Of WE DID IT!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~

Dear Darklings,

WE GOT IT!!!!!!!!!    

We got the Restraining Order against Crazy Son!!!!!!!!!!   

We were up early Friday morning like at 6 a.m. no coffee, just shower dress, let the dogs out and then took them over to my sister’s house Brian said he’s baby sit them and then we left a bit after 7 a.m. before any traffic back ups Oh it was cold!  We had to be in court by 9 a.m. to have the mediation done.

Doyle wanted to park on the Street and use the Handicap parking placard that I have because of my back so our parking would be free, I was a bit worried but Doyle put the break lock in place to prevent theft.  And we walked 2 blocks to the court house, we were there before the building opened, since we were in the sun we waited and slowly people started showing up, all with cases.

Finally at 7:45 they let us in, and we got coffee in the snack bar then went to the 3rd floor near Dept. 5 and waited some more.   I won’t go into all the other folks and their problems but needless to say there were some strange ones.   It was 9 a.m. Dept 5 opened its door but No Crazy Son, I thought for a bit we might be home free but as the various clerks and lawyers were checking in at about 9:20 Crazy Son showed up with a skanky “friend” in tow---DAMN!  I thought.   I was wishing for a no contest but he wanted to put up a fight.

We did not have our previous Judge he was out ill, instead we had a woman Judge with dyed blond hair, a pasty white face bright red lipstick and that looked like she had seen Hell and  took a whizz in it just for fun, she looked to be in her 60’s and with a no-nonsense look to her face, with the first two cases I realize she was a “Judge Judy” type, I thought maybe our “goose was cooked” but then I began formulating a plan depending upon the outcome of the mediation.

Well the mediation was interesting as it was one woman acting as mediator, and she had us at one corner and she put Crazy Son and “friend” down a hall where he couldn’t see us and we couldn’t see him.   She talked to us first and told us that the Judge would like to see if there was a way in which mediation would work instead of going to court, I explained to the mediator that would be impossible with Crazy Son’s mental outlook and explained that to her, she understood and said she would talk to him, well we couldn’t see him but we could hear him and from the sound of it he wanted his day in court to prove what liars we were and that he was the victim. 

The mediator came back to us and asked if we would still be interested in mediation or take a chance on getting a restraining order, intimating that my request might be rejected.   I advised the mediator that other people including the Police Dept. have tried to mediate with Crazy Son to no avail.   That he’ll behave for a day or two and then go right back.   I told the mediator that the Restraining Order is what will be needed to keep him behaving and explained how he got arrested some time ago and was put on probation because his Dad got a lawyer.  The Father doesn’t want his crazy son arrested and neither does Crazy Son, he is cognizant enough to know that and he’s in fear of being in Jail.

So to court we went.    We had to wait a bit for a few cases,  when we went back in there was no place to sit except for one empty seat next to Crazy , I looked at him and gave him a laser stare and he quickly got up and instead with his “friend” stood in the back,  while Doyle and I sat. 

Finally we were called and sworn in, the Judge asked a few questions from me and I clarified them, she then asked if what I have written in my statement (all 13 pages) is true and correct and I said Yes it is your Honor.  (No one else in the court addressed her as “Your Honor” but Doyle and I did)  I caught a slight smile on her face when I addressed her as such.

She then skimmed over the pages and then asked me who were so and so and I said the son’s parents, ages 85 and 80 respectively.   She asked me if I was concerned about safety and I said yes, that during the last altercation that we had we also became concerned not only for our safety but for the parents safety as well when their son turned on them aggressively and we called the police.

The Judge then asked Crazy Son’s response and he said that he’s the victim, that we had harmed him and his family, and that we were telling lies about him and we didn’t belong on the block and he admitted to using foul language and that he shouts real loud but that he’s doing it to make his case to the entire neighborhood that Doyle and I don’t belong there and that everything in my statement 90 percent of it is lies made up by us.    He claimed to have proof that I didn’t own the house and had murdered my Great Aunt but he didn’t have it with him but he has it but needs to find it and wants more time to prove his case.

