- Joined
- Nov 14, 2019
On December 13, 2021, a day like any other in the last 3 months. I go for a jog with my earbuds in, through the neighborhood, and once again I hear the new guy racing his shitty little car down the street. He'd been doing this for 3 months. He'd been living there for 3 months. As I round the corner to the left, and he rounds the corner to the right, he speeds up, after-fires, and seems to floor it down the street, so I [REDACTED FOR LEGAL REASONS] and after lying to me again and again, he sped off, making his noise, as he does. With 2 old ladies, neighbors by the scene, who had came out in the commotion to give me immediate support, one of whom who's small dog allegedly had been hit and killed by this maniac.
I had been instructed that morning to, after my father, 70 years old and retired, came home from the police station. He had tried to file a report but had been given a run-around, handed a card, and told to take a picture of the perpetrator's license plate. He hadn't slept more than 2 hours that entire weekend thanks to our attention whore of a new neighbor. So off on a jog I went.
Now that you're caught up on the back-drop, here's where this story gets a little crazy. After having all my worst suspicions, and more, confirmed by these lovely ladies, I received a few attaboys before jogging off in the direction he went. I stopped my running, and happily so as I was glistening with sweat, and walked down the suspected street. As I turned the corner I see a woman standing in her driveway about a third of the way down, so I wave at her.
"Ma'am!" I shout politely as I walk, "Do you happen to know which house has the really loud after-firing car?" "You'd better not come here" she says scornfully "Oh, it's this house, ma'am I mean you utmost respect, I'm just-" I was cut off by him opening his screen door, pistol, in holster, in hand. "Get the fuck off my property" He says with the loudest boast he can muster "I'm not on your property" I say, as I take a picture of his license plate, as requested of my father, by the policeman, just that morning.
"You must be one of those [REDACTED] motherfuckers" implying I was from one of the nicest parts of the county, the man who's lived in the neighborhood just 3 months goes on, "Don't come around here with your AIDS infested ass" and as I walk away, turning back, I shout "You must have syphilis with your bald-head" and then mosey on, undisturbed, happy with my successful mission and only slightly shaken up by the gun I willfully ignored, knowing my rights and that there was a cop's house, likely with cameras, right across the street.
So I walk back, turn the corner, and meet the ladies who've been spectating from just in sights-reach around the house-line. After explaining the situation, and slowly walking back to where the ladies' houses were, we talked under a driveway awning for quite some time before I notice a cop car come around the corner of the main-street intersection. Assuming, as I tend to do, I slowly and casually walked back up to the curb, as she slowed down, parked, got out and walked up. As another pulls up behind her.
Now I'll spare you the more laborious details of the on-sight police report I was forced to make on my own behalf, but I will state that I was grilled pretty mercilessly by one of them about whether or not I was actually on his property in any way shape or form, through which I deftly maneuvered, despite having what seemed like legitimate interrogation tactics employed on me. Mind you, I was making sure that my report of the gun, in holster, was defensive, emphasizing I utterly defend his right to defensively posture on his property. I'll always maintain the right I, myself, wouldn't want to lose out of basic self interest, let along greater good. When the grilling was over, it has seemed another policeman, the one from the house, had arrived, recently home from work.
After giving the police their details, the ladies finally waved me goodbye and started walking back down the street, while I stay, still shirt-less, standing at-ease, right-hand-over-left. About 5 minutes pass until I overhear the cop who lives in the neighborhood say "..and he's only been here 3 months", which causes my ears to perk up and blood to starting pumping faster. "Excuse me" I say lightly, while positioning myself closer to the trio's eyeline, raising my right hand up and open in a hailing manner, and as I notice the male cop's head turn, I slowly but casually start walking, arm still raised but now with a pointing-up hand, "I hate to eavesdrop, but did I happen to hear you say he's only been living here for three months?? " I emphasize, while coming to a stop a full 8 feet away from the closest member of the trio, now partially facing me.
