Help me deterimine if this is something to report to the police

In My Humble Opinion
1

My wife and I used to be friends with a particular fellow when we first moved to the pacific northwest because he worked at a shop with my wife. We didn’t know anyone and he was friendly at first, until we learned he was obsessed with fighting “the new world order” whatever that is. We learned he is very racist and wishes someone would “kill all the fucking hippies”.

I am from Texas, and I am used to this kind of thing and have learned a long time ago who to keep a friendly yet safe distance from. These folks are under a constant state of stress/fear, and are obsessed with their guns to an unhealthy level. I say this as a gun owner myself (1953 12 gauge shotgun and a Walmart 22).

I guess this fellow is a friend of my wife’s on Facebook. She was checking her phone this morning and saw a Facebook post where he was arguing with someone over his new favorite term: snowflake.

Normally, our reaction to this is “dumbass” and nothing. He kept going off on a tear though, that ended with:

“…bet, next time there’s a shit ton of people marching down my street with signs screaming and bitching, I’m going to stand out in my yard with my fucking pistol in my hand exercising my Second Amendment rights while they exercise their First.”

(I don’t have any idea what the ellipses were in front of, that was apparently cut off. I, of course, had to correct the spelling of the post but the content is exactly the same.)

I didn’t think of anything of it at first, but my wife reminded me that he is legally blind, and lives RIGHT next to the largest public library in our county. He is also largely super stoned most of the time. I’m not sure he could identify the difference between a pinko commie protester and any of the many, many children and tourists that walk up and down the street in front of his little house.

Should I report this to a non-emergency number? I hesitate to jump in or call the law on ANYONE. I have been the recipient of a bad police report before, and I was lucky that it got sorted out in my favor. I have also failed to report what I thought was probable domestic abuse, and in that case, the woman that was in fact getting the shit beat out of her was later beat to death. I don’t know where to fall on this one. I wake up sometimes hearing that woman getting beat again, even though she died over ten years ago. I never knew her name or saw her face.

I would say that the likelihood of him being a complete dumbass with his guns is more likely than him hurting someone intentionally with them, but this fellow is fairly unhinged and since the three years I have lived here. He seems to have been getting more and more “out there”.

I don’t know what to do with this one. I wouldn’t trust him around my kids for dame sure, but I don’t want to call the law in on someone that is just being a generic racist gun nut. I wouldn’t want to live in a place where people weren’t free to be ignorant if they choose to.

What do you guys and gals think?

2

I am not sure there is anything the police can do. The way I read it, he is just saying that he is going to stand in his own yard with a gun. That may not even be illegal if he really did it and just saying that he hypothetically would certainly isn’t. It isn’t the classiest move on his part but I don’t think he has done anything actionable.

3

I’d almost suggest a professional “mental health check”, but that depends entirely on your local police and how this guy might react to it.

4

I appreciate your input, Shagnasty. I was thinking the same thing, other than if he is in his front yard (very tiny before the street) waiving his Bushmaster around like a magic wand, he is going to incite some sort of response from the protesting crowd, and he could be unlikely to interpret this properly as he is largely blind. I can’t over the thought of him firing one off thinking he is under attack from a large blurry blob of something protesting across the street.

5

I would assume that up here in liberal land, that is how the police would try to handle it but I would fear the cops being sent to his house as something else to set him off. He strikes me as a well shook up can of Dr. Pepper that is just rattling as it sits in the fridge.

6

My first rule is keep your head down. Don’t let the police know you exist, or give them a hook upon which to hang a dossier. When they come knocking on doors asking questions, there aren’t any you’ll want to answer.

If this guy is anything at all like you say he is, the police are already very aware of him. Don’t make them aware of you too.

7

wow. Really?
Why would the police want to “hang a dossier” on the OP?

Anyway, I think I’d report the guy. You never know, and he sounds like someone who needs watching.

8

Here’s a sample Police Department definition of what constitutes suspicious activity. Somebody making threats doesn’t seem to fit the bill, but you won’t be in trouble for reporting it.

The ACLUis more concerned with accusations of terrorism and don’t really address your type of situation either.

Just to be on the safe side, you could always discuss this with the police and they’ll tell you what they can or cannot do. Don’t mention any names and present it as a hypothetical.

