What can I do about a suspicion of apartment neighbor's drug use?

[Taxing Matters]

I have a question about changing the rules of the city ordinance. I'm wondering if a city can change some rules of the ordinance easily. I don't expect anything is easy and quick to change the ordinance and the law. However, I'm guessing if someone wants to change the ordinance itself, it has to go through the city council to change it. But if someone wants to have some minor tweaks to the rules, I'm assuming it might be a different procedure.

Any change to the ordinance itself, whether large or small (a "tweak") requires the same process of approval by the city council.

 

[PAPP]

Thank you for your reply, Zinger and Taxing Matters.
I thought a shorter version of the ordinance like Q&A for the ordinance is different from the actual ordinance. I feel so stupid!

I forgot to write another question. Is it illegal for me to distribute the city's no smoking ordinance Q&A to the residents? When I talked with my SO about sending it to the residents to inform the ordinance, he said it was illegal if I would do it. When I talked to several residents about the issues, I noticed they didn't remember the no smoking rules or didn't know about the rules well. My apartment manager is a nice guy, but somehow he has been very uncooperative about the smoke issues. I have already asked him to send a no smoking reminder many times, but I don't think it will happen while he is here. So, I came up with an idea distributing it by myself.

 

[quincy]

Hello, again. I have a tiny update. Also, I have a new question.

The tiny update is our apartment management company decided to shuffle their stuff. A new apartment manager will come in a few months. I hope the new manager will be tough on smoke issues.

The situation itself has not been changed. Actually, it got worse. The same mothball smell is often filled with another hallway. I found a former professor who received a government grant to research for DMT and he confirmed with the smell of DMT, but I still can't convince anybody including my SO about the smell. Well, I think it's time for me to invent a DMT tester.

I have a question about changing the rules of the city ordinance. I'm wondering if a city can change some rules of the ordinance easily. I don't expect anything is easy and quick to change the ordinance and the law. However, I'm guessing if someone wants to change the ordinance itself, it has to go through the city council to change it. But if someone wants to have some minor tweaks to the rules, I'm assuming it might be a different procedure.

Someone suggested me to contact to my city's council members to improve the city's no smoking ordinance and I'm working on it now. I'm also looking for the right procedure to make some changes happen. I have never done anything like this, so I have no idea what I need to do. I would appreciate your help.

I will preface this by saying I have no connection to the following source and am providing a link only because it has a nice, east-to-understand chart showing the typical process involved in getting an ordinance passed or changed:
http://statescape.com/resources/local/ordinance-process.aspx
Good luck.

 

[PAPP]

Thank you for your reply, quincy.
I appreciate the link you posted. I have never done this, so I'm quite overwhelmed what I need to do. However, moving to a new place is kind of slim, even though my SO agreed we would move when our son would finish the middle school. He back peddled about using the city's mediation program with the apartment management company last year. I don't think moving would happen either. Well, I have to do whatever I could to improve the present situation.

 

[quincy]

Thank you for your reply, quincy.
I appreciate the link you posted. I have never done this, so I'm quite overwhelmed what I need to do. However, moving to a new place is kind of slim, even though my SO agreed we would move when our son would finish the middle school. He back peddled about using the city's mediation program with the apartment management company last year. I don't think moving would happen either. Well, I have to do whatever I could to improve the present situation.

I continue to wish you good luck.

 

[PAPP]

Thank you for your good luck wish, quincy. It made me cry. I have been dealing with a new smoke issue and I just found that a solution I found didn't work as I hoped for. Whatever progress I made, a new issue arises and pull me down to where I was. I was feeling down before I saw your post. I appreciate your kindness.

I'm wondering if the lease doesn't restrict distributing flyers, is it OK for me to do it? I just remembered NYC has some rules about it. My SO grew up in there. Now I understand why he said it was illegal. I checked the rules in our area and it seems there is no restriction. I'm in the process of asking other residents about the issues and also asking their cooperation to report issues to the manager, but it's a big apartment and I just want to leave a flyer to some residents' doors.

 

[PAPP]

I'm sorry to bother you again, but my son pointed out that my posts are giving a wrong impression about the issues we have and also what I'm asking about. I would like to explain a background story of my flier distribution question. I would appreciate if you could bear with me.

It seems I gave an impression I have been obsessed with the mothball smell and DMT. I shouldn't have mentioned it in my yesterday's post. It was a joke for me, but my son just said "Nobody understands it and it is so weird." Now, I see how bad it is. He also mentioned I sound like I am trying to send something to the residents about the mothball smell. It's actually for marijuana smoke violations, not for the mothball smell.

We have had marijuana smoke violations a lot. The latest one is by my new next door neighbor. They are marijuana smokers. When they moved in, they smoked in their unit and on the balcony. When I found one of them was smoking on the balcony, my SO talked to them about the no smoking rules. They stopped smoking for a while, but they started smoking in their unit again in this past couple of weeks. Their unit is right next to my son's room and secondhand smoke just seeps into his room.