"Yeah, he's been living here 3 months", the male cop says "I got this though, you don't need to worry about it." But I would be worrying about it, and after politely pressing my own case for getting a community action petition going for the noise, and receiving some soft-hearted discouragements, but no disavowals on the issue, I ended the conversation politely, after being sure I was free to go in a way that doesn't involve that classic line cops hate to hear. So I walk back to the ladies, talk to them a little bit more, then head back home, piss and vinegar in my veins, ready to act on this, since the cops have let the opportunity arise over the 3 months it's been happening.
My drafted letter would read as follows:
Informal Complaint on Noise Ordinance
For 3 months, the man at [REDACTED] has resided, and for 3 months, the noise in the neighborhood at all hours of the night, and every day of the week, has been disruptive. Babies, the elderly, children getting the sleep they need to face the chaos of school, disable people who already are annoyed by constrictions, everyone else that must get up for work when our neighborhood, and connected street, is being used as a drag strip.
We ask for you to act on their behalf
Maintain the peace
and, after putting on my finest concert outfit, fluffing up my clothes and hitting them with a lint roller for that extra fresh fit. I grabbed a pen, my grandpa's war memoirs flying a Superfortress and other, smaller planes in WW2, as a clipboard, and headed off with my petition.
So down the road I go, petition in-hand, song in-heart, ready to hear how my neighbors feel. Some time passes, many signatures are gotten, and I start to really understand how like-minded my neighbors are in this, especially the ones closest to the intersections he guns it at. As the afternoon passes into night, I'm on my way home when I hear his car again. He comes around the corner, and an extremely astute and polite black man who had rejected my petition earlier, walking his little dog in the proper part of the road. They don't have sidewalks, you see. I'm coming around a car on the street, so I'm in the middle of the road, and he, instead of yielding to pedestrians as he is legally required to do, guns it, after firing right next to the man, who was on the phone, as he does it.
I see him come within 6 inches of smushing the dog going at least 20 miles an hour. I remember how there was another dog he had allegedly hit and killed in the 3 months he had lived here. So I [REDACTED FOR LEGAL PURPOSES] and say "Slow down buddy" "Slow down buddy" in a very confident and jovial way. He screams at the top of his weak, pathetic lungs "I'M NOT BREAKING ANY LAWS" before I get one last "Slow down buddy" and smile in. Indignant, he floors it in 1st, after firing so hard it seems to seriously fuck with his engine, I smell firecrackers, and he rips off as soon as his car allows him.
So I got the black man's signature, after hearing "That's who you were talking about? Yeah, he definitely shouldn't be doing that" we wished each other a good night and walked different ways. I figured I'd make the rounds one more time, sore feet from this extremely long day and all, just in case the police were to be called again by this childish man. Lo-and-Behold, 2 cops' cars came down one of the less-frequented streets I was walking on, not 15 minutes after this event. I was lit up with the floodlight on the side of the car, pointed at my eyes, and raised my left hand up in a greeting manner, not blocking my eyes from the light, making sure to stop walking toward the car the second the car itself comes to a stop and wait with my hands clearly visible.
Eventually the light clicks off, and a half black cop steps out, with the nicer lady cop from earlier coming out of her car behind him. I'm given the business, and they repeatedly tried to get me to confirm his accusations. I told them "I was walking down the street, gathering my petitions, not breaking any laws, sir." and after a thoughtful instruction from the lady cop, making sure I know not to do anything illegal or touch anyone's property, I say, "Yes ma'am" and after being asked one last question by her "Are you on any medications?" I say, truthfully, "No, clean, clear and sober. However I will say I had a shot of tequila 4 day ago" and smile at my own truthfulness. Let's break the immersion for a second for a little instruction. DO NOT DO THIS. DO NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES tell the police you've previously been on drugs or alcohol, you open yourself up for allowing them to say 'he told us he'd been drinking so we brought him to the tank' or, even worse 'he admitted he's got a drinking problem and is starting trouble, might be in withdrawals'. Know your rights, you don't have to stonewall the cops but you don't have to be mouthy either, cops don't like that shit on top of it not doing you any good.
Before the black cop gets back in his car, they look at each other and he says, "yup, we'll let him go", then turns back to me and says, "Don't go poking yourself into other peoples' business, you might end up getting shot. You don't want that do you?" My smile immediately dropped to a
as I said "No sir, that is not at all my intention." They get back into their cars and I wish the lady cop an extra warm good night, and the steel in her tone as she wished me a good night gave me hope for the future and wind in my sail. So back home I go.
