16 year old neighbor assaulting children!

[kjizzle]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Florida
We live in a small neighborhood, the entire block knows one another and all the children play together. We have a new neighbor and they have 5 kids. The mother lets them run wild and all of them are violent. We have told our kids to avoid them but they live so close iit is hard.
They have a sixteen year old who hits the kids and all of us Mother's went to confront his Mother ( the 16 year old) and she said she has been trying to have him locked up as he hits his brothers and sisters too and tears her house up but the law will not do anything.
I found out today that he hit my 9 year old and I was not here my neighbor was watching my girls, can I have the law do anything since I did not see it and will they?
Thank you

 

[Antigone*]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Florida
We live in a small neighborhood, the entire block knows one another and all the children play together. We have a new neighbor and they have 5 kids. The mother lets them run wild and all of them are violent. We have told our kids to avoid them but they live so close iit is hard.
They have a sixteen year old who hits the kids and all of us Mother's went to confront his Mother ( the 16 year old) and she said she has been trying to have him locked up as he hits his brothers and sisters too and tears her house up but the law will not do anything.
I found out today that he hit my 9 year old and I was not here my neighbor was watching my girls, can I have the law do anything since I did not see it and will they?
Thank you

The only thing you can do is call the police when this teen ager assaults your children.

 

[Isis1]

And watch your children when they play outside. Don't make anyone else responsible for your children.

 

[kjizzle]

And watch your children when they play outside. Don't make anyone else responsible for your children.

I was at work and my neighbor who is also a friend was watching my two girls after school. When I am home I am outside with them the entire time they are out there. I do not leave the huge responsibility of my girls to no one when I am home! That is mine and mine alone!
If I had been here I would have called the police right then!
Thanks for the reply.

 

[mistoffolees]

I was at work and my neighbor who is also a friend was watching my two girls after school. When I am home I am outside with them the entire time they are out there. I do not leave the huge responsibility of my girls to no one when I am home! That is mine and mine alone!
If I had been here I would have called the police right then!
Thanks for the reply.

Then why didn't the neighbor call the police? You should leave her instructions to call the police if one of the neighbor kids assaults ANY of the children.

 

[Isis1]

I was at work and my neighbor who is also a friend was watching my two girls after school. When I am home I am outside with them the entire time they are out there. I do not leave the huge responsibility of my girls to no one when I am home! That is mine and mine alone!
If I had been here I would have called the police right then!
Thanks for the reply.

I'm going to be honest. If the person I left my children with did not protect them while in their care, they'd never be allowed to babysit again.

 

[kjizzle]

I am mistaken I am sorry. I just thought I could ask a legitimate legal question and get an answer. No I will not be leaving my girls there again and yes I did only want to know if the police could help get this teenager off the streets.
Thanks for the snide remarks and NO help!

 

[mistoffolees]

I am mistaken I am sorry. I just thought I could ask a legitimate legal question and get an answer. No I will not be leaving my girls there again and yes I did only want to know if the police could help get this teenager off the streets.
Thanks for the snide remarks and NO help!

Geez. What's with the snarky people who ask for help - and then go on the attack when they get it?

You got the answer - the police can definitely take action, but they need to be called when it happens. It doesn't matter who calls - you, the neighbor, or the Man from UNCLE. If they are called, they will come out and investigate.

So you have the answer. The next time it happens, SOMEONE needs to call the police right away.

 

[CdwJava]

The police will want to know the context of the "hit." Was it a slap, a punch, a roundhouse to the jaw, what?

Did it happen during a time they were all playing together? Did the kid just walk up to the younger child and pop him in the mouth?

Merely striking a kid is not necessarily going to result in the police taking any action unless it is egregious or the intent was clearly to cause harm.

And no one should expect the police to necessarily haul the kid away as that likely will not occur. Chances are they will file a report for the prosecutor and/or child services. Maybe a chat with the police will scare the kid, maybe it won't. Who knows?

But, as others have stated, when you hear about it, and the police have not already been called, then do it yourself.

 

[kjizzle]

The police will want to know the context of the "hit." Was it a slap, a punch, a roundhouse to the jaw, what?

Did it happen during a time they were all playing together? Did the kid just walk up to the younger child and pop him in the mouth?

Merely striking a kid is not necessarily going to result in the police taking any action unless it is egregious or the intent was clearly to cause harm.

And no one should expect the police to necessarily haul the kid away as that likely will not occur. Chances are they will file a report for the prosecutor and/or child services. Maybe a chat with the police will scare the kid, maybe it won't. Who knows?

