Up until about fourteen years ago, we lived on a nice quiet street, actually a 'drive'. It has a war memorial at the end, which the street loops around. Likewise, the other three streets that go off have similar loops. There are 28, two story homes in our gated development. We have ordinances, rules, agreements, contracts, etc., that make everyone live in perfect harmony.
This was your typical Pleasantville of rural housing developments. Then, one evening in February of 1994, all hell broke loose. We had a blizzard that night. So the neighborhood association in all its infinite wisdom got this bright idea to shut off the fire hydrants so they didn't freeze, even though they had never done this before, or had any problems with that. Around comes 2AM.. It's a long story, but it all leads to the demise of the association.
I hear this "POP" like a balloon and glass. We make our way onto the deck, no cars, the streets haven't even been plowed yet. Didn't see anything else, or hear anything. Ten minutes go by, the power goes out. We have underground lines. About a half hour later, we can hear this snapping and just a roar sound. Go outside again, this time we trudge out to the street, at least three feet of snow. No lights, snowing like hell, the glow gives it away. Our neighbors house was on fire, she was using a forced air propane 'salamander' heater in the bedroom... We were hearing this propane tank vent. The house was really rockin, I mean the second floor was fully engulfed by flames. A quick phone call later, and the fire siren was going off.. They got there fast, but couldn't get into the development, at all. The roads were covered with 3-10 feet of snow, drifted. They got the idea to drag in hose with snowmobiles and operate off the fire hydrants. Can't do that, they're shut off, all of them. We can't find the Assoc. Public Works guy, he isn't home, the water lines don't use a conventional main key. So, we can't turn the hydrants on until they find what the works guy did with their unique key. If that wasn't bad enough, we couldn't find the fire hydrants either. It's amazing how lost you get in so much snow.
At this point, they couldn't even plow the street b/c of how heavy the snow was. So, realizing we were screwed, we took our valuable stuff out of the house and put it in our concrete pool house, b/c it has metal siding and roof. The wind carried the fire to eight other homes, including ours. By the time they got a fire truck on scene, all but one was collapsed.
The house where the fire started, the woman died, what was left of her was in the cellar, next to this massive jet-engine looking propane heater.
Her son sued the Association for $43M (yes.. million) in a wrongful death suit, and WON...
The Association went bankrupt, and sold out real cheap. We moved to the end of the street, where they were only two homes left. Where the eight homes burned is now a small community like building, w/ an association meeting hall, and then a park.
All of what we agreed to do to live in harmony has pretty much gone down the drain. While we do have more land, we still had a neighbor... If the homes weren't so nice, and spacious, we would have moved. But, financially, we had to stay. Anyhoo.. The neighbors.
An elderly couple lived in the home, they were only there two months a year.. They were so nice, like grandparents to us. One passed away, the other stayed in Florida.
A man and a woman moved in. Prior rules only allowed families, married, with two children; to buy homes.
I guess the new folks lost that page. They had six children, four black, two a little of both, and they were both white. The man was local, kind of white trash; the woman was from North Carolina, a really fake deep southern voice. Right from the start, we had problems. I don't care if they're black, white, red, or orange; married or gay. I just want peace and quiet, and to be left alone; and I signed a contract that said I could have that. They signed a contract affording them the same privilege's and that they would uphold that to everyone else.
While they were moving in, there was a massive, portable radio 'boom box' outside playing vile rap music.
I didn't say anything, at all, I left them to move in. Two weeks later, they were still moving in I guess, b/c every day that vile rap music was playing.
One night, like a quarter to midnight, stuff starts to vibrate. I went outside, and they must assume I enjoy this, so they start dancing -at me-, and turn it up louder. I motion, and plug my ears, and shake my head 'NO".
This means louder to them. I close the door, and I can feel the bass in my chest, it was so loud. I called the association, years ago, someone would have answered. I got a machine. I just let it record the sound, and finally said, my contract says this won't happen.
I called the police. They came quickly, b/c they could barely hear me.
The second a cop car comes into view, the noise stops.
Cop leaves.
Knock at my door.. 1:30am.. I look through the hole, I hear.. "you know exactly who the fuck it is". I said, with that attitude, I'm not going to speak with you.
The music goes back on. I call the police again, explain what took place. They come with two unmarked cars, no headlights. Walk up to the boom box, which is now outside, alone, all their lights are off. The police shut it off, knock on the door.. Nobody answers. Two more cars arrive, lights flashing, the association president (which no longer holds any meaning of grandeur) shows up. He thinks I'm over reacting, I threaten to sue them for breach of contract if they allow this to continue. Loud music, every day, all day. I don't even own a radio, except what in my car.
The cops leave. They come out, turn the radio back on and wheel it inside. Then shut it off. At this point, I'm worn out and probably hypertensive.
I go to work. Come home, my mail is laying on the porch, with a letter. Asking me to please install a mail box, or my mail will be held. WTF. I work as an EMT, so I had a nifty little ambulance -shaped mail box, I went through a lot just to put that up. I walk to the curb.. It's gone, post and all. I wait till morning, and call the state police. My mail box was stolen. They come out, look around, can't do much, suggest I get a generic mailbox.
I get one, install it. Next morning.. It's gone. Call the police again, they question the poor innocent neighbors, of course they never saw anything. There has never been any crime on the street before, until they move in, but this is all just a coincidence.
I get a P.O. Box.
Two weeks go by, I find my ambulance mailbox floating in the pool with some sort of fecal matter in it. I call the police, they take it for evidence. I have the pool drained, and cleaned.
I come home one day, all of their kids are in my pool. I ask them to leave, they say 'f__k off cracker, we go our own way". I called 9-1-1, asked for the police, I wasn't having on confrontation with racist children.
Several cars come, I refuse to let it go, and press charges on all of them. They broke a lock on my fence to get in. I ask, w/ all the police there, the parents.. What did I do to deserve all this harassment and abuse? The neighbors said, you're just in the way.. HOW?????????? because I hate rap music?
The next morning, I find my garage door open, and the cord to my volunteer EMT light on my pickup has been cut. They dragged the light across the paint, severely damaging the paint, but couldn't get the light off b/c it had four 150lb pull magnets. So, they use a tack hammer to break the light.
I called the police, I said I'm at the end of my rope here, They took finger prints.. Nothing ever came about. I went to SAM's Club and bought security cameras. I put them everywhere, up high, in my garage, pointing at the pool, etc. I installed lights, even street lights. I put about $10,000 into the system. I even went so far as to install a sensitive wire in the ground, to record when people walked onto the property. You may think I'm being a bit anal, but these people were driving me toward suicide. An
Click
here to Post Your Neighbor From Hell Story