I came outside today to find Johnny and some other kids throwing rocks at our next door neighbor’s house. Our next door neighbor (Craig) decided to stay in Texas after his Katrina evacuation. The weeds in his yard are now eight feet tall. I have some issues with Craig, obviously, but I didn’t think Johnny should throw rocks at the house. I exhorted him to stop, and we had a little discussion about Craig, who he is and what’s up with his house. Johnny expressed a desire to blow Craig’s house up. I said that wouldn’t be a good idea because our house would probably catch on fire. I told him not to throw rocks at the house again, got in the car and drove off. In the mirror I could see that the rock-throwing continued.
While I was at the hardware store, apparently, the cops rolled up on the scene. They told Johnny to quit and go home. (Xy reported what happened when I got back.) There’s broken glass all over Craig’s porch.
Kids!
And on that note, I’d like to be one of the first to wish XY a Happy First Mother’s Day. (That baby girl of yours is just too cute!)
that sucks.
i got three adondened houses on my block.
two of them are frequent stops for vagrants who i’m pretty sure are up to no good i.e. drug use and stowing stolen goods.
this is not based on speculation but actual inspection of the houses.
the third house is owned by the l.r.a. and is mowed and has new locks with no squatters.
go freaking figure.
what do you think a realistic aproach would be to get these homes under control?
i totally get the kid who said he would like to bomb the house.
i have had evil thoughts about these houses on more than one occasion out of despair and hopelessness.
i was cutting the grass for a year and a half after katrina as well as calling the cops when people were squatting.
one day the owner of one of the houses drove down from the north shore and started cursing me out.
he called me an an “asshole” for calling the cops on the vagrents and said i was “stupid” for having bought a house in a neighborhood where the “niggers” are moving in to homes on the block.
meanwhile he lets his family ‘s house continue to rot and sit idle.
i need a new tactic on how to deal with this shit.
my neighborhood is finally starting to get close to pre katrina with kids playing in the street and going to school and folks on their porch and talking to each other.
this crack in the facade of our old neighborhood bugs me.
katrina feels like ten years ago considering how far our blocks have come and i dont like these houses mocking our coming back to where we were.
got any ideas ?
thanks for letting me rant and good luck with your house next door.
also a big congrats on your first mothers day as a papa.
hope you three have a grand day.
signed : rick ” i learned spelling and writting in public school but that dont make me no dummy” n gentilly.
p.s. i got a bad ass weed wacker. just say the word and i will come over and clear that yard.
it doesnt solve the problem but it does have a small effect on perception.
hollor if you want to clean up the abandoned yard.
maybe yall could even get the kids from the block involved.
Hope XY had a lovely first Mother’s Day (and yourself as well).
By the way, did Chris ever return with XY’s guitar?
What prompted Johnny to start throwing rocks?
There seems no opportunity for Craig to have offended the aforementioned Johnny since Chris was in Texas.
I find it difficult to believe that Johnny was so offended by the eight foot weeds he and his friends felt compelled to teach Craig a lesson.
Mominem: Johnny’s not a bad kid but he’s headed in abad direction. I don’t think he’s had any parental supervision for years. But even those of us with strict supervision sometimes act out for no good reason. I know when I was his age (14 or 15) I did lots of stupid shit. No motivation but sheer boredom.
Julie: Yes, Chris knocked on our door yesterday and handed the guitar to me. Didn’t say a word.
Rick: Thanks for the thoughts as always. I sent Craig a note telling him about the broken glass and I also mentioned the weeds. Who knows, maybe he’ll get his ass in gear. I’m not holding my breath. I read in the paper recently about people filing lawsuits over this sort of neglect. Maybe that’s what it will take…
It is just a matter of time before Craigs house get’s on the demolition list again. Maybe that will inspire him. The Demolition Contractors are out trolling for more houses to tear down
What happened to the good neighbor program. No not the city’s good neighbor program just the good old fashioned. “good Neighbor”