Was physically threatened and small town cops said i couldnt do anything

[kathibeast]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? PA

I was at my sons baseball game and there were two pot head mothers that
always give me trouble because of two different reasons. One being the one son was kicked off my husbands football team because he was bad, and the other gets my kid in trouble with false statements and i have told him about it. Anyway, our kids were in the middle of this great game when this Mother I trust told me that these two pot heads were discussing me in the snack booth and saying really terrible things about me. I took my two small children over and asked why they were doing this and had the bigger of the two come out and start threatening me and coming at me. I had another mother from the other team, whom i dont even know witness this. This woman was saying how she was going to kill me etc... Our chief of police was let go and we have two back woods cops tell me there is no such thing as harassment in Pa and because I approached them first, we all would have to get warnings. Well the problem persisted and game after game these two kept threatening me and harassing me and the cops said there was nothing they could do. I know there is such a thing as harassment and they said there was only harassment by communications. I want to sue this small town police force and sue the others. I cannot tolerate harassment and threats and be told there is nothing I can do about this. They come right up to me with my two small children and they mostly do it when my husband is at night classes because they know i have no one to protect me as I am not from this town. They smoke pot, grow pot, and are always in trouble and yet the cops seem to be on their side.

[Blue Meanie]

I took my two small children over and asked why they were doing this

Why on EARTH would you have taken small children over to confront these people?
And you instigated the situation. Period. And I would also stop claiming they are drug users/dealers or you could face a libel/slander suit.

[kathibeast]

I confronted them because it wont stop. We were in the middle of this
great teeners game and I couldnt for the life of me figure out why they would be discussing me. I wanted it to stop. I moved here as a professional to help my husband get some experience in his field and his new job, and these low lifers have brought me down. The one womans husband just lost his job, the other one was in prison for bad checks and I dont know why they would be discussing me. i go to church, take care of my kids, work and go to school. My life isnt that interesting. This has been going on for three summers. Its pure harassment. Please does someone know if there is just pure harassment in the state of PA and how can i proceed with these charges against the police and these people that wont let me alone. From damaging our property to prank phone calls and we dont get any help with this town that resembles
deliverance!

[CdwJava]

Originally Posted by kathibeast

cops tell me there is no such thing as harassment in Pa and because I approached them first, we all would have to get warnings.

If there is no such crime as harassment in PA, what would you have them do? make something up?

In my state this would generally only be a crime if she challenged you to fight. But, depending on what was said, it might be argued that you instigated the incident.

In any event, it seems the police say these is no such law in PA. Do you have a legal opinion to the contrary?

Well the problem persisted and game after game these two kept threatening me and harassing me and the cops said there was nothing they could do.

Maybe. Of course, you might consider going to court and getting a restraining order if there is such a thing as a civil harassment order in PA.

I know there is such a thing as harassment and they said there was only harassment by communications. I want to sue this small town police force and sue the others. I cannot tolerate harassment and threats and be told there is nothing I can do about this.

Even if the police are wrong and there might be something they can do, there is NO LAW that requires the police to take a report of your being harassed - much less requiring them to act on it. Even if they took a report, there is no legal requirement they send it to the DA. So, suing the police would do very little except enrich a couple of attorneys (yours and the town's).

They smoke pot, grow pot, and are always in trouble and yet the cops seem to be on their side.

It may not be that the police are on "their side", but that there is nothing of any practical consequence they can do about one person bad mouthing another.

And "threats" come in many different forms. Saying, "If you talk about me like that again, I may have to come over there and slap your trap shut," is not likely to be a crime. Saying, "I have a gun in the car and I am going to get it right now and blow your head off," could very well be a criminal threat. PA statutes are very difficult to research on line so I am not going to hunt around for them. But, if you think you have grounds to sue the police harassing you at the game, consult an attorney. You might also be able to apply pressure to the agency if there IS a law that can be applied and the violation is clear cut but it is probably not quite that clear ... remember the other lady has her account of events, too).

Also, see if you can get a court order preventing any communication between the two of you (a restraining order or whatever your state might call them).

