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Author Topic: OT - I'm a bad neighbour  (Read 9011 times)
AndyC
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« on: June 06, 2004, 09:53:38 AM »

Not really, but that's what the idiot behind me seems to think. Well, he's not directly behind me, he's a couple of doors over. Of course, these are small suburban back yards, so he's really close. I should mention that I can tolerate listening to loud conversations, occasional parties and music from various neighbours at night, but I have my limits.

For two nights in a row, this guy has been lighting off fireworks in his back yard at around 10:30pm. On both nights, my wife and I went to bed around 10pm. So, we're awakened by a loud bang, and our bedroom is bathed in bright green light. The shivering dogs jumped on top of us about the same time the burnt sulfur smell drifted in. The really amazing thing is there are several houses closer to this guy than I am. His back yard also appears to be at least partly overhung with trees. I couldn't imagine doing that in such a confined space, especially when it isn't even a holiday when people at least expect it. Stupider still, there is a huge schoolyard and soccer fields a short walk away.

I let it go the first night, figuring it was a one-time thing. When it started up again last night, I stuck my head out the window and let him have it. This guy said he only had a few more, and he'd be done. At this point, I was already exhausted - I'd been up since before 6 that morning, working on a Habitat for Humanity house (for the third day), and came straight home to go out for a wedding reception for people I barely know. I was tired and achy, and he was missing the point. I told him he was done now, and asked him what he was thinking, setting off fireworks so close to people's houses.

Would you believe that he then asked me to stop bothering him? I was bothering him! He then told me that he doesn't complain when I mow my lawn at 5am, which nobody in the neighbourhood does. At this point, I think I told him he was full of s**t.

After a bit of this, his wife decides to chime in, essentially blaming me for going to bed too early.

Finally, this guy pretty much orders me to go back to bed and he'd do what he wanted. He hoped I was happy for spoiling his family's fun, and he was going to come and see me in the morning (threats and everything). I told him to perform a physically impossible act. I never heard another firework, and I have yet to see him at my door. He'll get a surprise if he comes, since I'm about twice his size, but I'm sure it was all hot air.

Imagine how totally inconsiderate that is. It's all about his fun. Just sickens me. And he's throwing it at me that he has three kids there, and I've spoiled their evening. Why doesn't he set a better example, handling fireworks more responsibly and thinking of his neighbours. He might also consider at least taking some responsibility for doing something stupid, instead of blaming me for being bothered by it, or hiding behind his kids.

I don't know. Maybe I could have been more diplomatic, but this guy's initial reaction just p**sed me off. Selfish, thoughtless, and indignant that I would dare to criticize him. Not even an insincere 'sorry' just annoyance. Everything that is wrong with people today.

Am I out of line on this one?

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trekgeezer
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« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2004, 12:01:25 PM »

I feel for you, I've had to put up with idiots like this my  self.  About ten years ago we moved  near Houston, TX  into a small subdivision that was just one street.  It was in what they call the country there. The lots were about 1/3 acre so the houses were not really close together. Everyones back yard was next to a large tract of woods  which created a sort of alleyway that carried any kind of noise to all your neighbors.

Our neighbor was a Houston cop. He owned two Chows, one of which had to finally be put down after attacking a child.  He also liked to setup a target next to the woods and then stand in the street in front of the house and  take target practice with his .357 magnum pistol.  I called the Sheriffs department and they said they couldn't do anything about it  unless a bullet hit something or someone on my property.  This jackass would also shoot fireworks on New Year and the fourth of July on the street right in front of  his house until way into the wee hours of the morning.

Needless to say this made us hate the place more than we already did.  I can't figure out why  people want to be so damned inconsiderate.  I guess it just goes along with the general stupidity you see out there in public all the time nowadays.

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raj
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« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2004, 12:07:53 PM »

Nope.  If you want to do whatever you want, whenever, go live in the country.  Is there a neighborhood association that has specific rules on noise and/or fireworks; or local city/county ordinances?