The Judge said “O.K. I’ve heard enough” and then she asked me again “Do you stand by your statements and declare it to be the truth”   and I said “Yes I do, Your Honor”.  It was hard projecting self-confidence, my hands were clammy and sweaty. But I sat at the table with my hands folded in front of me intently listening to the Judge and not looking left or right but focused on her.  Doyle did the same, either looking at his hands folded at the table or at the Judge.

She then said “I’m granting a 3 year Restraining Order, issued today….” And she included everything I wanted with two minor exceptions because we live across the street from each other the distance is 40 yards, not 100, and she was only issuing it for 3 years, although I did ask for 5, when she said “I’m only going to do it for 3 years but you can renew it on Nov 6, 2018”   I said “Thank you your Honor.”   As far as I was concerned VICTORY!!!!!!!!

She didn’t want me commenting, so I was careful.   I had to remember “Judge Judy” to not respond to Crazy Son, to not shake my head in denial, to not elaborate except to answer the Judge’s questions.

Then she said that we are to wait in the court room for our papers and to not leave, we were dismissed I said “Thank you, your Honor” and got up and put my paperwork away.   Crazy Son just sat there and said “What??!!  Are We done??!!  I have proof!!”  The judge said “You don’t have it with you, the Order is so issued, remain in the court to receive your papers from the clerk.”

Crazy Son was pissed!!!!!   Really Pissed!!!   Doyle and I sat down in the next available seat and this Middle Eastern fellow that was next to me looked at me, smiled and whispered “congratulations” and I smiled and whispered back “thank you” then pointed to the Bailiff and put my finger to my lips and he understood.

By this time my bladder was demanding relief, the Judge heard one more case and then called a 5 minute recess and I said (because now we can talk) “Thank goodness my teeth are floating” and the Middle Eastern fellow agreed.  So I quickly dashed to the bathroom and so did Doyle.   

 I came out and the clerk was looking for me, he had papers in his hand and was looking around and I said “I’m So and So, is that for me?”   He smiled and said yes and walked me to the foyer of the court room and explained a few things to me, I asked if I had to have Crazy Son’s copy served on him and the clerk said no if he can grab Crazy Son before he leaves, well Crazy Son was dashing out the door of the court room, but the clerk grabbed him and I quickly went into the court room as a safe place,  I could see and hear though the glass panel that Crazy Son was still pissed, but his “friend” was trying to calm him down before he got too loud.

He didn’t want the paperwork, he was refusing it,  but I heard  the clerk say to him “I’m serving this on you, if you refuse then you are in contempt of court and could be arrested, you follow what the Judge has ordered”  Crazy Son took the paperwork angrily and left. I was still in the court room but the Judge still had not come back so people could still talk.  Doyle was no where to be found so I assumed that he was still in the Men's Room.

The Middle Eastern fellow and two African-American ladies said that I handled myself real well up there, how did I do it?  And I said that it took me two weeks to properly fill out the paperwork I had to make sure that it was all correct and the only way to do it was to make copies of the original forms and write my responses in pencil and then walk away for a day from it and then go back to it with fresh eyes,  I said that my statements totaled 13 pages and it was all time dated and if police were called or not and I had all my police I.R. reports as well as photographs, I was ready. 

I said that what really did Crazy Son in was that my initial cause for the Restraining Order showed that he used “Racial Hate Speech” and threatened not only myself and Doyle  but also he was threatening his parents and that the first thing the police officer did was a welfare check on the parents.    

 The ladies asked me what kind of “hate speech” and the Middle Eastern fellow listened in and I apologized for what I was going to repeat and told them.   They were all shocked and I apologized again saying that I knew the language was extremely offensive.  But they were of an age that they understood that this language also offended me, and should never be said in public-----now exceptions can be made if it’s in a novel or a film to show a type of character or if it was written in a time period where such speech was common.   But Never in Public like that.

