What is the name of your state? Colorado
* Ok, my neighbor is starting to scare me.
He used to just annoy me, and occasionally worry me, but I think he has finally flipped out.
Ok, here's my situation; I live in an apartment building in Lakewood Colorado (part of the Denver metroplex), and my next door neighbor is an older man, he claims he has cancer and he likes to yell at people. He is totally unpredictable, some days he'll be just as nice as can be, then other days he yells all day, he'll yell at neighbors, people on the street, and he even calls people on the phone to yell at them. He always leaves his windows open and it isn't uncommon for me to hear him yelling at someone over the phone when I walk by.
Yesterday, he went a little further than anyone expected.
Some guy was riding a bike on the sidewalk by our place, and my crazy neighbor comes out to yell at him. At this point I was in my apartment trying to ignore the commotion because, well, this sort of thing is fairly common. What I did hear was him yelling about riding on the sidewalk and calling the cops and this went on for a while, I assume the guy on the bike was trying to reason with him but I couldn't hear him because he wasn't yelling at the top of his lungs. The next thing I hear is "Get off the sidewalk you *expletive* Mexican!" from my crazy neighbor and a loud smashing noise. I look out my window and crazy neighbor is waving around a baseball bat, brandishing it at bike guy and smacking the stairs with it. "You want some of this homey?" he yells, bat in hand. Bike guy is getting worried and backs off, he turns around and starts riding away. "You're still riding your *expletive* bike!" yells crazy neigbor, and he throws the bat at bikeguy, it misses and skids acrost the concrete. Bike guy rides off and crazy neighbor goes inside.
Well, fast forward about an hour, I let my dog out to go to the bathroom. The cops are parked in the lot talking to a couple of witnesses to the incident, who just happen to be a couple of tweakers who live upstairs and are kinda buddy-buddy with crazy neighbor. I'm smoking a cigarette and sitting in my chair when crazy neighbor comes up to me. "You heard that guy threaten me, didn't you?" he says.
"Hey, I was inside, I didn't hear much." I reply.
"Well, if the cops ask say you heard him threaten me."
I don't say anything.
"I mean, you can't just ride your bike on the sidewalk. What if you hit somebody?"
I just nod and try not to make eye contact.
"So if the cops ask, just say you heard him threaten me, ok?"
"Look," I say, "I'm not going to lie to the cops."
"You just need to say you heard him threaten me."
I don't respond.
"C'mon man, I would stick up for you man." he starts getting angry "The landlord came by and complained about you'r dog's *expletive*, I said it wasn't your dog." (I clean up after my dog, by the way. In fact, that's what I was doing when he came over to talk to me.)
"Hey," I say, "I don't want to lie to the cops. Besides, they probably won't even talk to me."
"Well *expletive* you man! See if I stick up for you."
Before he starts yelling again I get my dog and go inside. "*expletive* pig." he mutters at me as I go in.
Anyways, it was a pretty uneventful night after that, unfortunately, the cops didn't arrest him, and they didn't come talk to me. I go to bed and go to school the next morning.
Yesterday, when I got home from school, crazy neighbor was outside. He starts yelling at me about dog crap, of which there is none because I pick it all up. After a few loud words I just ignore him and walk away, as I'm walking into my apartment he yells that he's going to call the cops on me.
Well, I'm usually one to mind my own business, but this guy is starting to scare me, so I called the landlord and told her about the situation. She said she would look into it and that is that.
Well, it's tomorrow and the fun and excitement continues.
Today he came over as I was letting my dog out and proceeded to yell at me. Big suprise.
Anyways, he ended up getting up in my face, threatening to "Drag you inside my apartment and beat the *expletive* out of you." kicking my dog, waving his fist at me, and generally making a major nuisance of himself.
I left a message with the landlord, then called the cops. I hate to call the cops, but when I can't go outside without being threatened what else am I supposed to do?
The cops showed up before long, and I told them the story of the neighbor from hell. I told them I didn't want to press charges so long as a peaceful solution could be reached, then they went over and talked to crazy neighbor. They gave him a warning and told me that if he harasses me again to give them a call.
Anyways, hopefully he will leave me alone, although I must confess that I am not certain that he will. The guy isn't exactly running on a full tank of gas so I have purchased a can of pepper spray.
I can't live like this, and moving would be a major hardship. I feel like a prisoner, I can't go outside without being harassed, what can I do?