I go to bed by 10:30 pm also, it isn't too early even on Friday or Saturday nights, this is real life, not  college, and different people have different schedules.  Yeah, fireworks on the Fourth, or New Years, or Memorial Day (though really, it shouldn't be a celebratory occasion) is fine, but it can't be a license to run loose for a bunch of days.  Part of being a good neighbor is recognizing you have neighbors and thus you don't get to do everything you want.
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jmc
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« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2004, 12:59:40 PM »

A lot of places ban fireworks within the city limits---I suggest seeing if your area does this, and if so, call the cops next time.  I can't remember the cutoff time, but after a certain hour people can also be charged with disturbing the peace if they're so loud as to bother their neighbors.
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daveblackeye15
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« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2004, 01:34:45 PM »

I don't think you were out of line. The best way to have handled was with a calmer edge but as you said you were EXHAUSTED so you're not at fault for being so p**sed off. But if you did talk to him a bit more diplomaticly and told him to stop it a few times and he persitedit then that's the time to get REALLY p**sed off at him. Geez that guy's an a***ole.

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BeyondTheGrave
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« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2004, 01:58:31 PM »

yeah i know how you feel andy. i live in apartment and the people down below have bad habits of playing thier music  REALLY loud.  i dont mind really but the time and day   they do it like  tuesday at 2am. i remember one time they came up and told me thier were going to have a party so i was like "fine i dont mind". i got  my stereo ready put it on the floor got my van halen and jmmy hendrix ready and blasted it when their party got loud. now you might think thats mean but when you been playing music loud for half a year than decide to come and ask if its fine to play music for a party well thats just stupid. also when my music didnt work i would take a slegehammer put a phonebook on the floor and hit it. that always worked.

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Susan
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« Reply #6 on: June 06, 2004, 04:52:42 PM »

Does your city not have some kind of law on fireworks? I would have called the cops on him and made an annonymous complaint. The problem is if you do it now he'll know it was you and that could create more problems. His kids night wasn't spoiled, they are probably spoiled. There's no need shooting off fireworks like that unless you live way out in the country or it's the 4th of july...particularly that late at night.

When you live in the city and have neighbors, you always have to be considerate of them. Even tho my downstairs neighbor likes to blast "hot stuff" on her radio (she's since moved) i was always considerate to still walk quietly, keep my tv and radio at a reasonable level..etc. My peeve is probably neighbors who own dogs that bark day and night and they do nothing about it. but his attitude was really inappropriate, he knows better. It sounds like he's just one of those guys who thinks it's his house so he can do anything he damn well likes regardless of how it might affect his neighbors.

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J perk
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« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2004, 07:52:56 PM »

Andy I feel your pain

This guy who lives under me keeps hitting my floor (his ceiling) with a broom.  Now when it first started I thought maybe I was being too loud and so i made sure not to step hard and what not.  However he started to  bang all the time.  So I thought maybe he was like working on something, then one day the mofo came upstairs (i wasn't home but my sister was) when my sister and her friedn were just sitting around and he said "i been bangin for an hour u would think u'd be quiet."  and then he went back downstairs.  And once the neighbors were playing really loud music and he wouldnt say anything but as soon as my sister walked into the house jhe started banging.  I had been in the house all day and he didnt do anything but as soon as she opened the door he started.  
Now we live reall close to OSU's campus so U know its loud but he never bangs unless we breath.  

Then this morning his alarm went  off for an hour straight .  I was thinking maybe he died in thenight but noone that evil, or agitating, would die in the night.  Maybe it was all part of his plan ,,,,,,,,
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Evan3
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« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2004, 08:41:43 PM »

I have to say I am still a college student and have often wondered about the  balance between being an ass to my neighbors or not. Being off campus I also live with 3 other people, and the city has passed an ordinance where if anyone calls in a noise complaint on anyone in my house, all four of us will get fined whether we are home or not. This rule also applies to college students, so of course it just aggravates most of us to be louder than usual.


In any case, I bet it w as probably his kids birthday or maybe an engagement etc. I think it was good you didnt mind it the first night and it just seemed you were tired the second time. I wouldn't sweat it, everybody has a right to lose their temper at times and "you shouldn't have been asleep" is really lame.

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AndyC
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« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2004, 10:18:19 PM »

When my wife came home from church today, I noticed that she was talking to the next door neighbours for a while before she came in. I wondered if they were bothered by the shouting. Turns out they were out of town last night, but they were also bothered by the fireworks the night before. In fact, they were close enough that they were worried about something landing on their house, That and they have a baby trying to sleep. According to them, it wasn't even the parents lighting fireworks the first night - the kids were doing it by themselves. In fact, these kids were told it was all right as long as they stayed ON THE DECK!  We're talking dumb as a bag of hammers here. Well, the guy next door called the cops, but he didn't know the house number, and it was over before they arrived. Pity.

We picked up some useful information from the neighbour. These happen to be the same people who own the Beagle that never stops barking.

