Well Darklings,
I did promise to tell you what is happening with the
wacky-doodle son of our neighbor. Trust
me Darklings the parents are wonderful people but they are burdened with a
paranoid schizophrenic son, who has living quarters in what used to be his
parents garage, they fixed it up with a shower and toilet and sleeping room
with a small dorm type refrigerator. I
had a chance to see it before the son moved in.
Every so often, the voices in “crazy sons’” head just leap
out and he does weird things like dancing naked and such, but for the last year
or so it’s changed. He now has it in his
split-level head that we somehow cause him problems.
On several occasions we’ve had to call the police on him
when he stands on our sidewalk in front and yells at the house, for my sister
with her profession something like that is not good.
Monday morning I woke up to the bright sunlight and thought
what a wonderful but hot day, but that got spoiled quickly by 8:15 a.m. when Crazy Son stepped in front of his parents house, (that's across the street)
yelling to quit invading his privacy and sending mind messages to his parents,
and then the usual about the ultra sound machine and that we’re going to
jail.
Then he went to the front door of his parents’ house and
pounded and pounded on it, they wouldn’t let him in and talked to him through
the door and he was yelling and gesturing at our house, and then he walked up
and down the porch and yelling at them again while looking over at our house,
but we faintly heard something from inside the house, and “Crazy Son” just
stomped off the porch and into his sleeping quarters.
Doyle and I thought well that’s it for the day. But in the evening about quarter to 6, Doyle
and I decided to get something from our favorite Deli, Doyle said it was too
hot for me to cook, I said I would call
the order in for Doyle to pick up and he said O.K. I called it in but before he
could leave “Crazy Son” walked up to the edge of the lawn and started yelling
at us.
This time he was really wacky, saying we were invading his
privacy, sending messages into his parents head with the ultra sound machine,
and then the usual rant calling us some
choice names, that I murdered the previous owner and buried her in the basement
, I’ve committing a felony, I committed
fraud and going to jail.
Well that was it, if he stayed on his side of the street in
some way we could deal but when he walked in front of my property it went to
Code Orange and I called the Police on the non-emergency number. Then I called
the Deli saying that there would be a delay picking up our order, because Doyle
didn’t want to leave.
About 30 minutes later the police showed up, because it’s at
their availability. And they always send
a Newbie, and I have the fun of breaking him in.
He asks what’s going on and I said that if I went back 10
years it would take all evening to tell, but I gave him the version starting
with the fun and games that started less than a week ago, he said an
investigating officer was going to show up who is more familiar with this and
he did show up, So between Officer Newbie and Officer Experience I told them
what the most recent events have been.
Officer Experience
knows “Crazy Son” and I told them that “Crazy Son” has been harassing and
intimidating us, for over a week we need to clear off the porch so we can paint (except if it’s
too hot) and he harasses us preventing us from doing the work, and they could
see the porch needed to be painted, and things have been moved around on
the porch. They understood.
Officer Experience said to Officer Newbie that it’s listed
as an ongoing “415” which is disturbing the peace, and I am always the
reporting person. Officer Experience
said we really should look into a restraining order, I told him I talked to a lawyer
a while ago and it was considered that it might ramp things up in “Crazy Son”’s
mind.
Officer Experience said that “Crazy Son” has some cognition
as to what he can and can’t do and the R.O. might work, either way it would be
another weapon that the cops can have to deal with “Crazy Son”. I said I’d look into it again but the hard
thing is having it served on “Crazy Son” because no one I know wants to get near
him. But I’ll consider it.
Officer Experience said that the parents are not going to do
anything with “Crazy Son”, they won’t turn him in, he’s there to stay and I
said I knew that and that I knew the parents, the sister and grand-kids are good people, I
and Doyle really like them, and then
there’s “Crazy Son”, Officer Experience agreed. He said that he’ll read “The Riot Act” to “Crazy
Son”, he not supposed to harass us, it’s illegal and that should take care of
things for a while and gave me an I.R. number so I can get a copy of the
report.
They talked to “Crazy Son” who was waving his arms and
saying that we were invading his privacy to watch him poop!!! Like What??!! PooP???!!!
I didn’t want to see his pitiful third leg when he was dancing around
naked last year, and we’re invading HIS privacy to watch him POOP???!!!
And the new one that some how using Ultra Sound I’m
projecting messages into his Parents heads,
and a few other things but Officer Experience read the riot act, Officer
Newbie has met “Crazy Son” and now knows what is not going on in his head, and
they left.