I have talked with several residents about marijuana smoke issues, and I found that most of them were confused with the legalization of marijuana and the no smoking ordinance. Even though they noticed marijuana smoke, they were not certain whether smoking marijuana was a smoke violation or not, so they didn't report to the apartment manager.

I thought my letter to the residents asking their help and informing about marijuana smoke was okay, but including the city's Q&A page print out might be an issue because it was not my writing. Furthermore, my SO said distributing something to the residents itself was illegal. That's why I asked the question.

My question is it is okay for me to distribute the city's ordinance Q&A page with my letter to the residents legalwise. I found my area doesn't have any distributing fliers restrictions and the lease doesn't have any word about it.

I hope it makes sense to you. If you understood what I meant for the first time, I want to apologize I repeated it persistently. When I'm upset, too much thinking happens and my explanations tend to jump around this way and that way. Also, English is not my native language, and it creates more chaos in my head especially when I'm upset. This latest issue has been really upsetting me because it affects my son's health condition, but I can't find a solution. My son has suffered migraines and secondhand smoke may trigger it. He had mild migraines this weekend. I did all I could think of, but it's not good enough to stop them.

Sorry for my lengthy post. I really appreciate your taking the time to my thread.

 

[quincy]

I suggested back on page one of your thread (post number 7) that you post a public notice about your concerns on an apartment community bulletin board. I believe that is a better choice than distributing flyers.

Those interested in joining you in your quest to enforce apartment policies have that option.

 

[LdiJ]

I suggested back on page one of your thread (post number 7) that you post a public notice about your concerns on an apartment community bulletin board. I believe that is a better choice than distributing flyers.

Those interested in joining you in your quest to enforce apartment policies have that option.

And in the meantime, you might want to buy an air purifier for your son's bedroom to help him avoid the second hand smoke problems.

 

[quincy]

I believe that was one of the suggestions made earlier.

 

[PAPP]

Thank you for your reply, quincy and LdiJ.
I appreciate your caring about my son's health. We have an air purifier and he likes the sound of it. He said it soothes him.

I want to apologize that I had you repeat what you already suggested me, quincy. I didn't mean to ignore your suggestion. It is simply my past experience was not positive, and I have been discouraged to do it. I'll ask a permission to the manager to put a flyer on some common areas today. I hope he will let me do it this time. If I don't ask, the answer is always no!

I also need to apologize I repeated the trivial questions. I'm more nervous about making any violations under the recent immigration policy change since I read some cases of a green card holder with a minor violation deported. I have never intended to break the law, but I'm certain I unintentionally have done something I shouldn't have done out of my ignorance about the law. When my SO pointed out about the flyer restrictions, it just worried me.

I really appreciate all your help. I hope I have some legal related expertise to contribute to the forum.

 

[quincy]

Thank you for your reply, quincy and LdiJ.
I appreciate your caring about my son's health. We have an air purifier and he likes the sound of it. He said it soothes him.

I want to apologize that I had you repeat what you already suggested me, quincy. I didn't mean to ignore your suggestion. It is simply my past experience was not positive, and I have been discouraged to do it. I'll ask a permission to the manager to put a flyer on some common areas today. I hope he will let me do it this time. If I don't ask, the answer is always no!

I also need to apologize I repeated the trivial questions. I'm more nervous about making any violations under the recent immigration policy change since I read some cases of a green card holder with a minor violation deported. I have never intended to break the law, but I'm certain I unintentionally have done something I shouldn't have done out of my ignorance about the law. When my SO pointed out about the flyer restrictions, it just worried me.

I really appreciate all your help. I hope I have some legal related expertise to contribute to the forum.

Never apologize for asking questions. Forum members are here for the sole purpose of providing answers - when we can, at least.

And I think you have been smart to ask about the laws before acting. Many come here after-the-fact and there is generally less to offer them in the way of help at that point.

You can ask the manager about posting a community notice. The problem with flyers is that most people hate them - especially when they are posted on their doors.

Good luck.

 

[Shadowbunny]

And just a note, OP: your English is fine. Better than fine, actually. Many native-speakers don't have as good of a grasp of the language as you. Best of luck in your endeavors, I hope you are able to resolve the issue quickly and peacefully.

 

[PAPP]

Thank you for your kind words, quincy and Shadowbunny.
It lifted my mood up. I had a very frustrated conversation with my apartment manager before I read your posts. Your kindness just calmed my nerves. I really appreciate it.

To post my flyer in the common areas was declined. He said he would send a notice about smoking marijuana, but didn't say when. It's likely it won't happen. I have to come up with some creative ways to resolve it.

I'm grateful for all your help. I can see myself posting more questions sometime soon. I hope you will bear with me.

 

[quincy]

Your manager has heard your concern and seems willing to address it. That sounds positive.

Good luck.