BogeyDope

So recently, a house in our neighborhood was foreclosed. As a result, the owners decided to rent this house out to a 'friend'. All seemed well until about a month ago, when it was noticed that there were only teenagers [11-15 years old] residing there, and that everyday, several cars would pull up, more teens would get out, go in, stay for a few hours, get out and leave.

The situation worsened when on weekends they would throw parties. Over two-three dozen teens [Keep in mind, once again, all are aged 11-18] were drinking alcohol, smoking, and doing what appeared to be "huffing" [they had drilled into their A/C unit, would release the Frion [SP] from the A/C into a ziplock bag, and huff it in]. The house to their left was empty, and the house to the right is occupied by a nice family who wanted to remain neutral.

Well, as with every neighborhood, there was always one woman who couldn't keep her nose out of it [even though she doesn't live in the vicinity], and she ended up calling the police, even though the neighors who live to their right did not want her to. The police arrived, arrested four teens [a fifth got away, it was a slow night], and alerted the neighbors to the right that the house was pretty much a drug house. It was rented out by a man. The man's girlfriend had teenagers, and he did not like them paticularily much, so he rented the house for them while he was touring Europe. The house turned into a drug house, within which Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers alike would come and buy drugs from. The police ended up letting the children go, presumbably sentencing them to a court date. None were arrested.


Now, the neighbor's to the right are paranoid and afraid that there might be retribution against them, and that they might be mistaken for the people who called the police [They wanted to, but they were afraid to]. They told me about how they're worried, and how they plan on getting a home security system.

So the main thing here is, in all honesty, what are the chances that a bunch of young teenagers, are going to attack their neighbors? Has anyone ever had experience with this sort of problem, or a similar problem with neighbors from hell [if so, please do share]? Is it just an irrational fear that I should help dispel, or is it a serious and viable threat to them?

Manic_Skafe

Whether or not they'll seek out some sort of revenge is entirely up to the children and while normal kids are unpredictable enough - I couldn't imagine what was racing through the minds of a group of kids who were doped up and stupid.

But if your neighborhood isn't in the sort of area where these things occur normally then I'd hope that they're smart enough to see that if anything does happen that it'll probably be assumed that they're culprits.

When it comes to domestic disputes, I mind my own business as long as there aren't any physical altercations. With a group of kids - everyone on that block should've been calling the cops....

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Fotzlid

I tend to think the threat would be minimal, but one never knows.
Getting the home security system might be a good idea if for no other reason than piece of mind for those neighbors.

Titan_Uranus

When I was still living at my Mom's house ,she had a police officer as a neighbour, so one Friday night, the dude decides to throw a little party for fellow workers, the problem was that they were all on duty and in uniform ,then one them threw up in our yard which set the dog off ,Mom goes out to check what's happening and gets verbally abused by him and his fellow pigs ,so I ended up calling the cops on the cops ,poetic justice.

Jinn

Calling them pigs does nothing for your cause, nor does it really relate to the story at all. It makes you sound like a disrespectful juvenile who doesn't realize how tough a police officer's job really is.

If you want to hate police officers, do it elsewhere.

To the OP: I doubt any violent retribution will occur, but continuing to let this "drug house" go unstopped will dramatically increase the chances that it will. Check out the "Broken Window Theory" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixing_Broken_Windows

The longer you continue to allow something like this to happen in your neighborhood, the more of it will start to appear. Frankly, I'd call the cops every time you see something illegal - huffing, drinking underage, etc. They'll either stop, or move their ruckus inside behind closed blinds. If the neighbors truly ARE worried about retribution, then they should seek to secure their house in whatever manner they see fit.

You should NEVER be bullied into not calling the police. They're there for a reason.

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pan6467

Depending on the area I doubt much besides some flat tires, maybe an egg thrown, some vandalism and some words said will be done. If the drug use is continuing the last thing they want is the cops there again.

Now that the police know about the house there's a high probability that the kids will find a new one. The police are probably watching that house now.

What's sad is the police didn't really do anything. I'm surprised Children's services did not get involved, in that the guy doesn't like his girlfriend's kids so is renting them a house while in Europe. If they aren't of age that should be seen as child abuse, if they are of age then they should be charged with something.

I know Ohio used to have a law that if you were a landlord and this type of thing happened, your property would be confiscated. It was made to prevent absentee landlords and slum lords from having dope houses.

If this continues it will lower the value of the properties in the area. One of the problems that allows for drug houses and meth labs in decent neighborhoods is the fact the neighbors are too scared to say anything. Well, if you have a bunch of stoned kids in the area, crime is going to go up, anyway. You got vandalism, breakins and so on because the kids need the money to buy. Neighbors need to be more vigilant, your home is the most expensive thing you will ever own so you need to protect the value. Allowing this to happen does not protect the value, it only lowers it.

Might I suggest a neighborhood crime watch and take your neighborhood back before it is too late.

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Tully Mars

Most stoned teenagers are to messed up to follow through on anything, but I'd sure keep an eye on it.

Personally I tend to stay out stuff like this unless someone is being seriously assaulted. But given the scenario you outline I might be compelled to act due to the possible property value loss due to such activities.