They asked me why did Crazy Son want me and Doyle out of the house and I said that he wants my deceased Great Aunt back so he can continue to put up magical charms against her, but insists that I killed her and buried her body in the back yard.  The Middle Eastern mans’ eyes got wide and the women did their best to not burst out laughing.    They all said to me You did good, God Bless you!!  And I said God bless all of you”

Then Doyle showed up, he said he couldn't go into the Lobby because Crazy Son was talking to the Bailiff, then the Bailiff acted as a barrier between him and Crazy Son.  I said we could leave I had the paperwork, so we went out into the foyer but the court clerk held us back and said that Crazy Son and his skanky “friend” was still in the lobby and for us to wait just out of sight and he kept checking, then he said that they finally moved to the elevator and got in it and the doors were closed, I said that we would wait in the Lobby for a few minutes to make sure that they have left the building and the clerk said that would be good.

Then he asked me if I ever worked in a law office and I said No, and told him where I did work and am now semi-retired  His eyebrows went up and he told us “I read your statement, you had him boxed up, you might have missed your calling.”  I said “Not really, I preferred the more quiet aspect of my life.”     He smiled at that, then he had to go into the court room but wished us a great holiday time, and we wished him the same.

Doyle and I waiting for 5 minutes in the lobby before taking the elevator down,  he had earlier come out of the bathroom and had seen Crazy Son talking to the Bailiff, but stayed way back out of the way and then came into the court room looking for me, as we came out the Bailiff was still in the lobby and Doyle asked him what was Crazy Son  asking him about and the Bailiff said that he was asking if he, Crazy Son,  could appeal and the Bailiff said to him “No, you didn’t have your proof, you screwed yourself, there is no appeal, no modification.” 

The Bailiff said we had done all the right things, even better than a lawyer,  I said “Well I saw how the Judge was handling the cases, the first one was a quick learning experience, so I knew what I had to do.”  The Bailiff looked at me, smiled and said “Very Smart!”   Then the down elevator came and we said our good byes and he gave us a tiny salute as the doors closed.

Oh I wanted so much Leap into the Air and say “WE DID IT!!!!!”   but we were decorous.   Not until we got into our car, our stomachs growling, our heads aching, our bladders asking again to be let free, did we cheer ourselves, I said to Doyle “all I want to do is drink coffee and hug our dogs!!”

Well not quite in that order, bathroom, aspirin, hug dogs after we let them out for their potty break. 

We got home just before Crazy Son, Doyle and I went into the house and did what we had to do, Doyle looked out the front parlor room window while Crazy Son was pulling his parents recycling bins in, but Crazy Son paused and gave the house “the finger”.   Doyle laughed.  I knew Crazy Son couldn’t see Doyle but I said for him to get away from the window.

I was having a bout of nerves  unable to make lunch, and calm down after all this, so Doyle packed the dogs in their little doggie carriers and we went to a Chinese restaurant that would allow our little doggie companions as long as they remained in their carriers and put the words “Service dogs” on them.

 I had noticed that before we left Crazy Son had rode off on his bike after complaining to his sister who was visiting and checking on the parents, she  just laughed at him and said  “serves you right!”  and went into the house as Crazy Son rode off pissed as hell, most likely to complain to his druggie buddies and Frankly as Rhett said to Scarlet, I don’t give a damn!

We went to bed early that night, exhausted, we can now get on with our lives, I have things to do, and a graveyard to pack.  And planning to take a good friend to Lunch to celebrate a birthday.

Either way it had been a busy day and a tiring day but in its own way a fruitful day and that is one I’m going to take to the Bank.  It has been two nights now, and I don’t care if the rain is coming or has arrived or whatever it plans to do, it doesn’t matter, we can relax and be at peace.  

It has turned cold here, like a light switch it turned from mild to cold, now it has the feeling of London of Sherlock Holmes or Charles Dickens, of an Agatha Christie novel, of fog, of tea and mystery.   And I’m loving it and as the Nina Simone song goes Feelin' Good!

Later Darklings 

Doyle and I live such exciting lives, a little dueling does wonders!

Of being a "Murderess" and a "nut job"~~~~

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