As for the damaging of property, that would be a crime. But, if you have no proof that they did it - and only suspicion - there is no a whole lot that can be done about that, either. I prefer to ignore ignorant people. Confronting them can only add to the angst. Plus, bullies (and gossips, etc.) and the like know they are winning when they get a reaction. It gets kind of boring if the object of their ire just ignores them or even laughs about what is being said.

It's not that hard to ignore people. I live and work in a small town and it is not that hard to do.

- Carl

[kathibeast]

Carl, Thanks for taking the time to get back to me.

It is hard to ignore people in a small town. If you have any ways to do it or secrets that will help me, please do tell.

We have lived here seven years among the amish and the so called christians and it has been the worst experience of my life.

The reason I dont trust what the cops say: A state trooper told me last year when we called him here, when a woman broke down the front door to our ranch home, when she found out her son wasnt going to QB for my husbands fball team, the trooper said because she was at our home before, i couldnt press charges. I believed him for about a day then went to the barracks to talk to the captain or a higher up and he said that is not true that i could press charges against this woman. Turns out the captain or whomever higher up on duty that night told trooper k. to say that because his wife taught school with the woman who broke down my door. So i dont trust what the cops say. I was hoping an attorney could tell me Pa law. In this new situation, this woman did approach me to fight me and i had witnesses from the other team that didnt even know me. She had three vo-techers that she parties with who always lie for her. Its always something here and I just started fighting back in 04 because you have to here. I had three football players right in front of me, damage my car because my husband pulled them out of the game and so where do they go....to me, my car, because they know they can get me going.....what happened to them? They were suspended from games only because the administration talked me into not going to the police. I was pregnant at the time and almost lost the baby and the one player who punched through my window missed my two year old by inches. I am living in deliverance and until my husbands team gets good enough again he wont get hired by a triple a school w/ a teaching position. I tried prayer, I tried everything. I try not to leave the house, but sometimes with three boys i have to. Any other advice?

[CdwJava]

Originally Posted by kathibeast

Carl, Thanks for taking the time to get back to me.

It is hard to ignore people in a small town. If you have any ways to do it or secrets that will help me, please do tell.

Having lived in one for 8 years, I find that just not giving them any play time (response) tends to work. They get tired of ranting to themselves if you merely ignore them, smile politely, and even ask them how their day has gone as you walk past. Perhaps they will get tired of acting like public idiots.

When you respond, they get to point at your response and tell others how YOU are behaving out of control, and how YOU are "falsely" accusing them of things. But, if the only one seen acting like an idiot is them ... well, most people will eventually come around.

There will be people that will believe their claims no matter what you or anyone else says, so there will never be any pleasing them. You just play for the others - and for yourself.

I ignore it. It works for me. And since most everyone in town knows me, usually the person grumbling and grousing gets shut down because others do that job for me.

We have lived here seven years among the amish and the so called christians and it has been the worst experience of my life.

I can't imagine that these are Amish folks. if it were, there might be avenues to pursue. I live in a large community of Mennonites (the Amish are an off shoot of the Mennonites) and they are a fine and upstanding group. But, people are flawed, and if these folks are claiming to be Christians and still causing problems, obviously they are flawed ... as are we all.

The reason I dont trust what the cops say: A state trooper told me last year when we called him here, when a woman broke down the front door to our ranch home, when she found out her son wasnt going to QB for my husbands fball team, the trooper said because she was at our home before, i couldnt press charges. I believed him for about a day then went to the barracks to talk to the captain or a higher up and he said that is not true that i could press charges against this woman. Turns out the captain or whomever higher up on duty that night told trooper k. to say that because his wife taught school with the woman who broke down my door. So i dont trust what the cops say.

There may have been more to that, but if not, then I can see where you would be concerned.

But, an attorney cannot make the police forward a report to the DA. The police do not HAVE to investigate an accusation or even report a crime to the DA. You might consider talking to your local prosecutor. Maybe they can take the ball and run with it. But, most verbal "threats" are not going to cross the line from annoying to criminal. My state does not have a harassment statute, but many states do. I believe PA does, but as I wrote previously, searching the PA codes can be frustrating because they are not all readily available on line.

If life here is that bad, maybe it is time to move. If it is as you characterize it, I wouldn't want to remain there.


- Carl