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ShaniFaye

I cant believe there were people that didnt want the cops called....kudos to the woman that DID call the cops, I def would have if it had been me

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Manic_Skafe

Realistically speaking, wouldn't pig be the most appropriate term?

Seriously, I think you over reacted a bit. Titan obviously had a bad experience with a few exceptionally rude cops and has reason enough to feel a certain amount of disdain toward those specific individuals.

I don't think he/she'll be firebombing his local precinct any time soon.

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Titan_Uranus

I agree with what Manic said ,no disrespect intended Jinn ,it's just that you get police officers and you get "police officers".

xepherys

To the OP:

I would say that there isn't TERRIBLY much to fear except some annoyance, unless it's not a great neighborhood to begin with. If the neighbors get together and are vigiliant, they can probably keep the house shut down from that sort of situation.

To Jinn:

I agree with Titan and Manic to the extent of what difference does it make what he calls them? The fuzz? The 5-0? Meh! I dislike cops in general because the few I've known were cocky, arrogant and not really very good at their job. Sure, there are good law officers out there. Maybe even the majority. The downside to such a high profile career is that one bad egg really fucks the whole henhouse. It's just like bad soldiers. Look at what's going on in Okinawa with the military lockdowns due to a bad egg going out and beating on a girl. *shrug* That's just how it works when you have "authority".

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Willravel

The day I'm scared of teenagers is the day my balls fall off.

The woman who called the cops did the right thing. Your neighborhood is likely in substantially less danger now that those stupid kids are gone.

Kahn

The chances of "retribution" in this scenario depend solely upon A) the children themselves, and any parent knows just how unpredictable they can be B) the neighborhood in which this took place .. if it is a "bad neighborhood" where this kind of thing happens frequently, expect the worst, and C) what the people who live in this neighborhood are willing to tolerate now that it has escalated to its current situation. Considering that there were neighbors who refused to get involved leads me to believe that unless those who are unafraid make a stand to these types of activity, it is only going to continue and might possibly get far worse. Jinn's reference to the broken window theory is very accurate and sensible.

My advice, make a stand and fight for the good of your neighborhood or expect things to deteriorate drastically.

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snowy

This is what I was thinking.

Keep the neighborhood well-lit, organize a neighborhood watch: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/neighborhood-watch, and make sure to lock your windows and doors. Some basic neighborhood safety tips: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/home-and-neighborhood-safety

Though I doubt the teens will follow through with anything, it's always best to err on the side of caution.

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girldetective

Manic's post #2 brings up a good point. Of course his point is the children's safety and health, but you could also view all the neighbors calling the police as safety and care for all. One year at Hanukkah my friend's house was terribly defaced because of a menorah in her window. All of her neighbors on her block, every one of them, displayed a menorah in their windows for the rest of the season. It was beautiful.

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Dammitall

I'll need to find out if the same is true for Maryland.

Our street is more or less "transitional," though when we purchased our house we assumed that it was transitioning faster than it probably is. Our house is half a duplex—the other unit had been lived in by an elderly woman who died and has been on the market for about six months—which is flanked on one side by kind, considerate neighbors (Bob and Helen) and on the other by a whore house. On several occasions we've seen cars with single male drivers pull up outside the house and women come out of the building and get in the cars. One Friday not too long ago, a man came around after midnight. He walked up the pathway between our house and Bob and Helen's and tripped their motion-sensor floodlight, then opened our back gate to knock on our back door, calling out the name of one of the women that works/lives in the whore house. Petrified, I stood at a window in the dark and watched him shuffle up and down the pathway, not knowing if he was drunk or high, or whether he'd come to "do business" with her or fight. I was relieved when he finally left a few minutes later—it took forever, or seemed to.

Another residence two doors up the block from the whore house had once had all the external appearances of a drug den. I believe all the "residents" of it were kicked out and it was renovated, but since then it's been converted to a multi-dwelling building and is probably being occupied by other interesting (read: "trashy") characters.

About a month ago my partner and I had returned from grocery shopping and pulled up to our house. The doors were unlocked and I was on the phone with my sister, ironically having a conversation about the safety and security of our respective neighborhoods. I'd seen something moving in the passenger-side mirror but didn't think much of it. Suddenly the curbside back door of the car had opened and a guy was climbing into our car.

Both my partner and I whipped around and started screaming at the guy, "Get the f*ck out of my car!! What the f*ck are you doing?!! Get the f*ck out of here!!!" I was hopped up on adrenaline and ready to take the guy down if I had to, but she was more concerned with keeping him calm so he wouldn't flip out on us. We got out of the car and he backed away, mumbling with slurred speech something about how he thought we were his friend who was supposed to come pick him up and said that we had scared the shit out of him. Whatever, dude, you're the one climbing in our car.

I haven't seen the guy since, but my partner mentioned seeing him walk towards her from half a block away as she was arriving home from work one evening. She exited the car quickly and came inside the house without waiting for him to catch up.

As for the whore house, Bob—who originally tipped us off about its true function and nature—said that he has tried in the past to get the police involved with shutting it down. For reasons I don't think he's ever explained in detail, it hasn't worked. We do have Neighborhood Advisory Councils and I intend to get to the next meeting for ours three weeks from now and raise this issue to see where it will get me.

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