Well that's how I spent my Monday, and every day after was filled with the same steam, love from my neighbors, and significantly less police. Recently, as he saw me walking down the street, he said he was going to get the police on my ass over harassing his family. Mind you, I've showed his girl nothing but the utmost respect, have never seen his child and have nothing but love for them. But I will be making sure this man's car doesn't hurt anyone else's dog, scare any other vets with PTSD, annoy any other 5 month old babies, or peoples' children. So far I've collected 26 signatures, including 2 unsigned go-aheads from the lady who's dog was killed and a man with a bad cold, from just the side of the neighborhood he lives on. I have made friends with probably half of that part of my neighborhood, heard expressions and sentiments ranging from wanting to knock his teeth out to wanted to see him hung, and have assured everyone I've come across that we'll all be putting our foot down together, when I send this off to the senior commissioner. Now I'm not trying to get this man kicked out at Christmas, I doubt very seriously he's that good a father, but I'm not cruel, nor do I think that is the American way. What we're going to be attempting to achieve here is a noise petition. In 2012 the Supreme Court of Florida ruled that noise ordinances were unconstitutional. Well various other areas have instated local ordinances since then. Such as counties that are far worse off than ours. I'm going to present the facts that, just as someone doesn't have a constitutional right to set a boombox next to your mailbox and blare Cher at maximum volume all night, nor does any individual deserve the right to deliberately after fire with their unmuffled muscle car at 3-4-5 in the morning. Thanks for staying with me this far.
Why am I posting this you might wonder? It serves 2 distinct purposes. Firstly, to catalog an event that seemed very suspicious from my point of view, that a new, hellion of a neighbor, can move in right across the street from a cop, torment everybody and manage to invoke the police twice over me standing in the street. Secondly, to encourage each and every one of you, to know your rights, know the local laws, stand up for what is right, breath life into your community where you can, and realize that good, though slow to mature, will always drown out the bad. Even in our own minds. We just simply have to let it. That's not to be a gullible simp who loves, trusts, and subsequently falls for everything. Nor do you need to be an utter nihilist, everyone has had a healthy level of skepticism raised thanks to coronavirus. Right now is the time to let the energy well up in your chest, be brave, and let God work through you. I know you all can grasp this concept.
I had been instructed that morning to, after my father, 70 years old and retired, came home from the police station. He had tried to file a report but had been given a run-around, handed a card, and told to take a picture of the perpetrator's license plate. He hadn't slept more than 2 hours that entire weekend thanks to our attention whore of a new neighbor. So off on a jog I went.
Now that you're caught up on the back-drop, here's where this story gets a little crazy. After having all my worst suspicions, and more, confirmed by these lovely ladies, I received a few attaboys before jogging off in the direction he went. I stopped my running, and happily so as I was glistening with sweat, and walked down the suspected street. As I turned the corner I see a woman standing in her driveway about a third of the way down, so I wave at her.
"Ma'am!" I shout politely as I walk, "Do you happen to know which house has the really loud after-firing car?" "You'd better not come here" she says scornfully "Oh, it's this house, ma'am I mean you utmost respect, I'm just-" I was cut off by him opening his screen door, pistol, in holster, in hand. "Get the fuck off my property" He says with the loudest boast he can muster "I'm not on your property" I say, as I take a picture of his license plate, as requested of my father, by the policeman, just that morning.
"You must be one of those [REDACTED] motherfuckers" implying I was from one of the nicest parts of the county, the man who's lived in the neighborhood just 3 months goes on, "Don't come around here with your AIDS infested ass" and as I walk away, turning back, I shout "You must have syphilis with your bald-head" and then mosey on, undisturbed, happy with my successful mission and only slightly shaken up by the gun I willfully ignored, knowing my rights and that there was a cop's house, likely with cameras, right across the street.
