Neighbor From Hell

[Diane Lane]

I know there's one thread here about a particular situation, but I wanted this to be more of a general thread, where we could post our experiences with nasty, crazy, or evil neighbors. I like the Discovery ID show Fear Thy Neighbor, but some of the episodes are incredibly sad, and also scary.

I've had a few crappy neighbors in the past, but there's one in my current neighborhood who is downright scary. Not long after I moved here, this person shot several others, and one of the victims died. We (the collective we, being my neighbor friends and I) thought the issue had been put to bed, and were going on about our business, but yesterday, we saw what seemed at first to be an innocuous post in our online neighborhood group. It turned out to be anything but, and involves another potentially explosive situation, so now we're all on red alert. There's nothing we can do at this point, other than monitor the situation. The police are aware of this person's past, since it involved arrest and some (minor, in my opinion) consequences, but the person has had a dramatic change in appearance, as well as a slight name change, and I didn't even realize it was the same person until a neighbor advised me.

There are other situations here in the neighborhood that I've seen posted in the neighborhood online group, and I heard details of the situations during my recent garage sale. Gossip sure is interesting around here. I realized from that, that I dodged a bullet (figuratively, in this case), when a different house I had been interested in here in the neighborhood didn't work out.

Have you ever had a neighbor from hell? If so, how have you handled it? Maybe we can all learn from one another here.

 

[missbishi]

I had the neighbor from hell and whilst we are still neighbors, she doesn't bother me any more.

Really, she was just an overbearing busybody and I would always laugh it off until this one afternoon. She must have been curtain-twitching, waiting for me to come home from work because when I walked up the path, she came out of her house and shouted out "I know you're up to no good in there - I just saw a big black n***** banging on your door, it's drugs isn't it!". Well, I was pretty shocked by that, not the implications of drug use but the unashamed racism she displayed. I just opened the door and went in.

It was just my pal Aki who had called, he'd left a note, and I decided to call the cops about it - in the UK, shouting the n-word out loud in the street is considered to be hate speech. They went to see her and she never said another word to me after that.

 

[Diane Lane]

Wow, I'm a free speech advocate, but I'm glad that worked for you, and she finally learned to mind her own business. I can't believe she'd actually say something like that. I'd have probably sent her over the edge by telling her he was my booty call.

At my last place, I returned home after being evacuated for 2 weeks after a hurricane. I had to clean out the kitchen and fridge/freezer, because with no power for 2 weeks, the food had spoiled. I went and bought extra tags (extra bags each needed a special tag), then put out the bags by the curb, where the trash went. The a**hole neighbor came and tossed them over the fence, but missed my yard and they went in the landlord's yard next door to mine. I think they were pissed off at the landlord because the landlady's daughter was Autistic and had very loud verbal tantrums, so that was their way of getting back at them. They probably thought I was related, not a tenant, and that was their first opportunity to get out some aggression in a passive-aggressive way. Neighbors can make life very difficult.

 

[bala]

Ahh that old lady opposite our house,such a pain in the ass in terms of a being "neighborly".She would often pick a fight,even for silly reasons beyond our imagination.In one such case she made a tiff out of nowhere when the paper delivery boy put up all her magazines in our house for a couple of days while she was away.That regular guy who delivers paper was on leave and this newbie took his place i guess.
That was the silliest of the reasons i have seen.

 

[IshieVonDyson]

I haven’t had any direct incidents and I hope this remains the case, but the neighbors behind my place are pretty disruptive. They’re a couple around my age, with I think six kids, and they’re constantly yelling at one another and the kids. Pretty awful, degrading language all around. Not to mention I’ve heard tell that all the welfare money the family collect goes towards drugs. Really sad situation, I feel terrible for the kids.

There was another neighbor who seemed sane until he got in touch with the aforementioned neighbors. He and his wife had a couple of young children, but then I guess he made friends with the guy behind me and his life went to a drug-addled hell. Last September he beat his then-pregnant wife so badly, the cops took the kids away right then and there. Our state had just passed a law that could have put him in prison for 10 years, which I don’t think he’d been aware of. The only thing I know now is he’s moved out, I don’t know what’s become of him beyond that.

And this was supposed to be such a quiet neighborhood…

 

[lushlala]

This is very scary, and seems to be a widespread problem across the world now! When we live in England in this apartment block, we had a few nasty neighbours over the years. But the one who really scared me the most was this one very loud and lairy lout. We were on the 6th floor and he was on the 10th. Our block looked out onto the main road. This guy would hang out of his 10th floor window and shout and scream all sorts of nasty, racist and hateful slurs at people of colour walking down below. I would make sure he didn't see me, because there was no knowing what he could do.

One weekend he left to go somewhere and from Friday until late Sunday, he'd left his stereo blasting one cd on a loop! He was just horrible, and just by looking at him, you knew not to say anything to him or look in his general direction. Luckily, he disappeared off somewhere after a while. Needless to say, nobody missed him.

 

[JoanMcWench]

You know what they say: If you never had a bad neighbour you should look in the mirror.

