of the jingle entering her apartment from nearly a block away, eventually confronted the Mister Softee driver.

Here's how it went down, as reported by Gothamist:

To make matters worse, according to Mackenzie, "No one seems to be willing to do anything." The first time this happened, she recalls, "I went down and said to him, 'Would you mind turning off the music?' He looked at me and he was like, 'What are you talking about?'"
She continued, "I said, 'It’s illegal for you to have your music on anyway, so could you please turn it off?"
His response: "F*ck off."
At this, Mackenzie retreated. The next time it happened, "I went down, and he just rolled his eyes."

Fox 5 News caught up with the Mister Softee driver, Adam Vega, who told the news station that the woman has called the police on him.

"She complained to me about the jingle, the cops came a few minutes later, but they kind of laughed it off," Vega told Fox 5.

Under the New York City noise code it is illegal for any food vendor trucks to play a jingle while stationary.

"Ice cream trucks traveling on city streets are a summer tradition, but their repetitious jingles can create a community nuisance and disrupt nearby residents," reads the Department of Environmental Protection's guide to the city noise code.

The DEP, however, notes that enforcement against the jingle rule can prove difficult due to the fact that ice cream trucks are constantly moving from one place to the next.

To read more Mackenzie's battle with Mister Softee, check out the full report on Gothamist.

Photo by Jaysin Trevino via Flickr/Creative Commons