Halloween Vigilantes

[SteveS]

My neighberhood has done the same thing in the past, though they seem to have went about it in a different way. First of all, it is a private road and there is a HOA. Additionally, the road is a dead end.

They would set up a partial barricade, with a sign asking trick-or-treaters to park at the end of the neighberhood and walk. No one was stopped, nor was there any attempt to to identify residents. We get a great deal of kids coming through the neighberhood and it is easier for them to walk around when there isn't a lot of auto traffic.

I have never found it to be all that big of a deal. It only lasts for about an hour and a half and no one is prevented from driving down the street.

 

[CAS700850]

No one on our street blocks off traffic, asks for ID, or anything. We live on a cul-de-sac. Everyone locks their doors, comes out, and sits at the end of their driveways. Every house is lit up. We park a couple of cars by the entrance to the street, not to block traffic, but simply to slow down the cars coming onto the street, gives the kids a chance to get out of the way. Half of the adults walk with the kids, split into two groups (big kids and young kids), the other half stay at home and hand out candy. When all the kids retun, they play together in their costumes while the parents socialize until 8:00 or 8:30. It's a good time.

 

[Mongo the Mutterer]

Well the first time I pulled in I thought they were cops, but then when I got closer I realized they weren't. Conversation went like this:

Cop wannabe, shining flashlight in my face - "Do you live here?"
Me - "Are you a cop?"
Cop wannabe - "No."

Alex, IMHO you used exceptional restraint. I would have been tempted to ,,, (non high road).

I want the kids to be safe and to have a good time. I feel it is a real shame what has happened to all of our holidays, though.

Making them safe and politically correct has also made them boring and sterile.

 

[Lupinus]

you don't need a gun
Neighborhood watch is here to save the DAY!!

*sigh*

Who said anything about not possibly needing a gun? I said some shmuck has no place setting up a road block on a public road and asking me for ID and if they are concerned to set up a watch and keep an eye out for trouble.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

If the whole neighborhood was in on this - fine. I can imagine a lot of people were annoyed being stopped or having their friends stopped.

If everyone knew, and this was planned in advance - then I say OK. This way no one is inconvenienced, and you keep the predatory scum of the Earth OUT.

 

[antarti]

WOW!

Neighborhood watch where I live was concerned about patroling to make sure all the kids were safe from speeders and anybody disorderly and such, not the other way around. We get hundreds of kids, many driven in on flatbed trucks from the surrounding neighborhoods, and it can get chaotic for somebody needing to drive in or out. Definitely a safety issue.

We get a newsletter monthly about the neighborhood goings-on complete with crime statistics on the surrounding areas. If it didn't appear in there (and wasn't the usual watch vehicles) and some busybodies were blocking the street to my house, they would get the big **** also. Following me onto my property (with wife and kids to protect) and stirring up trouble wouldn't be the safest thing to do either...

It's one thing for the people to get together and agree on doing something like this beforehand, another for a couple individuals to just take it upon themselves to play TJ Hooker.

You did the right thing.

 

[Powderman]

Is where you live governed by a Home Owner’s Association? If it is, the Association may legally own the streets and common areas. That is why there are legal gated communities that are closed to the public.

If this is not the case, then they overstepped themselves. If folks want to do a neighborhood watch type of thing that’s fine, but setting up a roadblock without any type of authority is over the line.

And that is why I have an intense dislike for homeowner's associations. As a matter of fact, had I known that where I live now had one before I moved in, I would not have moved in.

You can guarantee that the next place that I move to will NOT have one. As a matter of fact, if I can afford a place where my nearest neighbor is about a half mile away or so--at least--good stuff.

 

[spacemanspiff]

shoulda flashed them back in the face with a surefire.
flash me in the face with a light, i'll think you want to have a lightwar.

edit - i was out with my nephews on a bike trail a few years back, we parked in a small lot put there by the city for those visiting the park. we get back and the lot is gated off. appears the people of the neighborhood take it upon themselves to close the lot early in the evening, to prevent in their words, 'pot smokers and gangmembers' from parking there. i asked them if they had authorization from the city, and they said 'no'. so i told them that if they really wanted to thwart crime, they'd be better off being armed. one of the ladies got a horrified look on her face and said 'oh we could NEVER do that!!!'

 

[45acpSHOOTER]

You used restraint over and above what I would have probably done. Following someone up their drive way, at night, is a great way to view the business end of a 1911.

 

[Lupinus]

just like oh the police will always be there to protect me?

Police nine times out of ten can only help you after the fact...if a cop can actually get there while the attack is still in process before you have been hurt you are one lucky person.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

shoulda flashed them back in the face with a surefire.
flash me in the face with a light, i'll think you want to have a lightwar.

Just make sure that surefire isn't mounted to a Springfield, Glock, or Benelli special purpose.

 

[hoppinglark]

Who said anything about not possibly needing a gun? I said some shmuck has no place setting up a road block on a public road and asking me for ID and if they are concerned to set up a watch and keep an eye out for trouble.

and I agree, I was being sarcastic, these "Guardian Angel/ Cop Wannabe's" types tend to cause more problems then do good

 

[Lupinus]

ok hop guess I misunderstood then

 

[slugfast]

I would have asked for identification, and if they refused, ask them how you knew they actually lived there and were not blocking the road for some criminal purpose? -Id be interested to see the reactions

If they refused after that point, you could ask them again stating that it appeared to you they were making traffic stops, and that you would need to see identification or contact the police to make sure they were authorized to stop individual vehicles.


I can understand their reasoning and logic, but fail to understand on what grounds they can block the road, unless they have authorization from the Police, or are operating under the HOA exception.