* Ok, my neighbor is starting to scare me.
He used to just annoy me, and occasionally worry me, but I think he has finally flipped out.
Ok, here's my situation; I live in an apartment building in Lakewood Colorado (part of the Denver metroplex), and my next door neighbor is an older man, he claims he has cancer and he likes to yell at people. He is totally unpredictable, some days he'll be just as nice as can be, then other days he yells all day, he'll yell at neighbors, people on the street, and he even calls people on the phone to yell at them. He always leaves his windows open and it isn't uncommon for me to hear him yelling at someone over the phone when I walk by.
Yesterday, he went a little further than anyone expected.
Some guy was riding a bike on the sidewalk by our place, and my crazy neighbor comes out to yell at him. At this point I was in my apartment trying to ignore the commotion because, well, this sort of thing is fairly common. What I did hear was him yelling about riding on the sidewalk and calling the cops and this went on for a while, I assume the guy on the bike was trying to reason with him but I couldn't hear him because he wasn't yelling at the top of his lungs. The next thing I hear is "Get off the sidewalk you *expletive* Mexican!" from my crazy neighbor and a loud smashing noise. I look out my window and crazy neighbor is waving around a baseball bat, brandishing it at bike guy and smacking the stairs with it. "You want some of this homey?" he yells, bat in hand. Bike guy is getting worried and backs off, he turns around and starts riding away. "You're still riding your *expletive* bike!" yells crazy neigbor, and he throws the bat at bikeguy, it misses and skids acrost the concrete. Bike guy rides off and crazy neighbor goes inside.
Well, fast forward about an hour, I let my dog out to go to the bathroom. The cops are parked in the lot talking to a couple of witnesses to the incident, who just happen to be a couple of tweakers who live upstairs and are kinda buddy-buddy with crazy neighbor. I'm smoking a cigarette and sitting in my chair when crazy neighbor comes up to me. "You heard that guy threaten me, didn't you?" he says.
"Hey, I was inside, I didn't hear much." I reply.
"Well, if the cops ask say you heard him threaten me."
I don't say anything.
"I mean, you can't just ride your bike on the sidewalk. What if you hit somebody?"
I just nod and try not to make eye contact.
"So if the cops ask, just say you heard him threaten me, ok?"
"Look," I say, "I'm not going to lie to the cops."
"You just need to say you heard him threaten me."
I don't respond.
"C'mon man, I would stick up for you man." he starts getting angry "The landlord came by and complained about you'r dog's *expletive*, I said it wasn't your dog." (I clean up after my dog, by the way. In fact, that's what I was doing when he came over to talk to me.)
"Hey," I say, "I don't want to lie to the cops. Besides, they probably won't even talk to me."
"Well *expletive* you man! See if I stick up for you."
Before he starts yelling again I get my dog and go inside. "*expletive* pig." he mutters at me as I go in.
Anyways, it was a pretty uneventful night after that, unfortunately, the cops didn't arrest him, and they didn't come talk to me. I go to bed and go to school the next morning.
Yesterday, when I got home from school, crazy neighbor was outside. He starts yelling at me about dog crap, of which there is none because I pick it all up. After a few loud words I just ignore him and walk away, as I'm walking into my apartment he yells that he's going to call the cops on me.
Well, I'm usually one to mind my own business, but this guy is starting to scare me, so I called the landlord and told her about the situation. She said she would look into it and that is that.
Well, it's tomorrow and the fun and excitement continues.
Today he came over as I was letting my dog out and proceeded to yell at me. Big suprise.
Anyways, he ended up getting up in my face, threatening to "Drag you inside my apartment and beat the *expletive* out of you." kicking my dog, waving his fist at me, and generally making a major nuisance of himself.
I left a message with the landlord, then called the cops. I hate to call the cops, but when I can't go outside without being threatened what else am I supposed to do?
The cops showed up before long, and I told them the story of the neighbor from hell. I told them I didn't want to press charges so long as a peaceful solution could be reached, then they went over and talked to crazy neighbor. They gave him a warning and told me that if he harasses me again to give them a call.
Anyways, hopefully he will leave me alone, although I must confess that I am not certain that he will. The guy isn't exactly running on a full tank of gas so I have purchased a can of pepper spray.
I can't live like this, and moving would be a major hardship. I feel like a prisoner, I can't go outside without being harassed, what can I do?