My new neighbour: a dangerous felon. Help!

Chris McKaskell · Post by **Chris McKaskell** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 6:37 pm

Great!

We bought in a desirable, albiet colourful little neighbourhood.

Our street is 100+ years old with both single and mutltiple family dwellings. Many are owner occupied. All in all it's been very peaceful in a pleasant, treelined-bullevard sort of way.

However, suddenly I find myself surrounded by people I suspect are crack heads and heroine adicts.

The house right next door seems to have turned into a flop house, and there appears to be a drug dealer living across the street.

This morning, around 7 AM, I noticed what looked like a drug deal going down across the street.

One of my neighbours had aready called the police who later explained that several of my new neighbours were known to them.

The police consider one of them to be particularly dangerous.

Apparently a near-by neighbourhood had recently been 'cleaned up' and all the undesireables have chosen to move in around me.

Call us when you need us -- other than that the police really didn't have any advice.

Hence this thread - I'm turning to my friends in the Uechi Community for a little help -- what do you think I should do? What would you do?

jorvik · Post by **jorvik** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 6:59 pm

If it really bothers you move.It is a difficult situation to be in. If he is a succesful criminal he can probably afford a good neighbourhood.
If he hasn't done anything to you though, why bother? If he deals drugs from his house he'll get caught sooner or later.that seems a bit foolish toime and if his last neighbourhood was cleaned up maybe yours will be next

TSDguy · Post by **TSDguy** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:00 pm

What did the last neighborhood do to clean up? I'd definitely call the police every single damn time you saw something going on. I assume you already have some guns.

Jason Rees · Post by **Jason Rees** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:46 pm

Having lived in a crappy neighborhood, you should be prepared for reprisals if they think you're the one turning them in. If you have unsecured firearms in the house, relocate them to another home/storage area.

IJ · Post by IJ » Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:19 pm

I have a 29ish meth loser living directly across from me, housed by an in-denial dad who thinks the 35th visit from the cops will be the last one. Might want to consider the details of your home security, your self defense options, tipping off the news people, and getting video cameras. Good luck... right now my neighbors and I are hoping a meteor takes this kid's head right off.

hoshin · Post by **hoshin** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:05 am

my first question is are these people renters or did they actually buy the property? if they rent , you can look up the owner of the property on your citys gov/ web page. look under the tax assesment info you can usually find a current name and address. the owner, if notified might use expedient measures to "move them out".

jorvik · Post by **jorvik** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:16 pm

I don't see a problem, by all means keep a firearm by your bed and a good big knife ( which I would do even if I lived in the swankiest neighbourhood).maybe a good guard dog...but if these guys are drug dealers then all they are interested in is selling drugs ,if you leave them alone they will leave you alone.....if not either sell up, or just wait till the cops know their business at which point they'll either move on or get busted
The cops may even have an operation planned already....but they are hardly likely to tell everyone in the neighbourhood ...........are they

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:59 pm

I would like to speak here from a little experience, having lived some of these issues.

As a concerned homeowner and ordinary citizen, my father was involved with putting rapists, robbers, and murderers in prison. In spite of threats to him and our family, he regularly testified in court until the offending parties were put behind bars.

As a concerned homeowner and ordinary citizen, I have helped to keep my own neighborhood safe. Our neighborhood association worked against a bureaucracy of protective laws to get rid of a "halfway house" that was foisted upon our neighborhood. And I have personally caught a few thieves in my lifetime.

Do not be intimidated. Do not let them be the hunter, and you the prey.
Do not take a "live and let live" attitude, because the problem won't go away by itself and it will eventually hurt you - one way or another. You may not be shot, robbed, or threatened, but your property value will go down the toilet if you don't take action soon.

Do get involved.

Begin with a new mindset. YOU are the hunter, and THEY are the prey. They will be intimidated. They will be looking over their shoulders, wondering when the other shoe will drop.
Start with the little things. See that all graffiti gets removed immediately. Take down signs nailed to street posts and telephone polls. See that the trash is removed from the streets in the neighborhood.
Band with your neighbors and start a Neighborhood Watch program or a Neighborhood Association. Ask the neighbors to spruce up their homes and take pride in their property.
Report every single infraction you can find on the neighbors of concern. If you get enough people involved, you'll be surprised at what a bit of detective work can reveal. Be unrelenting. Be clever. Be persistent.
Get cameras and take pictures. Many new video cameras now operate in the dark.
Communicate with your partners in the neighborhood. Get an e-mail or phone list. Let everyone know what's going on. It will embolden those who care and want to see things get better. And it will knock them out of the "if I leave them alone it will go away" mindset.
Be helpful, friendly, and informative to the law enforcement community. Offer them coffee when they come by. Learn their names, and make friends.
Ask your police department if they have any extra vehicles they don't use on the evening shifts. If so, ask them if they would kindly park them at random places in your neighborhood.
Consider getting a dog. And remember that a dog's best weapon is his presence and his bark. Once a day and at random times, leash-walk your dog through the neighborhood. YOUR neighborhood. I particularly enjoy the metaphor of an intact male pissing on each and every street sign, fire hydrant, and tree. This is MY turf!
As was suggested above, secure your home, your vehicles, your family, and yourself in whatever legal ways you can.

By asking for help, you already are part way there. Keep it up, and keep the faith!