But, as others have stated, when you hear about it, and the police have not already been called, then do it yourself.

Thank you very much for your reply. The problem is the Mother of this 16 year old has called the police on her own son Allan ( the 16 year old)
as he hits his younger siblings and trashes her house and the police tell her they can not do anything to help her. I did not witness the incident with my daughter so I did not call the police. But my question was if the police will not help the Mother would they help me?
Allan threww a pine cone at my 9 year old daughter with great force and cut her eye and then picked it up and mashed it into her chest leaving marks where it had scratched her. He terrorizes the children here in the neighborhood all the time. Throws things at them chases them with his bike and hits them.
The Mother says she can't do anything with him and that the police will not help.
So I was thinking if they will not help the Mom they sure can't help me or the other neighborhhod Mom's.
I am sorry for the snarky remark, I should have explained my situation better.
Thank you so much for the educated kind reply. It is very much appreciated!

 

[Isis1]

Thank you very much for your reply. The problem is the Mother of this 16 year old has called the police on her own son Allan ( the 16 year old)
as he hits his younger siblings and trashes her house and the police tell her they can not do anything to help her. I did not witness the incident with my daughter so I did not call the police. But my question was if the police will not help the Mother would they help me?
Allan threww a pine cone at my 9 year old daughter with great force and cut her eye and then picked it up and mashed it into her chest leaving marks where it had scratched her. He terrorizes the children here in the neighborhood all the time. Throws things at them chases them with his bike and hits them.
The Mother says she can't do anything with him and that the police will not help.
So I was thinking if they will not help the Mom they sure can't help me or the other neighborhhod Mom's.
I am sorry for the snarky remark, I should have explained my situation better.
Thank you so much for the educated kind reply. It is very much appreciated!

want me to be honest? i don't mom is being honest with you. i really don't. there is help for her. she just has to take it.

get enough neighbor complaints and injuries, the police WILL do something about it.

 

[CdwJava]

Thank you very much for your reply. The problem is the Mother of this 16 year old has called the police on her own son Allan ( the 16 year old)
as he hits his younger siblings and trashes her house and the police tell her they can not do anything to help her.

It may be because his actions do not rise to the level of a crime in your state. Depending on what the nature of the hitting is, it may be less a crime issue and more a parenting issue. As for trashing the house, making a mess is not a crime. Damaging it MIGHT be a crime, but that depends on the law in your state and also whether or not mom wanted anything to happen to her son ... she may have just wanted them to talk to him and do nothing more. Mom may not be giving you the whole scoop about the cops.

I did not witness the incident with my daughter so I did not call the police. But my question was if the police will not help the Mother would they help me?

Your child's situation may be different.

Allan threww a pine cone at my 9 year old daughter with great force and cut her eye and then picked it up and mashed it into her chest leaving marks where it had scratched her. He terrorizes the children here in the neighborhood all the time. Throws things at them chases them with his bike and hits them.
The Mother says she can't do anything with him and that the police will not help.
So I was thinking if they will not help the Mom they sure can't help me or the other neighborhhod Mom's.

I suspect that if all of you get together and start calling the cops on every one of this boys assaults, the cops WILL take action if they can because they will get tired of dealing with the issue. Very often these are not matters the police want to concern themselves with, but one or two calls does not a pattern make. If they get a bunch of alls, they might take action or it might force child services or the legal system to pay attention.

 

[mistoffolees]

It may be because his actions do not rise to the level of a crime in your state. Depending on what the nature of the hitting is, it may be less a crime issue and more a parenting issue. As for trashing the house, making a mess is not a crime. Damaging it MIGHT be a crime, but that depends on the law in your state and also whether or not mom wanted anything to happen to her son ... she may have just wanted them to talk to him and do nothing more. Mom may not be giving you the whole scoop about the cops.


Your child's situation may be different.


I suspect that if all of you get together and start calling the cops on every one of this boys assaults, the cops WILL take action if they can because they will get tired of dealing with the issue. Very often these are not matters the police want to concern themselves with, but one or two calls does not a pattern make. If they get a bunch of alls, they might take action or it might force child services or the legal system to pay attention.

Or simply do not allow your kids to play with him. Problem solved.

 

[kjizzle]

None of the children are allowed to play with him or even speak to him.
I will get everyone together and call the police each time he does something and stay on top of it. As suggested they will soon grow tired of it and do something about the situation hopefully.
I do really appreciate all of you taking your time to answer my questions. Thank you very much