 

[Flyboy]

Powderman:

As a matter of fact, had I known that where I live now had one before I moved in, I would not have moved in.

Was the HOA mentioned in the contract? If it was, you're SOL, and should have read the contract more closely. If not, you can make a good argument that you never agreed to be bound by it. Might be worth fighting.

Yeah, I hate HOAs too. Petty tyrants.

 

[CGofMP]

TPing someones house or egging it isn't hurting anyone,

I respectfulllllly dissagree.

Eggs + paint be the paint on cars or dwellings is a bad combination.
(see some of these)

Some kids have been doing the egg thing in our neighborhood as of late and there are several metal garage doors that need to be painted again because of it.

At 25+ bucks per gallon for decent exterior paint, I contend that they are indeed doing damage.


As for the bicycle vigilante following you onto your property I think I'd have made THAT the first focus of my call to the cops, and also reported the other as well. Damn few every loud-mouthed-jerkos needs to catch a bullet but had this guy been getting physical, I'd think a little dose of the appropriate defense spray might have been a good learning tool for those who never bothered to get their badge or study the law before rousting non-lawbreakers.

 

[DRZinn]

Repeat after me: "**** off and die."

Edited for Art's grammaw.

 

[Oleg Volk]

High Road?

 

[Lupinus]

I respectfulllllly dissagree.

Eggs + paint be the paint on cars or dwellings is a bad combination.
(see some of these)

Some kids have been doing the egg thing in our neighborhood as of late and there are several metal garage doors that need to be painted again because of it.

At 25+ bucks per gallon for decent exterior paint, I contend that they are indeed doing damage.

Understandable and to clarify I am not advocating having kids form a line and handing out a dozen eggs a piece. I was just trying to demonstrait the change from a few kids being kids and tping a house and maybe a few eggs to some of the crap kids do now that are considerably worse then some paint damage caused by an egg or two.

It also used to be if you got busted your parents whacked you upside the head and made you be the one that worked off the cost of the paint AND you were the one that did the painting. Now its "Oh my little Johnny would NEVER do that."

Wasn't nessisarily advocating it but was jsut trying to demonstrait what it was and what it is now.

 

[Phyphor]

Well the first time I pulled in I thought they were cops, but then when I got closer I realized they weren't. Conversation went like this:

Cop wannabe, shining flashlight in my face - "Do you live here?"
Me - "Are you a cop?"
Cop wannabe - "No."
Me - *Dismissive hand gesture and snort, then I drove past them and went home*

When I was pulling into my driveway one of them pulled up on the passenger side of my car on a bicycle (windows rolled down) and asked me again if I lived there. Again:

Cop wannabe 2 - "Do you live here?"
Me - "Are you a cop?"
Cop wannabe 2 - "No."
Me - "Then I don't have to tell you ****, get off my driveway."
Cop wannabe 2 - "Just chill out man, chill out."
Me - "Chill out? You just followed me all the way to my house! Get the **** off my driveway, now!"
Cop wannabe 2 - "I'll call the police."
Me - "Go ahead."

Then he got off his bike and started walking around to my side of the car in a threatening manner. I put the car in park and took my seatbelt off and he jumped back on his bike and rode off.

That idiot just basically demanded to be shot.

 

[Alex45ACP]

I'm not going to shoot someone just for that. It's not like my life was in danger, and there were lots of people walking around while this was happening so it would be extremely unsafe to innocent bystanders. Pepper spray would have been nice in that situation though.

 

[buy guns]

Naples, FL.

thats no surprise. i live in estero, which isnt too far away, and alot of the people in gated and non-gated neighborhoods are busy-bodies with nothing better to do than harass each other about their stupid rules.

 

[pax]

I love small towns. And I love where I live.

We don't get trick or treaters. We have to drive to town for that. It would sure be a bummer to live someplace that tried to turn us away because we "don't live there"!

We park near the fund-raising haunted house put on by the volunteer fire department, and go through it. Sometimes we join the costume contest, sometimes the kids are in a rush. While we're walking with the kids, we greet our neighbors -- most of whom know us by sight if not by name -- and make sure to stop in at the general store to get a full-size candy bar from the owner.

The local PD and several PD volunteers are a visible presence, and they hand out glowsticks to all the kids they see who don't have one already.

After the kids' feet are worn out and we're all getting chilly, we stop back by the firehouse, drink their hot cocoa, and stand by their bonfire for awhile. Never know who's going to drop by and say hello.

Lotsa fun, and the closest thing we saw to rude this year was a three-year old who was supposedly giving out candy at his house -- but instead tried to take a handful out of my son's bag! (His mom stopped him...)

pax

 

[Alex45ACP]

thats no surprise. i live in estero, which isnt too far away, and alot of the people in gated and non-gated neighborhoods are busy-bodies with nothing better to do than harass each other about their stupid rules.

I hear that. Last month they got upset because my neighbors had too many cars parked in their driveway

 

[CoachVince]

As for the bicycle vigilante following you onto your property I think I'd have made THAT the first focus of my call to the cops, and also reported the other as well. Damn few every loud-mouthed-jerkos needs to catch a bullet but had this guy been getting physical, I'd think a little dose of the appropriate defense spray might have been a good learning tool for those who never bothered to get their badge or study the law before rousting non-lawbreakers.

As I learned from a (very youthful -couldn't legally drink yet) indiscretion, following someone, and trying stop them from evading you, can be grounds for harassment; misdemeanor OR felony (depending on the judge's discretion, of course).

I grew up a lot when I stopped trying to "inform" people about their driving mistakes that nearly kill me.