- Bill

TSDguy · Post by **TSDguy** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:37 pm

Bill Glasheen wrote:[*] Communicate with your partners in the neighborhood. Get an e-mail or phone list. Let everyone know what's going on. It will embolden those who care and want to see things get better. And it will knock them out of the "if I leave them alone it will go away" mindset.

Just adding on... most people REALLY don't want to do anything. You'll need to be a bit like a politician here. Talk to people and make friends, connect with them on a 1 on 1 basis and understand how they are being affected personally. Some people will want the military approach and be very gung-ho about starting patrols and what not, some will be scared but concerned about children more just looking for someone to take charge, etc etc etc.

I've found this to be way more effective in getting neighborhoods ready for war than sort of 'mass mailings' kind of approach, although sometimes I will leave leaflets with people giving them the number of the detective working a particular crime. If the criminals themselves get that leaflet, great.

Chris McKaskell · Post by **Chris McKaskell** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:23 pm

Thanks, Everyone - all good ideas and thoughts.

I've been going around and casually canvassing other neighbours which has been empowering - I'm certainly not alone with my concerns.

One thing: this is Canada -- which means gun control -- which means that probably none of my law abiding neighbours have guns (I certainly do not), but the bad guys might.

It also means that the law prevents citizens from carrying weapons of any kind.

So, reprisals aside the best way forward likely resembles a version of Bill's post.

By canvassing I set forth to open comunications with other concerned residents. This was successful and informative. We all agreed to call the police about any 'suspicious activity'.

Since I posted yesterday there have already been three calls from different people reporting 'suspicious activity'.

Speaking with one of the officers I got the idea that they liked having an excuse to come by and check out the neighbourhood! I don't think they want these people in their division any more than I do.

I've also spoken with my family about what to do if they even think hear gunfire.

What next? I'm not sure - I need to review our home security and protocols, touch base with neighbours again, and think about the next move.

The fellows in question rent their space (from a fellow with a reputation for being a slumlord) -- so it's much easier for them to move, and I believe if it gets more and more uncomfortable for them that's exactly what they will do -- they only just moved in, so they're not exactly settled.

Perhaps a buddy of mine in the city building dept. might also have some ideas....

jorvik · Post by **jorvik** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:28 pm

I figured that Canada was pretty much the same as the UK but we are a lot further down that road. Folks are frightened to intervene in case they are arrested by the police here

.. and the crims have nothing to fear, you get about 7years prison for murder here

( on average)

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 12:09 am

Chris McKaskell wrote:
The fellows in question rent their space (from a fellow with a reputation for being a slumlord) -- so it's much easier for them to move, and I believe if it gets more and more uncomfortable for them that's exactly what they will do -- they only just moved in, so they're not exactly settled.

Perhaps a buddy of mine in the city building dept. might also have some ideas....

I live in an affluent suburb outside a major city. It isn't THE most expensive subdivision, but we're all doing OK.

More importantly, it is in an area where the public schools are the best. That attracts people with money and influence.

A developer had problems selling one of the last houses in the neighborhood which happened to have a back yard near a major highway. There were woods to keep the scenery right, but the highway noise was a deterrent. So he leased it to an outfit that ran these "halfway houses." Great... Virginia law protects them, and gave us few rights. Virginia law for such homes superseded our neighborhood covenants. They were almost untouchable. Almost...

But you know... Every time one of those residents did the slightest thing wrong, we made life hell for the landlord. No matter how small the infraction - and we got REALLY good at finding them - we'd call the police or file a suit against the landlord. We didn't win many battles, but... Drip, drip, drip, drip...

In the end for the landlord, it was about the money. We made life so miserable and cost him so much time that he decided it wasn't worth it. Next time the lease was up, he booted them. Then he sold the place to a homeowner.

For the landlord, it's about the money. Always keep that in mind. Maybe you can contact him, and find out he wants to do the right thing. If not, you can always find other ways to get his attention.

Also remember that your best friends in this battle will be the homeowners. They have skin in the game here. Crime affects property values. Even if someone wants to leave, they'll lose money selling if the neighborhood has a reputation. Convince all homeowners that they really want to get things cleaned up. You'll find a receptive audience if you approach them the right way.

- Bill

jorvik · Post by **jorvik** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 9:45 am

Would that work in Canada though?.it sure as heck wouldn't work in the UK.
Folks tend to forget that there are different cultures and attitudes here.

JimHawkins · Post by **JimHawkins** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 10:49 am

I'd set up some video surveillance for starters--the options are endless. If you are vigilant you may well capture some good evidence.. If you collect the right evidence and a significant amount, the cops will likely be glad to have it and make use of it..

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:50 am

jorvik wrote:
Would that work in Canada though?.it sure as heck wouldn't work in the UK.

People aren't that different from place to place, Ray. They act like sheeple until someone takes on a leadership role and refuses to act like a victim.

I refuse to believe this "wouldn't work in the UK" Ray. I leave you with a few quotes from Sir Winston Churchill

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

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All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.

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An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.

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Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

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Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.

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Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others.

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I never worry about action, but only about inaction.

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It is more agreeable to have the power to give than to receive.

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It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.

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Never, never, never give up.

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This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.

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You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.

That is not the voice of a victim, Ray. That is not the sound of cowardice, or of indifference. These words were spoken by a leader who expected his people to follow and do great things.

- Bill