About 10 minutes later “Crazy Son” left his quarters and
walked off, where to we don’t know but so far that night things were quiet. I thought we might be good for 6 to 8 weeks.
Doyle thought that maybe there is a Civil type of
Restraining order and I am at least going to find out what it takes to get that
type of R.O. and we have to consider
costs as well to have it served.
This morning we woke up to Crazy Son yelling that we can’t
stop free speech and proceeded to go to the corner to announce my address and
said the woman living there killed the former owner and buried the lady in the
basement, he was yelling that to all who would listen that I was a murderer and
in between that we cannot stop free speech.
Doyle and I just rolled our eyes, my sister came over and
said she had several clients coming over and she was going to call the police,
I said she may want to call his parents too.
The ranting went on for about another 30 minutes and then we saw a
police car show up and talk to Crazy Son.
And then the father walked down to the corner as well.
They were still there when Doyle took me to the court house
before he drove to the City and to his office.
While at the court house on the court lunch recess I was lucky and ran into an old friend a
recently retired judge, he had some free time and joined me for lunch and was
willing to talk to me on the matter Pro Bono. And the answers I got saved me the cost of
consulting a lawyer.
Knowing that he just
wants the facts, I summarized it saying this has been going back some years but
in the last 7 it has been accelerating, and I quickly leading up to the most
recent events.
He asked me a few questions, and then explained to me that
at this point in time our hands are tied, because even though “Crazy Son” is a
paranoid schizophrenic, he does have some limited cognition of the law with the
exception of the fantasy that is playing as a loop in his head, and as I said
it does not matter what people he knows (family, a few skanky friends) say to
him or the cops say to him, he refuses to believe it.
It’s a fixation because “Crazy Son” was familiar with my
Great Aunt who owned my house, he grew up with an antagonism towards her
because she was kind to his parents and even helped them out with medical bills
gave the money to them as a gift, and even helped their daughter with funds to
go to college, but for some strange reason he hated her for that. When I moved into the house, I was a serious major change in “Crazy
Son’s” life, and he equated my moving in with the deaths of two relatives that
happened 5 months later and another a
year after that.
Of course any Normal person would know that’s life, people
grow old, get sick and pass on, but “Crazy Son” through some sort of strange
superstition (he never made it through high school) put the two events together
and came up with this bizarre scenario.
But my Judge friend summarized the important points for the
reasons why it would be difficult to get a Restraining Order are these:
1. Its not
domestic violence, “Crazy Son” is not a boyfriend, family friend, spouse, or
family member, so we cannot do that kind of restraining order.
2. In Looking into the Civil Harassment
restraining order I don’t quiet qualify for that, because he has not harmed
Doyle, me or the dogs, he has not done any damage within the last 18 months to
the property. (Although I did suspect
him of poisoning a rose bush) Nor do we
have either photo proof or acceptable independent witnesses to any attempts at
harm.
3. Verbal
harassment or Verbal intimidation is not acceptable as a reason for a civil
harassment restraining order. Unless it
is in addition to what I listed above. A
Judge will not even entertain the motion.
(That’s why the Westburro church can do what they do)
4. Trespassing
has to be proven with proof such as an independent witness or a photo, but does
not necessarily meet the CHRO requirements.
Unless in the act of trespassing, vandalism or harm is done but again
we’ll need proof.
And of course until the mental health laws change, the parent’s
hands as well as the police’s hands are tied.
So at this time we’re stuck, all we can do is call the
non-emergency number unless “Crazy Son” ramps it up. But now, if the cops say get a restraining
order I can tell the Police that we are stuck on all levels and at this point
in time they are our best option to keep things calm.
But Doyle is going to buy security camera’s for the house,
and I am going to install a vintage style gate on the driveway to prevent
anyone going to the garage. Once we can
buy and install those cameras then we’ll have any video proof we’ll need,
especially if he does any physical damage.
Doyle told me that he’s going to buy them on his “dime” so
nothing out of the household budget.
He’s also thinking of getting a dash cam for the Van, primarily because
of the way other drivers, pedestrians and bike riders create dangerous
situations, and it will help prove we are not at fault.
It’s getting to be a pretty sad world where we have to
install security cameras on our homes and dash cams in our vehicles, “1984” is
here and it’s because of criminal activity, nut jobs, and people who think they
are self-entitled.