Funny, I was worried my shouting was worse than the fireworks, but while I was out front later in the day, the guy two doors down asked if I was involved in the shouting match last night. I said I was, and his response was basically "good for you." He is also closer to the idiot than me. It seems I picked a fight with the neighbourhood pain in the ass and won some respect for it. I think I'll count myself lucky, and go back to being the quiet guy who never makes trouble.

I did make a point of checking the city bylaws. I still have to track down a specific fireworks or burn bylaw, but I found the noise bylaw online. Alas, the cutoff for fireworks noise is 11pm. Still, it is my understanding that there are specific restrictions on fireworks.

The other thing I did was take a drive down their street, and took note of their house number. I see one more firework, and the cops will be paying them a visit. I'm also tempted to call bylaw enforcement the next time I hear their Beagle at 6am. The noise bylaw was very enlightening in that regard. Half the people on the street are dog owners, and I seldom hear anything but that distinctive Beagle bark.

I'll keep you posted.



Post Edited (06-06-04 22:23)
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daveblackeye15
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« Reply #10 on: June 07, 2004, 12:19:47 AM »

Say, where do you live AndyC? Do you live in Oregon by any chance? Because there were some a***ole neighbors living near my grandma's house then they moved to a house that's a bit closer to my house and if I remember correctly they had a beagle also. Cause if we live near each other we can watch b-movies!

Oh yeah, I like being the quiet guy also.

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« Reply #11 on: June 07, 2004, 01:24:13 AM »

Evan3 wrote:

> he city has passed an ordinance where if anyone
> calls in a noise complaint on anyone in my house, all four of
> us will get fined whether we are home or not.

How in the world can they enforce THAT?  You get fined for a noise ordinance while you are not home, go to court.  A Judge will throw that one out in a second.  How in the world can you be charged with something you are not even there to do and had no part in?

Dumb politicians, passing laws/ordinances to make folks "feel" like they are doing something.

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ulthar
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« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2004, 01:30:44 AM »

AndyC wrote:


>I found the
> noise bylaw online. Alas, the cutoff for fireworks noise is
> 11pm.

There is probably a "Disorderly Conduct" or "Disturbing the Peace" type of law that has no specific time limit.  See if you can talk to a cop, and find out how that is enforced and if you can use that (if need be).

Where I was in Law Enforcement, we had noise ordinances (with 11 pm limit), but we also had "Disorderly Conduct" which was a STATE LAW, not a City Ordinance. If someone complained (as in, "I cannot sleep with this racket"), and especially if numerous people are complaining, he'd have gotten a trip to jail.

That would have been a good lesson for his kids.....seeing Daddy hooked up tends to stick with the little ones, when they KNOW (in their hearts) that Daddy was being a butt.

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AndyC
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« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2004, 07:11:41 AM »

According to the next door neighbour, the police dispatcher told him what the guy was doing was illegal. I have to go see one of the local sergeants this week anyway (for work), so I'll ask what applies specifically. I have the idiot's address for next time (if there is a next time), since that was the only impediment to him getting a visit on Friday night.

As for Dave's question, I live in Canada - Ontario to be more precise. I'm about an hour west of Toronto in a city called Waterloo. I'm going to wreck the image all of you probably have of Canadians as gentle and polite. Neighbourhood shouting matches sound more like something we'd associate with New York City. No offense to anyone from New York, that's just the image we have, as you probably already know.



Post Edited (06-07-04 09:37)
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AndyC
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« Reply #14 on: June 07, 2004, 11:53:04 AM »

I still have to call the city clerk's office for the full fireworks bylaw, but I found enough of a summary on the website to tell me that the law is behind me. Fireworks are only permitted on designated holidays (basically Victoria Day and Canada Day), or with a permit from the fire department. They are also not to be ignited by anyone under the age of 18.

Don't know whether I should call bylaw enforcement, and let them have a talk with the guy now, or wait for him to do it again, if he has the nerve. I'll probably wait - more chance of an actual fine that way. I doubt the city would do much two days after the fact. Better to have the cops show up while he still has the smoking tubes.

I seriously think I intimidated him enough that we won't hear another peep out of him for a while, however.

Normally, I wouldn't get so worked up over something like this, but there is just something in this guy's attitude that infuriates me. His kids are shooting fireworks less than 100 feet from my bedroom window, and I'm bothering him by complaining about it.

If he makes one more bit of trouble, I won't hesitate.

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