So the drug addict 13 year old next door has a gun...

[Mosinguy]

Unidentified SUV in front of our house. No one in the house but me cares. That is the reason why things like this happen for so long, people are too lazy to call the police and hope things get better.

 

[Echelon]

Unidentified SUV in front of our house. No one in the house but me cares. That is the reason why things like this happen for so long, people are too lazy to call the police and hope things get better.

On the street, or in your driveway? People park in front of my house every now and then... part of living in the City I guess.

 

[Mosinguy]

On the street, or in your driveway? People park in front of my house every now and then... part of living in the City I guess.

They are on the street. I wouldn't have a problem if it was someone visiting someone else here and they had no driveway space. BUT, seeing how all driveways except the suspected dealer's driveway are empty it is suspicious.

 

[Mosinguy]

Stepmom is *****ing at me now about anything I do because I called the cops. Seems she only cares when the neighbors destroy our stuff, or when it's too late to prevent anything.

 

[ultra...good]

Hey man, don't take this the wrong way. If I remember correctly, you are 17, live with your dad and step mom, and still in high school?

You need to come up with a plan to get yourself out of there. I don't know if you are graduating in the next few months but if you are, get out. Go off to college in the fall or if not find a job and move out on your own. If you do not graduate until next year, then find something to keep yourself occupied and out of the house. A part time job or 2. Library, girlfriends, volunteer work, whatever keeps you out of there.

It is tough watching people you care about get pushed around by others. I have been there quite a few times. I always tried the same thing you are trying to do and all it ever did was drive wedge in between myself and the person I was trying to watch out for. What I found to work was to let the person deal with the situation they were in, and always be available to help, IF THEY ASKED ME FOR HELP. Other then that, I stayed out of it.

I know, you live there and have to see it everyday. It is tough, believe me I know. You have already seen how you trying to do what you see as best is only causing problems between you and your family. Do yourself a favor and come up with a plan for your life and how you are going to move on with it. You have your whole life ahead of you,take full advantage of that.
Just my opinion.

 

[ultra...good]

Had another thought about this issue. Doe your local police department have a youth auxiliary? No better way to get close to law enforcement at your age.

 

[mrjarrell]

Going to war with your neighbours may not work out the way you want it to. MYOB is a good way live. If they're not affecting you directly, leave it alone. My old neighbours son used to sit on their deck and smoke dope with his friends. None of my business. He used to ride his dirt bike through his own yard and up and down the road. None of my business. I managed to not have any wars with them and when they moved there was no animosity. That wasn't any of my business either. Don't go to war if it doesn't affect you.

 

[Mosinguy]

Going to war with your neighbours may not work out the way you want it to. MYOB is a good way live. If they're not affecting you directly, leave it alone. My old neighbours son used to sit on their deck and smoke dope with his friends. None of my business. He used to ride his dirt bike through his own yard and up and down the road. None of my business. I managed to not have any wars with them and when they moved there was no animosity. That wasn't any of my business either. Don't go to war if it doesn't affect you.

Well...they do affect us. They tear up our yard, they take out our lights to do their deals, they screw with our vehicles, and they poisoned one of our dogs. Not going to sit back and let them do as they please.

 

[chezuki]

You seem to make a lot of accusations with little to no proof or even evidence. IIRC, you believe the neighbor "poisoned your dog" out of jealousy because you got an old beater truck to fix up? And you came to this conclusion because you found a jolly-rancher wrapper in your yard. Your parents don't seem concerned, the police don't seem concerned. The only one looking for drama seems to be you.

 

[MikeDVB]

If they are unbalanced, breaking the law, etc. DO NOT use your cell phone to video them where they can see you.
Discrete surveillance cameras and dvr, or trail cameras.

This is true, if you're afraid they'll do something drastic as a result. I have neighbors that never take out their trash and literally have a 'mountain' of trash on their back deck... I can smell it from my place so I took some pictures from my property (fully within my rights)... Neighbor comes out and starts yelling and screaming at me to go back in my house - ignored him. Switched to video though to catch any threats.

At the end of the day, though, you do still have to live next to them.

 

[Mosinguy]

You seem to make a lot of accusations with little to no proof or even evidence. IIRC, you believe the neighbor "poisoned your dog" out of jealousy because you got an old beater truck to fix up? And you came to this conclusion because you found a jolly-rancher wrapper in your yard. Your parents don't seem concerned, the police don't seem concerned. The only one looking for drama seems to be you.

My proof is listening to him on the bus brag about his "accomplishments" to his "friends". Not to mention my truck was messed with around the same time (things moved around trying to find valuables). The parents aren't concerned because they rather watch tv. What else causes dogs to foam at the mouth, yelp when you touch them, and puke so much all they can do is dry heave? The dog was in such bad condition she died from the shot they use to calm down the dogs before they give them the big one. The police are concerned very much and that's as far as I'll go about that on this board. They'd love for me to get cameras but when the parents don't care enough to be proactive about this that bill is going to fall on me. I don't have an extra $600+ sitting in my pocket.

Who else sir, in my neighborhood of mostly middle aged couples with young children and senior adults, could be screwing around with our stuff? You must know the answer.

 

[45calibre]

your one of "those" neighbors

 

[Mosinguy]

your one of "those" neighbors

Elaborate please. I'm the guy who doesn't let the druggies next door have their way with our property? I'm a real party pooper.

 

[churchmouse]

HHhhmmmm..........We must be some of "Those neighbors" as well.

 

[Libertarian01]

To MosinGuy,

You are catching a bit of heat on here but I want to convey that I believe most folks on here want the best for you and your family, so the comments and criticisms on here are meant only in a positive light.

