What is the name of your state? KS....
Not looking for legal advice...just want moral/ethical advice..
Friday night 10:30PM I'm awoken by a very loud bass stereo. Loud enough that it's rattling my living room table. I go outside to discern where it's coming from and the neighbor kids 3 houses up and across the street are throwing a small get together. One of the kids that was over had apparently invested his life savings (or daddy's money) in a high powered amp and subwoofers.
I tell them that they have one opportunity to shut down the car stereo down or I'm calling the cops. Note: This woke me up from a drug induced sleep as I'm popping pain pills from a broken leg. I'm not a happy camper.
45 mins later as I'm sitting outside on my front steps letting the dog take a crap, the offending kids cut a 1/2 donut through my front yard and blast the stereo. Instantly I'm pissed and I crutch my way up to the house that's having the party. I tell them point blank that they had their opportunity and I've called the cops. They immediately tell me it's not their fault, it wasn't their stereo and they're only babysitting and some friends came by. My response is that it is their fault, they were hosting the offending party and they're going to have to grow up and take responsibility for their actions. I tell them point blank I have the right not to hear their bass blasting stereo and they had every opportunity to not blast the stereo twice, much less drive through my yard. (Yes I was hard on the 16-17 year old kids and yes I was a bit of a prick, but I'm not too much older than they are).
They apologize, which I told them I appreciated but I was still pressing charges because they hosted the party and they had every opportunity to kill the noise. I told them that if they were responsible enough to have a party they ought to be responsible enough to appreciate their neighbors rights. I did say that if the kids that blasted the stereo and cut through my yard apologized I would consider it a lesson learned and not press charges.
20 mins later the offending kids...both 17-18 come to my front door and apologize along w/ the kids throwing the party. I accept their apology and apologized to them for being so hard on them. I tell the police I'm not pressing charges.
Fast forward to this afternoon... I have two parents on my front door yelling at me for 'threatening and being disrespectful to their daughter'. They went on and on telling me she's educated and etc etc etc. That I should have just called the cops rather than talking to them because they did not appreciate me discplining their child.
I'm on my front porch with my leg in a brace and they both decide to get up in my face so I tell them point blank to get the **** off my property. They don't and continue yelling at me (and speaking to each other in spanish which pisses me off). However I know that saying anything about them speaking in spanish makes me look like a bigot. Lose lose either way.
I tell them multiple times I have no lasting beef with your daughter, she took responsibility for their actions and apologized and I considered the situation resolved and that I understood their concern, but they had no right to come yell at me for standing up for my right of a peaceful and stereo free environment. They threatened to call the cops on me for 'threatening' their daughter because I told them to cut the noise or I'd call the cops and then yelling at them because they didn't.
Finally I just said the hell with it and praised them for having a child that took responsibility for their actions etc etc etc and that I considered the problem resolved...that I wanted no beef with any of my neighbors but that they needed to respect my rights as much as I needed to respect theirs.
Conversation over and I walked in the house...
but I'm left pissed off because
1) I was just standing up for my right as a homeowner to not have to put up with a bass blasting stereo late at night.
2) I taught these kids (they're only 10 years younger than me) a lesson, one that I had to learn when I was their age which was to respect your neighbors. Cutting them some slack caught me major flack with their parents. What the **** happened to responsibility in this world?
3) I don't want any beef with any of my neighbors...this is a quiet neighborhood and I just want it to remain so.
How could I have handled the situation better?
Not looking for legal advice...just want moral/ethical advice..
Friday night 10:30PM I'm awoken by a very loud bass stereo. Loud enough that it's rattling my living room table. I go outside to discern where it's coming from and the neighbor kids 3 houses up and across the street are throwing a small get together. One of the kids that was over had apparently invested his life savings (or daddy's money) in a high powered amp and subwoofers.
I tell them that they have one opportunity to shut down the car stereo down or I'm calling the cops. Note: This woke me up from a drug induced sleep as I'm popping pain pills from a broken leg. I'm not a happy camper.
45 mins later as I'm sitting outside on my front steps letting the dog take a crap, the offending kids cut a 1/2 donut through my front yard and blast the stereo. Instantly I'm pissed and I crutch my way up to the house that's having the party. I tell them point blank that they had their opportunity and I've called the cops. They immediately tell me it's not their fault, it wasn't their stereo and they're only babysitting and some friends came by. My response is that it is their fault, they were hosting the offending party and they're going to have to grow up and take responsibility for their actions. I tell them point blank I have the right not to hear their bass blasting stereo and they had every opportunity to not blast the stereo twice, much less drive through my yard. (Yes I was hard on the 16-17 year old kids and yes I was a bit of a prick, but I'm not too much older than they are).
They apologize, which I told them I appreciated but I was still pressing charges because they hosted the party and they had every opportunity to kill the noise. I told them that if they were responsible enough to have a party they ought to be responsible enough to appreciate their neighbors rights. I did say that if the kids that blasted the stereo and cut through my yard apologized I would consider it a lesson learned and not press charges.
20 mins later the offending kids...both 17-18 come to my front door and apologize along w/ the kids throwing the party. I accept their apology and apologized to them for being so hard on them. I tell the police I'm not pressing charges.
Fast forward to this afternoon... I have two parents on my front door yelling at me for 'threatening and being disrespectful to their daughter'. They went on and on telling me she's educated and etc etc etc. That I should have just called the cops rather than talking to them because they did not appreciate me discplining their child.
I'm on my front porch with my leg in a brace and they both decide to get up in my face so I tell them point blank to get the **** off my property. They don't and continue yelling at me (and speaking to each other in spanish which pisses me off). However I know that saying anything about them speaking in spanish makes me look like a bigot. Lose lose either way.
I tell them multiple times I have no lasting beef with your daughter, she took responsibility for their actions and apologized and I considered the situation resolved and that I understood their concern, but they had no right to come yell at me for standing up for my right of a peaceful and stereo free environment. They threatened to call the cops on me for 'threatening' their daughter because I told them to cut the noise or I'd call the cops and then yelling at them because they didn't.
Finally I just said the hell with it and praised them for having a child that took responsibility for their actions etc etc etc and that I considered the problem resolved...that I wanted no beef with any of my neighbors but that they needed to respect my rights as much as I needed to respect theirs.
Conversation over and I walked in the house...
but I'm left pissed off because
1) I was just standing up for my right as a homeowner to not have to put up with a bass blasting stereo late at night.
2) I taught these kids (they're only 10 years younger than me) a lesson, one that I had to learn when I was their age which was to respect your neighbors. Cutting them some slack caught me major flack with their parents. What the **** happened to responsibility in this world?
3) I don't want any beef with any of my neighbors...this is a quiet neighborhood and I just want it to remain so.
How could I have handled the situation better?