And to make it worse women fighting in Wal-mart!! And one
woman got her 6 year old son to join in and kick, throw punches and hit the
other woman with shampoo bottles, it was on the news last night, both women are
banned from Wal-mart and the police are looking into this, someone took cell
phone video of it. That is a new low
for Wal-mart. But it only goes to show
no one has any class or respect, just mouthing off, and teaching their children
the same thing!
It just confirms that we need camera’s to put people on
notice to show what is truth, but if it only comes on after the reasons for
such incidents are happening then you
only get half the story, body cams and dash cams on cops will be important as
well. Like that mentally ill man who was
drinking and on meth, throwing his Mother into the street and banging her head
into the pavement, no one had a chance to record that, only the cops using
their batons to subdue him and he was trying to grab their guns. Again only half the story was videoed.
I’m so glad that the children were not around when Crazy Son
went off his rocker the other day. I’d
be very worried then.
Court let out early today, and I’ve been home for over an
hour, I managed to get a taxi to drive me home and asked the driver to wait
until I got into the door, which he did after I told him the reason why. I did spot Crazy Son hiding behind some
bushes on his parent’s property, but after I got inside and carefully looked
out the window he was gone, most likely back into his sleeping quarters.
Sis came over and I told her what the Judge said, and she
was unhappy about that, but said she’d do her part. She told me that the police came over and
read the riot act again to Crazy and the Father also scolded him and took him
away. So her clients were able to come
over without any problems. And if he
acts up she will be quick to call the police, in a way she has a far better
immediate reason than I do, especially on a “Disturbing the Peace” call.
She suggested that the best thing if Crazy Son stays on his
side of the street is when I’m out in front working on the plants trimming the
roses, (I have to hand water them as well) if he starts yelling to just ignore
him, pretend he doesn’t exist.
But keep one eye on him, in case he makes a move. Eventually he may become bored with his mental
game or by holding off as long as possible calling the police, his parents will
take a firmer hand in it as it does embarrass them. Unless
it becomes too egresses.
In a strange Gothic type of way, to be called a Murderess is
kind of Gothic, considering the pet cemetery I have in back.
But not so much dealing with a Nut Case.
So tomorrow we’ll see what develops, today I am just so glad
that we had RAIN, beautiful glorious Rain, much of my runoff from the gutters
and such helped to fill the underground cisterns, now I’ll have to throw in
stuff to prevent mosquito’s from developing but the water should be good for 5
or 6 weeks maybe a little more.
Sadly I did not plant any new annuals in the garden, but nasturtiums
have “volunteered” here and there where it has been bare, and make a very
tangled almost “malevolent” addition to the garden, so I’m going to let them do
their thing, the seeds may have blown
over or was dropped by birds. But who am
I to question a flowering bounty.
And now to see how dinner is coming, I am so glad that Sis and Brian are joining
us, I cannot talk about the court case, but we can have fun talking about “Crazy
Son”.
Later Darklings
I completely understand what you are going through. I have some schizophrenic neighbors too who live downstairs. They are convinced we are spying on them and sending beams downstairs to listen in on them. I live in an apartment so if it does get too bad,I can easily move. It has calmed down and they complain to the landlady about "noise" when they go off their meds. They once got into a screaming match with each other and I called the police on them. I feel your pain and sadly, the laws are in their favor.
ReplyDeleteDear Sylvie,
DeleteThank You, more and more people are going to have to contact their representative and demand that the mental health laws be changed, to get more help for those who have mental issues and to prevent such harassment or tragic circumstances.
That is the reason for such events, but when a parent or spouces or legal guardian's hands are tied, it puts the whole population in danger.
I believe in what Mr. Spock said "The Needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the one or the few" Sadly our law makers are not hearing it.
At least you have the option to move, but I love my Great-Aunts house and I am standing my ground, I will not give way.
I sympathize with you completely. We had "crazy" neighbors at our last house. The only resolution was we moved. An acquaintance still lives on the block and says the "crazy" is still at it. So sad.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry this is still such an ongoing issue. I hope for the best for you.
We will persevere, the police know he's crazy, he is on their radar, and the parents are doing what they can, God Bless them.
DeleteBut they are elderly and if they pass on or are in such a state that they need to go to a care facility, "crazy sons' sibling told me that the house will be sold, and "crazy son" will no longer be able to live there.
The sibling said they will not be held responsible for "crazy" he will be on his own, of course when that happens he will become then a problem for the state. Well see what happens.