rainbowbob
Member
I had a frustrating and potentialy ugly incident in my neighborhood early this morning. I didn't get much sleep as a result, so I'm still kind of groggy. I wanted to post this story to point out how wierd a situation can get in a hurry, to think through and hear from you what (if anything) I did right - and what I did wrong. Bear with me...their is a gun involved. So here goes:
We went to bed around 11:30, only to realize that on that side of the house, the noise coming from the church next door is unbearable. Loud (and I mean very loud), amplified drums and base thumping continuously along with shouting and chanting and what sounded like one voice louder than the rest leading the others in some kind of frenzied ritual.
Bear in mind that this is a church I have attended (however irregularly) - but this party is not the regular members. This is a group that the church has rented to in order to raise revenue.
We try to sleep but it is impossible to get more than a few exhausted winks before being jolted awake again. During all of this cars are coming and going, car doors are slamming, car alarms are being turned on with the accompanying horn honk, car alarms are going off, people outside the church are walking up and down the street in front of our house and talking, laughing, and shouting.
By 2:00am, after 31/2 hours, my wife finally couldn't take it any more (nor could I), and she asked me to call the police. I called the no-emergency line, got a recording, patiently went through the multiple phone tree options, and finally got an operator to take my complaint. She said she would send a car over, and I tried to sleep.
At 3:30am, with apparently no response from the police, I decided to go have a chat with the folks at the church. I had no idea what kind of crowd I was about to encounter, but my (perhaps foolish) assumption was that if the church would rent to them, they couldn't be too bad, right?
Naturally I don't go out unarmed and have my snub in my front pocket just in case somebody gets hinky. As I approach the parking lot, I notice dozens of (mostly) young men going in and out, going to their cars and then back in, trespassing in the other neighbor's yards, making as much noise as they can, and generally behaving like total asses. I also realize that before I could get in the door to complain to whoever is in charge, I would have to wade through all of these guys. I am not prepared to confront that many of them at once, with the possibility of being surrounded.
So I stand off the to the side, in my next-door neighbor's driveway and call the police again. This time I dial 911. I'm pretty sure I got the same operator who said she would send a car right over. I explained I would be waiting out there for them.
Just about then a couple of guys go walking up the street and stare at me long and hard. A minute later, they come driving back down the street and stop to ask me if I have a problem. I said that I, and most everyone else in the neighborhood was trying to sleep, seeing as how it was now almost 4:00am. At that point I had my hand firmly around the stock of my pocket pistol in an attitude I hoped would convince them to move along. They said they were just partying, shrugged, and drove off.
By now, 40 minutes had passed since I called police the second time (it's been two hours since the first call). All of a sudden, a car pulls from the street into the driveway nearly hitting me! I quickly back up the driveway facing the car and staring into the headlights. I can't see the occupants, but they back down the driveway a few feet and remain with the car and the headlights aimed at me.
I realize I'm boxed in and back about 30 feet away with my hand on my revolver, still in my pocket. There is a stand-off for a whart seemd like about three minutes, when I hear the voice of from the car say "Can you come out?" It's my neighbor! the last thing I expected was her driving up her driveway at 4:00am! I quickly go to her and apologize for frightening her and explain what had been going on. she agreed that these folks had created an intollerable nuisance and continued up her driveway.
I contiued to watch the activities, including more noise and more trespassing, until finally the party broke up without further incident - and no sign of the police.
I was so pissed I couldn't sleep for another hour - but the waking nightmare running through my fevered brain involved my neighbor driving at me and, believing I was being assaulted with deadly intent, pulling my weapon and in the worst case, firing at her!
Sorry for the long rant...as I said I'm still groggy. The good news is nothing bad happened - if you don't count an entire neighborhood losing a night of sleep.
We went to bed around 11:30, only to realize that on that side of the house, the noise coming from the church next door is unbearable. Loud (and I mean very loud), amplified drums and base thumping continuously along with shouting and chanting and what sounded like one voice louder than the rest leading the others in some kind of frenzied ritual.
Bear in mind that this is a church I have attended (however irregularly) - but this party is not the regular members. This is a group that the church has rented to in order to raise revenue.
We try to sleep but it is impossible to get more than a few exhausted winks before being jolted awake again. During all of this cars are coming and going, car doors are slamming, car alarms are being turned on with the accompanying horn honk, car alarms are going off, people outside the church are walking up and down the street in front of our house and talking, laughing, and shouting.
By 2:00am, after 31/2 hours, my wife finally couldn't take it any more (nor could I), and she asked me to call the police. I called the no-emergency line, got a recording, patiently went through the multiple phone tree options, and finally got an operator to take my complaint. She said she would send a car over, and I tried to sleep.
At 3:30am, with apparently no response from the police, I decided to go have a chat with the folks at the church. I had no idea what kind of crowd I was about to encounter, but my (perhaps foolish) assumption was that if the church would rent to them, they couldn't be too bad, right?
Naturally I don't go out unarmed and have my snub in my front pocket just in case somebody gets hinky. As I approach the parking lot, I notice dozens of (mostly) young men going in and out, going to their cars and then back in, trespassing in the other neighbor's yards, making as much noise as they can, and generally behaving like total asses. I also realize that before I could get in the door to complain to whoever is in charge, I would have to wade through all of these guys. I am not prepared to confront that many of them at once, with the possibility of being surrounded.
So I stand off the to the side, in my next-door neighbor's driveway and call the police again. This time I dial 911. I'm pretty sure I got the same operator who said she would send a car right over. I explained I would be waiting out there for them.
Just about then a couple of guys go walking up the street and stare at me long and hard. A minute later, they come driving back down the street and stop to ask me if I have a problem. I said that I, and most everyone else in the neighborhood was trying to sleep, seeing as how it was now almost 4:00am. At that point I had my hand firmly around the stock of my pocket pistol in an attitude I hoped would convince them to move along. They said they were just partying, shrugged, and drove off.
By now, 40 minutes had passed since I called police the second time (it's been two hours since the first call). All of a sudden, a car pulls from the street into the driveway nearly hitting me! I quickly back up the driveway facing the car and staring into the headlights. I can't see the occupants, but they back down the driveway a few feet and remain with the car and the headlights aimed at me.
I realize I'm boxed in and back about 30 feet away with my hand on my revolver, still in my pocket. There is a stand-off for a whart seemd like about three minutes, when I hear the voice of from the car say "Can you come out?" It's my neighbor! the last thing I expected was her driving up her driveway at 4:00am! I quickly go to her and apologize for frightening her and explain what had been going on. she agreed that these folks had created an intollerable nuisance and continued up her driveway.
I contiued to watch the activities, including more noise and more trespassing, until finally the party broke up without further incident - and no sign of the police.
I was so pissed I couldn't sleep for another hour - but the waking nightmare running through my fevered brain involved my neighbor driving at me and, believing I was being assaulted with deadly intent, pulling my weapon and in the worst case, firing at her!
Sorry for the long rant...as I said I'm still groggy. The good news is nothing bad happened - if you don't count an entire neighborhood losing a night of sleep.
