neighbor harassment

[Prl1961]

I live in a condo that has four units side by side. There is an elderly couple in the unit next to me that has done nothing but complain about my son, 8 years old for the last 2 years. At first he complained my son nearly hit his window with a baseball. I forbade my son from playing with his baseball near any unit or car but allowed him to play with his soft nerf ball instead. Then the man complained about my son riding his bike in the parking lot. I told the man I allow my son to ride his bike and instructed him where he can ride and where he can't. The following summer, it was the same thing, your son nearly hit my window with his ball (I showed the man that the ball is a soft pliable ball), Your son is riding his bike in the parking lot (so what?). There are 4 children that live in the area of the condos that I live and all the children go outside to play. This man will open his door and just stand there looking at the kids. Most of the other neighbors ignore the man. This year, my son was heavily involved in little league and soccer and we have hardly been home at all because of the sports my son plays is so consuming. There is a break in between baseball and soccer and we have been relaxing at home when once again, this man starts his complaining only this time, he is cursing and swearing at my son and several of the neighbor kids that are playing outside. I told my son rather than play in the front go to the back of my unit and play in the grass, which is considered a common area. My son and several of his friends went out back and was kicking the soccer ball around while I sat on my patio relaxing and observing. While I was outside I heard this neighbor go outside and yell profanities at the kids, 8 yrs, 7, 5 and 4 years old, telling them to get the "f" off his lawn and away from his unit. This frightened the kids and they came back to my patio. I told them I heard the man and told them to go ahead back out there and play, that that is a common area and not his private lawn and they ARE allowed to play back there. So the kids went back to their play. Again the man came out and began cursing at the kids, threatening to call the police on them. He did not know I was sitting back there so I got up and confronted the man. When he saw me he was obviously startled and I told him that I told the kids to play back there so they wouldn't bother him in the front of the unit. He then began to accuse them of hitting his window and his air conditioning unit to which I told him I had been sitting back there watching the kids and NO they DID NOT hit anything regarding anything on his unit and please, DO call the police, I INSIST. He began to yell at me, I yelled at him, telling him if he wanted to live in a retirement community then he should have bought a place in one, as it is, I have lived here since my son was in diapers and he has been here a whole 3 years, the kids aren't going to go away just cause he doesn't like them and that they CAN and WILL play back here, that it is not his private yard, reminding him it is a common area for anyone to go into. Now my son tells me that every time he goes outside this man will open his door and stand there staring at him and he finds it creepy. One of my other neighbors, who is a police officer, told me that this elderly neighbor went to his condo and was complaining that my son hit his window with a baseball and when he came over to confront me about it I refused to answer the door. The elderly man was livid about that. About 5 min's later I pulled into the parking lot from being at my mothers for the the last 4 hours and the man got embarassed and stalked off into his unit. My question is this: Can I file harassment charges on this man? I have contacted the property management and complained about this neighbor and they said they would take care of it but the man still will stand there looking at my son and the other kids in the neighborhood when they are out playing. When they play in the back he will crack open his blinds and watch them from his back window unless he sees me out there. I understand that this man moved from a blighted area of a nearby city and have told him I understand that probably the kids there are juvenile deliquents but this is a nice neighborhood here and these are good kids and to lighten up. What bothers me the most is the man opening his door and just standing there staring at them not to mention cursing at them. My son is afraid to have a sleepover at home with his friends for fear of going outside and having this man harass them, he is afraid his friends parents won't let them come over. Is there anything that can be done regarding this?

 

[mightymoose]

The best thing you can probably do is ignore him.
You don't have much of a harassment complaint to make, and I doubt you would get a restraining order if he were to contest it. His actions haven't gone far enough to justify any kind of action toward him.
If you and the kids pay no attention to him then he will probably go away. If he doesn't go away then let him be the miserable cranky person that he is without ruining your day.

 

[Prl1961]

Thank you so much. I will just have to grin and bear it and hope for the best.