Oh, what to do with bad neighbors?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Hi! I’ve got a question for you dopers.

As of late I’ve been having a lot of problems with my neighbors. These people live right across the street from me and they are always finding ways to torment us. They like to throw firecrackers at my house and wake us up, sometimes multiple times a night. Just the other day my mom was out driving somewhere and one of their friends recognized the pickup she was in, and swerved into her lane to try to hit her or I guess scare her pretty bad.

Whether it was to scare, or even hurt, is irrelevant. I just want them to stop and leave us alone. Last night they were on the porch knocking trying to see if we were home for some reason, which I’m guessing if no one had opened the door (after they had run off, which they did very quickly) they may have tried to break in. They actually called my mom’s name once as well, so they could’ve been trying to get her to answer so they could throw a cherrybomb at her or some other nasty thing.

A little while later they set off some firecrackers under our front living room window so they could wake us up as usual. My mom called the cops and before they got there the neighbors put everything away and turned out the lights and generally became God missionaries, you know, innocent as newborns. I guess they have a scanner, but nonetheless, the cops told us to call back if they did anything else and they would go do something. Today my mom went to the station to find out what she could do about all these problems.

They gave her a complaint form to fill out telling about the incident and I guess once she fills that out a policeman will warn them to leave us alone or the next time they’ll come with a warrant and arrest him. I’m not sure how this works, we don’t know who exactly throws the firecrackers or who the people were that tried to hit my mom, we know the guy that lives at the house and that they’re his friends, and he presumably pointed us out for a good picking on. But really, is that enough?

I’m worried that once we fill out this complaint and the cop goes over things are only going to get a lot worse. Will the complaint we fill out make any difference? If the complaint is filed, and they continue, and we call the police again, what will happen? Oh, and believe me, we’d love to move, it’s just we’re having a hard time getting a place right now! All of our neighbors really suck. :eek:

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

2

Okay, give us some background here. How old are you? How old are the neighbors? Who’s tormenting you, adults or kids? Do these people own or rent? Why are they bothering you? Why do you say “all your neighbors suck?” Are they all in it together against you?

I find it a little hard to believe that adult homeowners would arbitrarily institute a campaign of terror against everyone who lives in your house for <i>no reason at all</i>. I’m not saying it’s your fault-- maybe you told the cops about their meth lab or something and now they’ve got it in for you. But there’s got to be some backstory to this.

3

Well, I figured out how to take care of my dick neighbors next door, but I lack the cash to mount a good defense in court. So I’m still scheming. :wink:

My best advice would be get 'em on tape. Go to Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, or any electronics shop and buy a security camera. You can get them really cheap these days. Mount it to monitor the area most hit and run coax to a vcr set to record.

Kind of hard to protest an accusation when it’s on video.

Of course, it’s usually much more effective to find someone you know to borrow you a rifle or shotgun, and sit on your lawn cleaning it when you know they’ll see you do it. Nothing illegal about that (as long as you have the owner’s permission to possess it and you’re not a felon) and it sends a somewhat unsubtle message.

4

Also, if you’re going to the cops, things should be a little more factual or they’re going to think your just whinning…

swerved into her lane to try to hit her or I guess scare her pretty bad

I’m guessing if no one had opened the door they may have tried to break in

so they could’ve been trying to get her to answer so they could throw a cherrybomb at her or some other nasty thing.