9

The local fuzz is already aware of me plenty. We had a comical episode of a limo driver that was coked up off his rocker accusing my wife of running him over in her car and fleeing the scene.

Actually, the guy waived her to pass his limo, and my wife thought the limo looked cool so, while she was pulled over waiting for the limo to offload, she tried to take a picture of it because it was modeled after 1930’s hot rod. Her phone glitched and started taking video. You could see the video of the guy waiving her to drive passed the limo, and then he ran out in the street and punched a huge dent in the hood of our Xterra. He was screaming at her for driving too close to his limo that was blocking off the street. From there the video starts being recorded by the people who were riding in the limo, and when all of these little video clips were presented to the 9 police officers in my living room, they arrested the limo driver for punching my car. In my yard. The limo driver was dropping off people four doors down from my house for that party that they throw for girls when they become 15.

We now bring coffee to the police when they sit in our neighborhood to do their paperwork at the end of their shift. They are particular fans of Texas Pecan.

These guys are nothing like the police I was used to in Texas. Those guys would pull you over and shake you down. I had one cop break a very expensive telescope on the pavement to prove “it wasn’t a bazooka”. We moved from Texas because of the police.

10

Are you in Portland Police jurisdiction? They are actually pretty bad with this stuff, though getting better.

I’m assuming this guy is white?

11

You are talking about having the police act on future crime that might happen if a hypothetical protest were to happen sometime in the future which would generate a hypothetical response. They are not going to be able to do much.

What you could do is ask to talk to a detective saying you had some information. Letting them know he’s nutty and armed isn’t a bad thing it just might not be to the point where they can do anything.

:rolleyes: yeah that’s exactly what happens. " Hey Bob a concerned citizen just called * LET’S GET HIM!*"

12

If he’s largely super stoned, has been getting more and more out there, and is just as likely to hurt himself with his guns than someone else, I would vote for a wellness check by the police. They will know what to do, especially if you preface it with “I’m concerned about him getting more riled up.” Please inform them he has weapons in the house; things are less likely to go south in a moment if they’re prepared.

We called the police on an elderly neighbor of ours years ago; she yelled from her yard for my then-husband to come over because she needed help, and then when he obliged she met him at the door with a .22. The police handled it textbook-perfectly, and tucked her into their patrol care for a trip to be evaluated. Now, she never came back home because it turned out she had severe dementia, but at least no one got shot and her remaining days were spent being well taken care of.

13

The part of his statement that I am hung on is the 2nd Amendment thing. Sounds a lot like the “2nd Amendment solution” Trump said on the campaign trail against Old Hilldog.

14

Standing in his front yard holding his firearm is one thing.

Waving it around is brandishing, I believe, even if he is in his own yard,and is not okay, especially if it gets pointed in the direction of other people.

But, yeah, keep us updated on this fine upstanding responsible gun lover.

15

Sigh… yeah he is a white dude like me. It would probably be Beaverton that would respond.

16

He’s legally blind and allowed to have guns?! And just how would he fit into a “well-regulated militia”?

Would you hesitate to report him if he tried to drive a car?

17

Which other neighbors are there that you are friendly with? My own inclination would be to talk over the situation with other neighbors – if for no other reason that if this guy does stand in his yard waving a gun they could be in danger.

You don’t say how long you’ve lived in this neighborhood, but if others have lived there longer, they may have valuable input. They might respond, say, “Oh, that’s just Joe being a nutcase again. We just ignore him when he gets like that.”

Or they might say, “Gee, Joe’s getting really bad! I think maybe we should report this.” If that’s the case, it could be a group of you reporting that he’s a possible threat, which may be helpful to the police.

18

Not all eye conditions and causes of blindness are the same. Each one presents its own set of disabling limitations. I’ve been legally blind for 27 years, and I can still read a newspaper without glasses. But if I set a spoon down on the kitchen counter, I can’t find it, and I have to feel my way through my own house.

19

Is that supposed to make us feel better about the OP’s neighbor’s ability to use a firearm?

20

Here’s your solution. Next time you take coffee to one of your friends, ask them about your neighbor and share your concerns.