I've had not great neighbours but it never got to an extreme area as the ones I've read on here before. Just minor annoyances or situational issues. There was nothing baked goods & a conversation couldn't handle.

 

[Whitewolf2578]

When I was younger I lived next to this one family that had a bunch of dogs. I remember when I was like 13 walking home from school this lady came out of her house with her dogs and threatened to release her dogs on me, I never walked by her house again because apparently later that day she had her dog kill another neighbors dog. Like she was freaking insane. It's a good idea to get to know your neighbors.

 

[Diane Lane]

@IshieVonDyson Drugs were part of the problem here in this neighborhood, also. From what I had heard, the shooter had called CPS (Child Protection Services), and the neighbors had lost their children for a while. Apparently, at one point, the children were playing out front naked, as their parents were drugging. What I didn't know, but found out the other day when I re-researched the case, was that the shooter had a drug history, as well. She is probably back on drugs, because she's lost around 100 lbs, and usually it takes a major effort (or drugs) to do that. She's been fairly quiet since the Saturday debacle on the neighborhood group, but I have a feeling it's only going to be a matter of time until her next eruption.

 

[Diane Lane]

That's scary. I'm surprised someone (management or whomever handled the building/complex) didn't address his behavior. I can't imagine having to live in a place where I was harassed like that. I think you're right @lushlala, the incidents seem to be increasing, or it could be that we're hearing of them more, with the rise in social media use, or a combination of both. I'm glad that man disappeared, and hopefully he received treatment for his issues.

 

[Diane Lane]

That's scary. Dogs are another issue here in my 'hood. It wouldn't surprise me if people here came to blows or gunshots on that subject at some point. The issue of the day is concrete trucks that showed up in the middle of the night, to deliver concrete / pour a driveway. I lucked into the best street in this whole neighborhood, thank God. Even though my landlady is a nightmare, hopefully at some point I can buy the place, and no longer have to deal with her.

 

[bala]

When I was younger I lived next to this one family that had a bunch of dogs. I remember when I was like 13 walking home from school this lady came out of her house with her dogs and threatened to release her dogs on me, I never walked by her house again because apparently later that day she had her dog kill another neighbors dog. Like she was freaking insane. It's a good idea to get to know your neighbors.

Are u serious.? She unleashed her dog
I mean no offence,but it does evoke laughter.Maybe she was just scaring the shit outta you.

If you really understand "Barking dogs seldom bite",you wouldn't be scared at all,not really.

 

[RingoBerry]

Oh hell right now I have one. Right next door to my left. I've called the cops on them a third time last month because they were breaking bottles and making a ruckus at 2 in the morning. Its been quiet for a few weeks now. Not sure what happened but I don't really want to jinx it. I hope it stays like that.

 

[Diane Lane]

I had to laugh at you not wanting to jinx it. Been there, for sure. I think here, we've all sort of been holding our breath, just waiting to see what happens next with the shooter in my neighborhood. I'd feel much better if I was back in my childhood home, with the thick plaster walls. A friend lives close to her, down the other end of my street. The shooter lives on the next street, way down the other end, thankfully. There are sections of this neighborhood that are known as the party houses. I'm grateful that I don't live near them, because I don't have the patience for that. Hopefully your loud neighbors have been put on notice, and are taking heed, and cleaning up their act.

 

[missbishi]

Wow, I'm a free speech advocate, but I'm glad that worked for you, and she finally learned to mind her own business. I can't believe she'd actually say something like that. I'd have probably sent her over the edge by telling her he was my booty call.

He is very handsome. But like so many handsome guys...he's gay!

 

[GFgwen#05]

I can really relate to everyone dilemma with nasty neighbors. I've had several nasty neighbors in the past, but now I have neighbors, a woman and man, that lived together at one time. They gave each other hell. But now the male recently moved next door to this woman, and they still constantly curse each other out so loud that everyone in the apartment complex can hear them. Their confrontations can start at anytime of the day or night. And for some strange reason they always seem to put my name in their feuding. I still can't figure that part out, because I don't socialize with either persons.

 

[musicmonster]

I once had a neighbor from hell. I tried talking politely to her but she was stubborn and just a bit nuts. I just had to call the building manager and I'm glad we worked it out.

 

[lushlala]

You are probably right, Diane; with the advent of modern technology and social media platforms, we're probably now privy to incidents like these where we normally would have gone on blissfully unaware of them. Plus, the media is reporting more and more on them now. Nobody was as relieved as I was when that thug cleared off without a word. He's probably terrorising someone else as we speak. He was very angry as well as rough and ready, you only had to look at him to see it!

 

[Diane Lane]

Awww, yes, that is oftentimes the case, unfortunately for we females!

 

[Diane Lane]

I mentioned the party houses in my neighborhood in my post above. Apparently the other night, they were in full party mode, and someone sucker punched another's friend. I think the friend lives here, too, but it was mentioned by a member of the online group, and she didn't mention the friend's name. This happened in front of children. I really wish people would learn to limit their alcohol and drug use to manageable levels, or abstain entirely. The rest of us don't want or need to be exposed to that, and I'm surprised it ended there, at least for now...