Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Neighbors evicted

I don't know if it's "eviction." Their house was condemned yesterday and they were ordered to vacate by 5:30. These are the neighbors straight behind us, who have been loud and troublesome almost as long as we've lived here. Seven years, the police said (and we've been here nine). A social worker's car and two cop cars were out there, they were all standing on the sidewalk out and talked to me.

I feel sorry for the kids, the teens. The target person was the tenant, who was the owner of the house. An older woman (60's?) who wasn't able to get up and about, and they weren't taking sufficiently good care of her. And the house was "deemed substandard" for habitation. The social worker in charge gave me her card, and she was there for the older woman.

The guy I've called "the dad" (the dad of four kids or so) is "the son" to the social workers and police, because (I guess) his mom owned the house. They didn't even know there was a little boy there (little meaning four years old, give or take). I think, but am not sure, that the teenaged girl is his mom.... all confusing. Cast of too-many.

What I do know is they let a nice big swimming pool go to hell, and that one of the teens was dealing small-quantity drugs out the back corner of the yard, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone in the house was watching. It must have involved cell phones. Cars would park right outside our back gate, the driver would get out and trade cash for something, and get in and drive. Keith saw it once. I saw it three times. Our friend Monica told Holly she had to park and wait once for the transaction to be completed before she could keep driving through the alley.

So that will stop now, or move elsewhere.
Their poor yappy pit bull who only ever got yelled at won't be barking at us.

Still, I feel sad. When the grandma was able to get out, she used to do a lot of yelling and shaming. The mom, I hadn't heard for a long time. The most recent fighting was between a teenaged or 20ish girl and one of the teens of the family. He was being hateful to her.

The contrast to our yard and our family is stark. Their yard is dark and quiet now.

I'm glad for Keith, and I'm glad our kids are as happy as they are, and that we have smiles and kind words here.

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