# Call The Cops, Get Evicted **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 26, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725 "2013-04-26T01:58:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/141 "2013-04-28T19:32:05Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > I don’t know who promised you a life untouched by trouble, but sorry, they lied. When I sign a rental agreement, I am making a promise, in addition to other things, that I will not disturb the neighborhood. And the landlord promises me a place to live that is, within their control, “untouched by trouble.” So in this way, hell yes I have been promised something and I expect to get it. When people surrender their right to complain, we see neighborhoods decline and landlords become absentee. Now that I’ve had a chance to think things over…my beef with the law is that it doesn’t matter if the domestic violence is actually a nuisance. I think it should matter. If it’s not a nuisance and doesn’t result in property damage, then it’s not any of the landlord’s business. However, I’m thinking that it is likely a nuisance if neighbors are the ones calling the police station. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/142 "2013-04-28T20:01:13Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > When I sign a rental agreement, I am making a promise, in addition to other things, that I will not disturb the neighborhood. And the landlord promises me a place to live that is, within their control, “untouched by trouble.” So in this way, hell yes I have been promised something and I expect to get it. When people surrender their right to complain, we see neighborhoods decline and landlords become absentee. > > Now that I’ve had a chance to think things over…my beef with the law is that it doesn’t matter if the domestic violence is actually a nuisance. I think it should matter. If it’s not a nuisance and doesn’t result in property damage, then it’s not any of the landlord’s business. However, I’m thinking that it is likely a nuisance if neighbors are the ones calling the police station. The law isn’t ALLOWING the landlord to evict; it’s REQUIRING it, by imposing fines on the landlord that does not. The law does not even take into account what the police find when they arrive. If you don’t like someone, just call the cops on them a few times. Even if they are doing absolutely nothing, the cops showing up too many times will get them evicted. Lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/143 "2013-04-28T21:16:27Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > The law isn’t ALLOWING the landlord to evict; it’s REQUIRING it, by imposing fines on the landlord that does not. The law does not even take into account what the police find when they arrive. If you don’t like someone, just call the cops on them a few times. Even if they are doing absolutely nothing, the cops showing up too many times will get them evicted. Lovely. Last I checked city ordinances are passed by elected representatives. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/144 "2013-04-28T21:47:09Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Last I checked city ordinances are passed by elected representatives. Why is that relevant? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/145 "2013-04-28T22:31:33Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Why is that relevant? The people of this city chose this situation, who are you to get butt hurt about it? ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/146 "2013-04-28T23:27:07Z")
By that logic, none of us in the United States should object to any law ever. ---
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/147 "2013-04-28T23:43:01Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > The people of this city chose this situation, who are you to get butt hurt about it? You don’t need standing to complain about something on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/148 "2013-04-28T23:59:33Z")
> [@drew870mitchell](#): > > You don’t need standing to complain about something on the internet. Who said that you did? I was simply asking why someone is engaging in clearly recreational outrage over a law that will never effect them and is a hyperlocal issue. ---
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/149 "2013-04-29T00:13:43Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Who said that you did? I was simply asking why someone is engaging in clearly recreational outrage over a law that will never effect them and is a hyperlocal issue. Why would someone engage in clearly recreational outrage over other Dopers engaging in clearly recreational outrage over a law that will never effect them and is a hyperlocal issue? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/150 "2013-04-29T00:30:31Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Who said that you did? I was simply asking why someone is engaging in clearly recreational outrage over a law that will never effect them and is a hyperlocal issue. Oh, because if victims of domestic violence or any other kind of hardship happen to be standing on the other side of some arbitrary jurisdictional border then fuck them? ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/151 "2013-04-29T00:59:18Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Who said that you did? I was simply asking why someone is engaging in clearly recreational outrage over a law that will never effect them and is a hyperlocal issue. I’m only supposed to care about laws that directly affect me? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/152 "2013-04-29T01:27:35Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Oh, because if victims of domestic violence or any other kind of hardship happen to be standing on the other side of some arbitrary jurisdictional border then fuck them? The people of a jurisdiction appear to have chosen to not allow domestic violence to degrade their quality of life with an ordinance requiring the removal of renters who repeatedly get the police called to their homes (which will almost always be because of DV or maybe drugs.) I don’t particularly care for the government intrusion in what should be a private business relationship but at the same time it perfectly illustrates that people don’t like assholes fighting non-stop next door. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/153 "2013-04-29T02:29:20Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > The people of a jurisdiction appear to have chosen to not allow domestic violence to degrade their quality of life with an ordinance requiring the removal of renters who repeatedly get the police called to their homes (which will almost always be because of DV or maybe drugs.) I don’t particularly care for the government intrusion in what should be a private business relationship but at the same time it perfectly illustrates that people don’t like assholes fighting non-stop next door. Both points of which are entirely irrelevant to the question of whether outside observers have any business caring about whether this is a good law. You might personally have some kind of opinion on this law. Everyone else might personally have some kind of opinion on this law. Whether you or anyone else actually lives in the jurisdiction governed by this law is irrelevant. And it’s an odd kind of misdirection to bring that into the argument. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/154 "2013-04-30T22:43:35Z")
Jesus Christ. There are some people on this board I thought were smart that… well, aren’t. “Just move out!” Yeah, great advice, moron. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/155 "2013-04-30T22:44:47Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Who said that you did? I was simply asking why someone is engaging in clearly recreational outrage over a law that will never effect them and is a hyperlocal issue. Man kicks puppy = recreational outrage. Retarded law makes life worse for domestic violence victims = possibly productive outrage. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/156 "2013-04-30T22:53:51Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Man kicks puppy = recreational outrage. Retarded law makes life worse for domestic violence victims = possibly productive outrage. The point I was trying to make, and not perhaps done well, is simply that people chose (indirectly) this law. That’s the community saying, “constant police calls in a rental community takes a home and makes it a hellhole.” Are the people who are constantly bothered by the domestic violence, their children who are exposed to it and the community that has to repeatedly pay for the policing of this mess victims to the same degree as the woman suffering the domestic violence? No, they aren’t. But they are victims, and it isn’t wrong of them to want to be able to live in their home, without having to move, and without having to put up with this. Nor should they have to be willing to basically act in loco parentis nor should they have to act in place of the police, either. It’s a great kindness if they do, but I think they also have full rights to simply call the police, and after enough instances it’s natural they should want the problem ended. They should complain to their land lord, and their land lord should eventually (as per the legal restrictions) evict the problem tenant. Assuming one buys into the disease theory of addiction (I don’t necessarily, but for illustrative purposes), the “collateral damage” of an alcoholic are usually less victimized by the disease than the alcoholic themselves (sometimes more, though) but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t want the alcoholic to either do something to rectify their problem **or get the fuck out of their life**. **AnaMen** has taken the frankly exasperating position that people exposed to constant screaming and fighting in an apartment should not be upset at all, and the most they should do is offer to help the woman–and if they don’t like it, they should leave. That’s basically bullshit. Her bullshit about how “you aren’t guaranteed quiet in an apartment” is ridiculous, and totally against social norms. In my opinion after someone says something so dismissive and stupid as “no one promised you a quiet apartment” I felt it was essentially appropriate to say, “maybe you should mind your own business and let this town run its own ordinances.” Because that’s definitely preferable to adopting the attitude of **AnaMen**. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/157 "2013-04-30T23:02:07Z")
Okay, so you’ve got your law and it forces people to live elsewhere. Great. What about the community that has to put up with these people _then?_ Will all abusive relationships end up in a wife-beaters’ ghetto? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/158 "2013-04-30T23:05:05Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Okay, so you’ve got your law and it forces people to live elsewhere. Great. What about the community that has to put up with these people _then?_ Will all abusive relationships end up in a wife-beaters’ ghetto? I would hope eventually they’d have to live in such a bad neighborhood that yes, the sounds of domestic violence would be of no concern to their neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/159 "2013-04-30T23:06:05Z")
Basically, when you choose to live like trash, you might as well live in a dump. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725/160 "2013-04-30T23:11:03Z")
Uh huh. What about those who have no meaningful choice? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-the-cops-get-evicted/656725.md?page=9)