So I walk back, turn the corner, and meet the ladies who've been spectating from just in sights-reach around the house-line. After explaining the situation, and slowly walking back to where the ladies' houses were, we talked under a driveway awning for quite some time before I notice a cop car come around the corner of the main-street intersection. Assuming, as I tend to do, I slowly and casually walked back up to the curb, as she slowed down, parked, got out and walked up. As another pulls up behind her.
Now I'll spare you the more laborious details of the on-sight police report I was forced to make on my own behalf, but I will state that I was grilled pretty mercilessly by one of them about whether or not I was actually on his property in any way shape or form, through which I deftly maneuvered, despite having what seemed like legitimate interrogation tactics employed on me. Mind you, I was making sure that my report of the gun, in holster, was defensive, emphasizing I utterly defend his right to defensively posture on his property. I'll always maintain the right I, myself, wouldn't want to lose out of basic self interest, let along greater good. When the grilling was over, it has seemed another policeman, the one from the house, had arrived, recently home from work.
After giving the police their details, the ladies finally waved me goodbye and started walking back down the street, while I stay, still shirt-less, standing at-ease, right-hand-over-left. About 5 minutes pass until I overhear the cop who lives in the neighborhood say "..and he's only been here 3 months", which causes my ears to perk up and blood to starting pumping faster. "Excuse me" I say lightly, while positioning myself closer to the trio's eyeline, raising my right hand up and open in a hailing manner, and as I notice the male cop's head turn, I slowly but casually start walking, arm still raised but now with a pointing-up hand, "I hate to eavesdrop, but did I happen to hear you say he's only been living here for three months?? " I emphasize, while coming to a stop a full 8 feet away from the closest member of the trio, now partially facing me.
"Yeah, he's been living here 3 months", the male cop says "I got this though, you don't need to worry about it." But I would be worrying about it, and after politely pressing my own case for getting a community action petition going for the noise, and receiving some soft-hearted discouragements, but no disavowals on the issue, I ended the conversation politely, after being sure I was free to go in a way that doesn't involve that classic line cops hate to hear. So I walk back to the ladies, talk to them a little bit more, then head back home, piss and vinegar in my veins, ready to act on this, since the cops have let the opportunity arise over the 3 months it's been happening.
My drafted letter would read as follows:
Informal Complaint on Noise Ordinance
For 3 months, the man at [REDACTED] has resided, and for 3 months, the noise in the neighborhood at all hours of the night, and every day of the week, has been disruptive. Babies, the elderly, children getting the sleep they need to face the chaos of school, disable people who already are annoyed by constrictions, everyone else that must get up for work when our neighborhood, and connected street, is being used as a drag strip.
We ask for you to act on their behalf
Maintain the peace
and, after putting on my finest concert outfit, fluffing up my clothes and hitting them with a lint roller for that extra fresh fit. I grabbed a pen, my grandpa's war memoirs flying a Superfortress and other, smaller planes in WW2, as a clipboard, and headed off with my petition.
So down the road I go, petition in-hand, song in-heart, ready to hear how my neighbors feel. Some time passes, many signatures are gotten, and I start to really understand how like-minded my neighbors are in this, especially the ones closest to the intersections he guns it at. As the afternoon passes into night, I'm on my way home when I hear his car again. He comes around the corner, and an extremely astute and polite black man who had rejected my petition earlier, walking his little dog in the proper part of the road. They don't have sidewalks, you see. I'm coming around a car on the street, so I'm in the middle of the road, and he, instead of yielding to pedestrians as he is legally required to do, guns it, after firing right next to the man, who was on the phone, as he does it.
I see him come within 6 inches of smushing the dog going at least 20 miles an hour. I remember how there was another dog he had allegedly hit and killed in the 3 months he had lived here. So I [REDACTED FOR LEGAL PURPOSES] and say "Slow down buddy" "Slow down buddy" in a very confident and jovial way. He screams at the top of his weak, pathetic lungs "I'M NOT BREAKING ANY LAWS" before I get one last "Slow down buddy" and smile in. Indignant, he floors it in 1st, after firing so hard it seems to seriously fuck with his engine, I smell firecrackers, and he rips off as soon as his car allows him.
