Haunting the hood
Despite the fact that the individual in question moved, well his mother moved, a month or so ago, he still haunts the block like he still lives there. The individual is a teenager who hangs out with the crowd of other males wandering the streets. Occasionally, they will hang in one spot.They used to hang out in the yard of the house where he used to live, but the owner put up a no trespassing sign, well something more detailed than just "NO TRESSPASSING" but with the same gist. This helped when calling the cops because before, the cruiser would slowly drive by, look at them, then speed off. Big whoop. Now the sign is there in the window, they don't hold court in the yard no more.
Last night they opted to hang in front of B. and IT's house. I was home playing CIV III when I heard the crowd. I came out because I was concerned. Sometimes B. leaves his bike out on the sidewalk. He locks it, but they were all leaning in the spot where he leaves it. So I came out and decided that my yard needed attention.
I don't care for confrontation, unless you're on my fence then I'll say something, and so I did not speak to the crowd. I just puttered. Visible, noticeable, puttering. If needed, I could have engaged in my impression of loudmouth bubbie lawyer and get on my cell and scream like a crazy person. It is my front yard and I can do whatever the hell I want. Just then some neighbors came walking by, an end to their evening constitutional and we had a chat while the group of young men sauntered away. Seconds later, another neighbor came out and we gave a friendly holler at each other. We stayed out there till the crowd had settled down on the other, deserted end of the block.
Labels: neighbors, quality of life
posted by Mari @ 25.9.08
3 Comments:
ive got mixed feelings about this post I have to say. The kids arent doing anything bad, just hanging out? I think back to what I was doing as a teenager and it usually involved hanging out & some mild havoc. So eh, if they arent indulging in illicit substances, screaming bloody murder or trashing something...hey maybe they can be encouraged to keep an eye out for crime.
The kids who live on the block hang out scream bloody murder, act like complete idiots, flirt, chase each other, stomp on whatever is in treeboxes, yell insults at each other, etc and it doesn't cross my mind to call the cops (unless they are setting fire to something) on them.
The crowd in question ranged in the 16-21 age range and suspected of engaging in minor illegal activities (keying cars, vanadalism, intimidating other residents, blocking sidewalks) and they've been seen with the local friendly neighborhood drug dealer.
The time I called the cops was when the crowd was all in the yard of a newly vacant house. It's one thing to hang out and be angry at the world in front of your own house or your friends' houses, a whole nother thing if it is someone else's or vacant-soon to be taxed at a higher rate- houses.
Thanks for clarifying, totally different story then.
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