The limitations of a forum or email or texting do not allow for a great deal of communication. We loose facial expressions, voice tone, and body language to mention just a few. So know that we all feel for your frustration.

As I see it you are in a state of a cold war, potentially. If, and I stress IF, all of your presumptions are correct then at best you have really y neighbors. At worst they are very dangerous criminals who are not afraid to escalate.

My concern is that you appear to be wanting to escalate a cold war into a hot war. This can be very dangerous for both sides. However, you may well with a good, stable, caring and loving family have more to loose than the McCoy's next door who are only concerned with how to make their next deal.

As I said before, if you start a war there is no way you get to control how it ends or even if it ends. Japan declared war on the United States on December the 7th, 1941 and look how it ended for them.

By your own admission you are tryng to go to war without ammunition, that being tangible proof that could be used in a court of law. Such proof beyond your reach as you have stated you "don't have an extra $600 sitting in your pocket." And even IF you had the money and spent it well doesn't mean you would get anything out of it. Criminals are very short sighted but they are clever and malicious. A guy with a mask and a paint gun can easily take out a camera he knows about without ever being able to prove who was wearing the mask.

The problem you are facing is that you have a dilemma and limited power to solve the dilemma. Perhaps your parents are better than you at reading the real nature of your neighbors and have decided that to protect themselves and their family they are taking the MYOB tack instead of escalating to what they percieve/know to be a very dangerous position.

Sometimes we all must face the reality that surrender is a better option than the others on the plate.

My godmother had drug dealing neighbors. For the most part in her situation they tried not to rock the boat as they wanted little attention drawn to their activities. Criminals know that attention brings Uncle LEO brings small rooms with lousy beds. Your neighbors may not, from your description, be so bright, which may make them all the more dangerous.

My only input here is to really step back and take your time to think about things. I mean months!!! Consider what they are doing and when they are doing it. Consider their personality and demeanor. Think about how dangerous a person could be who, with impunity, will poison animals and break into vehicles in open observation.

Seek input from local law enforcement about the best techniques to deal with these problem neighbors. Be prepaired for a lack of interest from LE. Not out of any malice on their parts, but LE has to prioritize what they are doing. Take heart that perhaps LE is already working against them undercover and may blow you off on the surface while under cover is moving to get rid of your problem without any help from you. You never know.

Here is a hypothetical: You start making all sorts of waves, some effective and others not so. Your neighbors to retaliate set your house on fire. They are caught and sent to jail. In the meantime some of your family may suffer serious wounds and loose irreplaceable family heirlooms. All for... Light bulbs, truck broken into, and the dog? You win the battle and the war but at what cost? How would you feel in that situation? Was poking the hornets nest worth the price?

Sometimes it is!!! Sometimes we need to say to hell with it and smack the hornets nest with a giant baseball bat and reap the whirlwind.

I just want you to find a place in your mind of absolute clarity of thought before grabbing the baseball bat.

Regards,

Doug

PS - Again, take all of this with the tone of someone trying to force thought and be helpful to your plight without talking you into or out of action or inaction.

 

[Gabriel]

What can I do about it? He likes to take it outside with his friends and shows it off. I wouldn't care if I didn't already know these people and how the whole family does drugs and makes life for everyone in the neighborhood miserable (the boy screams profanities outside to see who'll yell at him so he can threaten them, he messes up gardens, destroys house lights, the dad and his drug friends will unscrew the neighbor's yard lights at night when they do drug deals outside his house, etc.). What can the police do about it? And how do I leave a tip anonymously? I don't need/want to start some sort of neighbor war especially when the family next door will go as far as poisoning our dogs for telling the kid to stay out of the yard.

What part of "shall not be infringed" do you not understand?

 

[indyjs]

Hypothetical
You start a war.
They burn down your house and your Dad is killed.
How do you feel, where do you live ?

 

[MikeDVB]

Hypothetical
You start a war.
They burn down your house and your Dad is killed.
How do you feel, where do you live ?

While I understand what you're saying ... but...
The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing

I'm not saying start a war, but if nothing was ever done about criminal activities... where would we be? What good are laws if said laws aren't enforced? None of this is to say that the OP has enough information for law enforcement [or anybody] to actually do anything as most of it sounds like hearsay.

To make a different example - what if you walked up on a man raping a woman... In it's simplest form you have two options: (A) Assist and possibly put yourself at risk or (B) Do nothing [on the order of calling the police... they show up after the crime is over].

You have to weigh the risks and look at all possible outcomes and then make an informed decision. It may or may not be worth it.

 

[indyjs]

He is not the property owner or the responsible adult. He can move, his parents are stuck in whatever mess he starts.
Passionate idealism is no substitute for experience
If HE has a problem, He needs to move
17 or not, he can self emancipate
Not to mention the sh22storm he will cause for his father and stepmom

Ah - the joys of stepchildren. If mine did this, he would be finding a new place to live pronto
Just trying to help. Sorry I can't take your side

 

[MikeDVB]

He is not the property owner or the responsible adult. He can move, his parents are stuck in whatever mess he starts.

So because he is not 18, he is powerless to affect change? If you call 911 do they check and make sure you're 18 before they see what is wrong?

Passionate idealism is no substitute for experience

I never suggested that it was. You're telling him do not do anything where I'm simply saying that one needs to make an educated decision after weighing the outcomes. I'm not saying he should do something any more than I'm saying he shouldn't do something. You, on the other hand, are telling him what he should do.

If HE has a problem, He needs to move
17 or not, he can self emancipate

Sure, and that is one option among many. Just because I said that he can do something doesn't mean it had to be what others here have suggested.

Not to mention the sh22storm he will cause for his father and stepmom

There are a lot of possible outcomes, and even possible negative consequences of doing nothing.