I guess they have a scanner

we don’t know who exactly throws the firecrackers

or who the people were that tried to hit my mom

The cops arn’t going to be very helpful if your complaining because someone is throwing firecrackers at your house and you THINK they’re trying to scare you, and they MIGHT try to rob you, and someone, but you don’t know, who tried to hit your mom. I’m not saying their isn’t a problem, I’m sure there is. But in order for the cops to help you, you need to help them. My suggestion is to get a video camera like this one that can see in the dark (BTW this one has it’s own infrared lights and can see in total darkness) and catch them on tape. Proof is what you need. Are any of your neigbors friends, or is anyone else bothered by the fireworks. The next time they set them off at night, it might help if the dispatch center receives more then one noise complaint at the same time, especially if others call in as well and all say “the kids at 3343 Elm st…fireworks…loud…” If you can get some of it on film, the rest will stick better. Also another thing you need to think about is, will this just make things worse. If these are 35 year olds that already have a bunch of warrants out this might get them arrested and thowen in jail, BUT I’m guessing it’s a bunch of 12 year olds that are just going to get a slap on the wrist from the cops, if you aggravate them, they might start doing it even more to get back at you. OTOH if the cops can pick them up and hold them at the station until parents come, it might slow them down a little, especially if they start getting issued tickets.

5

One more thing, honestly are you really sure they’re not doing this for a reason, are you posative this isn’t provoked at all. If it is, if you did anything at all to bring this on, does anyone else in the neighborhood know about it, or see it happen. If no one else saw it, and you have them on tape, you should have a case. OTOH if half the neighborhood knows you got caught spray painting their cat or trying to set their house on fire…

6

That was you?

Sorry I wont do it again.

Problem solved.

7

I’m 19. My neighbor is like 30ish and they all fall around the same 20-30 range. They own the house. We haven’t reported any meth labs lately lol

There is a messy backstory, that’s true. A few years ago things were done, and people lost the privilege of freedom (I was one of the unlucky souls.) and once it was all over, we left each other alone. This stuff was all in 2001. I never struck them back for anything…just the once.

Since then, we had an unspoken peace treaty. I didn’t bother them, and they wouldn’t (officially) bother me.

It’s not all of the neighbors. It’s them and another bunch that live on the other street across from us, who hate us for their own reasons, that are mostly rubbish. I really don’t think the history even has too much to do with anything either. I think that even had none of us had any history, we’d still have the same relationship. These people are all a-holes, believe me. Everyone’s got to have somebody to pick on I guess, and we’re as good target as any. We’re poor people with no friends really. Just two old folks, and myself, whom might I add, is very out of shape. My mom and stepdad fight a lot, so that would’ve certainly attracted more attention and made us an annoyance.

I went to school with a lot of them and I was picked on a lot and since they see me as useful for boredom and unlikely to fight back, they’ll have their way with me, and feel ever so rebellious and cool.

I’m not saying I’m innocent of anything by any means, just that it really is irrelevant. They do some of this same stuff to one of my friends that live down the street as well, with the firecrackers and things. Though, less, because there are far more people living there, with far more friends. We are an easier target. Oh, and my friend didn’t do anything to them. They’ve been on him since before I hung with him as well, so…

Anyway, after reading these few posts, it seems a bad idea to bother with the complaint. I didn’t think it was going to make much of a difference either, considering the enormous lack of mostly everything. We don’t know names, we didn’t see anything, we just have a general idea. The thing with the police saying they’ll come back with a warrant to arrest them, is what provoked me to ask you guys for your opinion. It seems to me the police were mostly talking out of their…Why bother to arrest them then? I don’t understand why the police even brought it up, we mentioned that we only knew the one person’s name, and didn’t see him personally doing anything. I have little doubt in my mind that he officiated the events, but that’s not worth squat.

Hopefully I’ll be able to convince my mom to not file it!..That’s not going to be easy. My aunt told her to file it as well, and my mom’s bf is up for it too. 3-1. Ugh.

Oh, and as for the video camera, we plan to rent one soon actually, so we can try and catch them in the act.

I suppose I will just get beaten senseless, but eh, what can you do? Seriously, I’m going to try and just leave it as it is with them just doing a few little firecracker stunts here and there, with my mom calling the cops to stop it, until we can get a new place. I’m going to try and rally together my friend and his household for a common cause as well, he certainly doesn’t like them. … But I’m not a damned woman! If they get pushy I’m going to take a damn crap in their yard!

8

Gandhi, this, after I even rented that one movie about you a few weeks ago. I thought you were a great guy. Now this. Well, I don’t know what to think now.