So I got the black man's signature, after hearing "That's who you were talking about? Yeah, he definitely shouldn't be doing that" we wished each other a good night and walked different ways. I figured I'd make the rounds one more time, sore feet from this extremely long day and all, just in case the police were to be called again by this childish man. Lo-and-Behold, 2 cops' cars came down one of the less-frequented streets I was walking on, not 15 minutes after this event. I was lit up with the floodlight on the side of the car, pointed at my eyes, and raised my left hand up in a greeting manner, not blocking my eyes from the light, making sure to stop walking toward the car the second the car itself comes to a stop and wait with my hands clearly visible.
Eventually the light clicks off, and a half black cop steps out, with the nicer lady cop from earlier coming out of her car behind him. I'm given the business, and they repeatedly tried to get me to confirm his accusations. I told them "I was walking down the street, gathering my petitions, not breaking any laws, sir." and after a thoughtful instruction from the lady cop, making sure I know not to do anything illegal or touch anyone's property, I say, "Yes ma'am" and after being asked one last question by her "Are you on any medications?" I say, truthfully, "No, clean, clear and sober. However I will say I had a shot of tequila 4 day ago" and smile at my own truthfulness. Let's break the immersion for a second for a little instruction. DO NOT DO THIS. DO NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES tell the police you've previously been on drugs or alcohol, you open yourself up for allowing them to say 'he told us he'd been drinking so we brought him to the tank' or, even worse 'he admitted he's got a drinking problem and is starting trouble, might be in withdrawals'. Know your rights, you don't have to stonewall the cops but you don't have to be mouthy either, cops don't like that shit on top of it not doing you any good.
Before the black cop gets back in his car, they look at each other and he says, "yup, we'll let him go", then turns back to me and says, "Don't go poking yourself into other peoples' business, you might end up getting shot. You don't want that do you?" My smile immediately dropped to a
as I said "No sir, that is not at all my intention." They get back into their cars and I wish the lady cop an extra warm good night, and the steel in her tone as she wished me a good night gave me hope for the future and wind in my sail. So back home I go.Well that's how I spent my Monday, and every day after was filled with the same steam, love from my neighbors, and significantly less police. Recently, as he saw me walking down the street, he said he was going to get the police on my ass over harassing his family. Mind you, I've showed his girl nothing but the utmost respect, have never seen his child and have nothing but love for them. But I will be making sure this man's car doesn't hurt anyone else's dog, scare any other vets with PTSD, annoy any other 5 month old babies, or peoples' children. So far I've collected 26 signatures, including 2 unsigned go-aheads from the lady who's dog was killed and a man with a bad cold, from just the side of the neighborhood he lives on. I have made friends with probably half of that part of my neighborhood, heard expressions and sentiments ranging from wanting to knock his teeth out to wanted to see him hung, and have assured everyone I've come across that we'll all be putting our foot down together, when I send this off to the senior commissioner. Now I'm not trying to get this man kicked out at Christmas, I doubt very seriously he's that good a father, but I'm not cruel, nor do I think that is the American way. What we're going to be attempting to achieve here is a noise petition. In 2012 the Supreme Court of Florida ruled that noise ordinances were unconstitutional. Well various other areas have instated local ordinances since then. Such as counties that are far worse off than ours. I'm going to present the facts that, just as someone doesn't have a constitutional right to set a boombox next to your mailbox and blare Cher at maximum volume all night, nor does any individual deserve the right to deliberately after fire with their unmuffled muscle car at 3-4-5 in the morning. Thanks for staying with me this far.
Why am I posting this you might wonder? It serves 2 distinct purposes. Firstly, to catalog an event that seemed very suspicious from my point of view, that a new, hellion of a neighbor, can move in right across the street from a cop, torment everybody and manage to invoke the police twice over me standing in the street. Secondly, to encourage each and every one of you, to know your rights, know the local laws, stand up for what is right, breath life into your community where you can, and realize that good, though slow to mature, will always drown out the bad. Even in our own minds. We just simply have to let it. That's not to be a gullible simp who loves, trusts, and subsequently falls for everything. Nor do you need to be an utter nihilist, everyone has had a healthy level of skepticism raised thanks to coronavirus. Right now is the time to let the energy well up in your chest, be brave, and let God work through you. I know you all can grasp this concept.
