1A in Action: Don’t Mute DC and Fighting for the Right to Go-Go

Go-go music, an offshoot of funk, is closely tied to Washington, D.C., and its Black neighborhoods. And creating, playing and listening to music is a form of expression protected by the First Amendment.

But First Amendment protection is not absolute; there are limits. And when it comes to music, limits can be placed on the volume and time of day when the music is played in public.

In spring 2019, Central Communications, an electronics store in Washington, D.C., played go-go music through an outside speaker, where people would gather, dance and enjoy each other’s company.

A resident of a nearby building complained to the city, saying the music violated local noise laws. The city monitored the sound and said the noise levels and gatherings were OK. The resident went above the store owner and convinced T-Mobile, the corporation overseeing the store, to stop the music. T-Mobile agreed.

That sparked activists Ronald Moten and Natalie Hopkinson to push back. The movement Don’t Mute DC was born via Twitter hashtag, and an online petition to bring back the music garnered more than 80,000 signatures. Daily gatherings around the store turned into protests set to drumbeats to make their opinions heard.

Editor's note: This profile is part of an ongoing series, 1A in Action, which highlights individuals who fought for their — and other people's — First Amendment freedoms.

What’s at stake:

Free expression is a core part of the First Amendment, embedded in freedom of speech. This includes the ability to play and listen to music. The ability to assemble with others and listen to music, dance and share mutual experiences is also protected by the First Amendment. So, too, is the ability to protest policies and petition for change in person or via a social media campaign like #DontMuteDC. It’s true that listening to music and playing it in public isn’t an unlimited right. The government can place reasonable limits on music and protests in public, such as limiting the volume or not allowing gatherings in public spaces in neighborhoods late at night.

In this case, the Washington, D.C., government never restricted the ability of people to listen to go-go music or to dance. So, strictly speaking, nobody’s First Amendment rights were being violated when the music was shut off. But people used their First Amendment right to assemble, and they harnessed the power of starting a private petition and social media movement to show that their right to gather and play music was not interfering with others’ ability to live in the neighborhood.

What happened:

Daily gatherings around the store turned into protests with drums to make their opinions heard. T-Mobile changed course after several days, announced on Twitter by its chief executive, and the music outside the store returned.

Don’t Mute DC continued its community advocacy beyond playing go-go music outside a phone store. The group’s ongoing work and petitioning of local government helped keep a hospital and halfway house open. In February 2020, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a law making go-go the city’s official music.

Moten and Hopkinson continued fighting to recognize go-go as part of the city’s historical fabric, and they worked with others to found and curate The Go-Go Museum & Café, which opened in November 2024 in the city’s historically Black Anacostia neighborhood.

What Ronald Moten and Natalie Hopkinson say:

“We wouldn't be right here (at the Go-Go Museum) right now if it wasn't for the First Amendment,” Moten says. “I tell people and young people I work with, you have to understand the rules to the game. This is one rule and one tool that makes America what it is today.”

Hopkinson says the use of the petition to garner support at home and around the world helped draw attention to their cause, but it was the people on the ground who came out to protest and dance in the street who made the difference in highlighting the cause of Don’t Mute DC.

“We were literally in the streets,” she says. “We occupied public spaces, but because of the First Amendment, they had to let us do it.”

Why it matters to you:

The First Amendment protects your ability to listen to music and dance on the sidewalk. While government can put restrictions in place, they have to be limited and generally cannot target the message you are trying to convey. You can also protest the restrictions or petition the government to change course. That’s your First Amendment right.

It also protects your right to share your opinions online through a petition or social hashtag. While social media companies can moderate content, the government cannot censor your posts and cannot force the social media companies to censor you.

Ronald Moten and Natalie Hopkinson’s inspiration:

Hopkinson says the First Amendment “allowed us this wonderful space where we could occupy middle of rush-hour traffic streets.” The Don’t Mute DC movement that started with a hashtag meant they could use free speech, assembly and petition “really effectively” through public demonstrations and have “a really good time” while doing it.

Moten sums up his view on why this cause was worth fighting this way:

“I value the First Amendment because it's the ‘A’ in activism. Period.”

Ask an expert:

Don't Mute DC is an example of a multifaceted modern-day movement. It involved both organic growth within a community and strategic organization. It combined old-fashioned “taking it to the streets” protest with an online petition and a viral social media hashtag to both intensify the message in the local community and amplify it to others. It offered a way for anyone to exercise their First Amendment rights in the way they felt most comfortable. And it was all in service of protecting the right to express ourselves through music and dance.

– Kevin Goldberg, First Amendment specialist, Freedom Forum

Learn more:

There’s a lot to learn about the freedom of speech, petition and the First Amendment. Here’s more about the freedom of speech and some of its limits. Here’s more on the freedom of petition. And here’s much more about the First Amendment.

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