/me shakes my head and wanders away :frowning:

9

Go here,

My first pitting

10

Apparantly I’m not very good at it,

Try here,

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=4914626#post4914626

11

This is attempted murder. Your mother should check to see if any surveillance cameras caught it.

More generally, keep a record of each and every incident and gather evidence. Install some surveillance cameras.

12

In relation to what qts said, how about leaving a note in their mailboxes explaining that if they ever pull a stunt again, you’ll go to the cops and charge them with harassment and attempted murder?

Real men beat people to death with blackjacks, crap covered blackjacks.

13

I’d also recommend getting some of those outdoor motion sensor flood lights. I saw them advertised recently for about 7 bucks (bulbs not included). This may help you keep them at bay and regain your sanity knowing that if they approach your house nice bright lights will illuminate them.

14

“Lost the privilege of freedom” … ?
So you went to jail? That is quite a backstory.
Please, please don’t crap in anyone’s backyard. Or front yard. If you start doing things like that, you’re going to look as guilty to the cops as your neighbors look.
You’ll be much better served by never taking any action against these people out of vengeance, and focusing any and all actions in this situation on the goal of restoring peace to your household.
Your story has the potential for going downhill, way, way, way downhill.
Don’t get yourself involved with the criminal justice system. Don’t get yourself sued civilly. Do what you have to do to end this situation, and then back down from any further activity.
Anger has its place, but interactions with other humans in civilized nations that are not at war is not among them. Be the master of your anger, don’t let it control you.

15

“Unless you learn to master your rage–”
“I know; ‘then my rage will become my master.’ Admit it! That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?”
“Uh-- not… necessarily…”

Sorry, obligatory Mystery Men quote. I’ll go back to the probability thread where I belong.

16

Two suggestions, three words each:

  1. Get a dog.

  2. Build a fence.

Neither of these actions can give you surefire relief, but they’ll raise the emotional stakes for your antagonists. It doesn’t require much courage to wander into someone’s unprotected yard at night chucking firecrackers. But it takes another level of resolve (and meanness) to hop a fence, or better still evade a defensive dog, to do it.

I also second the motion-sensitive floodlight and video camera ideas.

One last tip. Click on the little “!” button on the top right corner of your first post to ask a mod to move this thread to the right forum. The fact that it doesn’t belong here in “General Questions” is obviously ticking people off. Make and keep friends here by following the rules.

Meanwhile, good luck with your unenviable situation.

17

badneighbors, you’re new here, so welcome.

This is not a question to which there is a specific answer, and I’m therefore moving it to a more appropriate forum. Please read the forum descriptions before your next post, OK? …

18

Um… I don’t think you can report your own posts. But you can report any other post in the thread. Just FYI.

19

That could possibly be considered harrasment in and of itself. If I found notes in my mailbox threatening to take to report me to the police for attempted murder etc… especially if no one had any proof of anything I’d take the letters and march right down to the local police station and let the cops handle it, “um yea, I found these notes in my mailbox today, is there an officer I could speak to about it, it’s making me really nervous, I don’t know if someones just messing with me, or if they want something from me or what, but I do have a pretty good idea as to who did it…” The thing is, don’t threaten to report someone to the police, JUST DO IT. If they think you might do it, they might go and report you first just so that when you do finally do it, it looks like your just getting childish and trying to get back at them, the more back and forth there is, the less serious the police will take it. If I were in your situation, I’d call the cops up today, explain the situation (firecrackers in the middle of the night terrorizing your mother while she’s sleeping etc…) and ask if the police could keep an extra watch on your house for the next couple of nights. You may also want to add that you think they have a police scanner becuase the last several times you called the police they disappeard as soon as an officer was dispatched. (OTOH if I set off a bunch of fireworks in front of a house I don’t think I’d hang around too long). One more thing, if you can’t get a camera to catch them on tape, you may want to attempt to watch for them to head over fireworks in hand, give the cops a head start so they get caught in the act. If you decide not to go the police route, I think a motion light is a great idea.