Problems with neighborhood kids - any suggestions?

I'll try to make this short. Problems started several years ago with
neighbor who has since moved. Eight year old son and two friends began
breaking branches off plants and threw a dead rat in the back yard.

A few months ago large group set off acid bombs in front of my house.
I spoke (raising my voice at times, not yelling) to the "instigators"
about it and called the police and the kids seemed responsive at the
time, but then began organizing large groups of kids skateboarding in
front of house, sitting on swale and throwing empty bottles and trash
in the swale. At times they congregate in front of the driveway and
are slow to move if backing out in the car.

I have not been the only target. They engage in similar activites at
times in front of the lady's house next door. I learned during a
subsequent attempt to reason with two of the three principle
instigators that they were disturbed with her because she had offered
them a pizza party if they washed her car, which they did, but they
never got the party. The guy who lives across from me had graffiti
written on his van. I don't know what he did to offend these guys.

This morning, one was skateboarding, just a few feet back and forth,
out front while another "filmed" him with a camcorder aimed directly
at my house. One of the two is a true leader. The kids all do
everything he tells them from what I have seen. I heard him instruct
his partners on how to start fights with black children without being
held responsible. I watched him skateboard right up to, but stopping
just short of a kid bouncing a basketball on his way to the courts.
An apparent attempt to provoke a response.

These guys live two, three and four houses away from here, not
directly across the street. I had never had any contact with any of
these kids before all this started. None. Just with the son in the
family next door who moved away three years ago. Never had any
conflict with any of the parents of any of these kids, ever, except
the father in the family who moved. Relationships with the other
parents had always been cordial.

These kids are really quite smart. They don't behave like "bad"
kids. They don't wise off or snarl at you. Don't speak to or even
really look at me. So the police really have nothing to pursue.

I'm sure this rant is going to sound a bit paranoid, but assuming that
I'm rational, for the most part anyway, and people really are out to
get me does anyone have any suggestions about how to approach this
thing?

All favorable comments are welcome and appreciated.

In article .com,
says...

I'll try to make this short. Problems started several years ago with
neighbor who has since moved. Eight year old son and two friends began
breaking branches off plants and threw a dead rat in the back yard.

A few months ago large group set off acid bombs in front of my house.
I spoke (raising my voice at times, not yelling) to the "instigators"
about it and called the police and the kids seemed responsive at the
time, but then began organizing large groups of kids skateboarding in
front of house, sitting on swale and throwing empty bottles and trash
in the swale. At times they congregate in front of the driveway and
are slow to move if backing out in the car.

I have not been the only target. They engage in similar activites at
times in front of the lady's house next door. I learned during a
subsequent attempt to reason with two of the three principle
instigators that they were disturbed with her because she had offered
them a pizza party if they washed her car, which they did, but they
never got the party. The guy who lives across from me had graffiti
written on his van. I don't know what he did to offend these guys.

This morning, one was skateboarding, just a few feet back and forth,
out front while another "filmed" him with a camcorder aimed directly
at my house. One of the two is a true leader. The kids all do
everything he tells them from what I have seen. I heard him instruct
his partners on how to start fights with black children without being
held responsible. I watched him skateboard right up to, but stopping
just short of a kid bouncing a basketball on his way to the courts.
An apparent attempt to provoke a response.

These guys live two, three and four houses away from here, not
directly across the street. I had never had any contact with any of
these kids before all this started. None. Just with the son in the
family next door who moved away three years ago. Never had any
conflict with any of the parents of any of these kids, ever, except
the father in the family who moved. Relationships with the other
parents had always been cordial.

These kids are really quite smart. They don't behave like "bad"
kids. They don't wise off or snarl at you. Don't speak to or even
really look at me. So the police really have nothing to pursue.

I'm sure this rant is going to sound a bit paranoid, but assuming that
I'm rational, for the most part anyway, and people really are out to
get me does anyone have any suggestions about how to approach this
thing?

All favorable comments are welcome and appreciated.


Two suggestions - first is to talk with the police, and any other
town/munincipality governing board about what exactly the rules are concerning
loitering, harassment, and tresspassing (is the swale on your property?) Be
prepared to call the police where that legality line is crossed, totally ignore
it where it isn't.

Secondly, get together with the other neighbors having similar problems, and see
how they feel about it, what they've done or plan to do about it. Possibly,
you'll be able to have the three households affected visit the parents and/or
make a complaint about it.

But don't get riled and have a plan in your pocket as to what you'll do and
under what circumstances you'll do it.

Consider putting up survelliance cameras on your property (ask the police and
town about the rules concerning that first).

Banty

On May 12, 2:44 pm, Banty wrote:
In article .com,
says...





I'll try to make this short. Problems started several years ago with
neighbor who has since moved. Eight year old son and two friends began
breaking branches off plants and threw a dead rat in the back yard.

A few months ago large group set off acid bombs in front of my house.
I spoke (raising my voice at times, not yelling) to the "instigators"
about it and called the police and the kids seemed responsive at the
time, but then began organizing large groups of kids skateboarding in
front of house, sitting on swale and throwing empty bottles and trash
in the swale. At times they congregate in front of the driveway and
are slow to move if backing out in the car.

I have not been the only target. They engage in similar activites at
times in front of the lady's house next door. I learned during a
subsequent attempt to reason with two of the three principle
instigators that they were disturbed with her because she had offered
them a pizza party if they washed her car, which they did, but they
never got the party. The guy who lives across from me had graffiti
written on his van. I don't know what he did to offend these guys.

This morning, one was skateboarding, just a few feet back and forth,
out front while another "filmed" him with a camcorder aimed directly
at my house. One of the two is a true leader. The kids all do
everything he tells them from what I have seen. I heard him instruct
his partners on how to start fights with black children without being
held responsible. I watched him skateboard right up to, but stopping
just short of a kid bouncing a basketball on his way to the courts.
An apparent attempt to provoke a response.

These guys live two, three and four houses away from here, not
directly across the street. I had never had any contact with any of
these kids before all this started. None. Just with the son in the
family next door who moved away three years ago. Never had any
conflict with any of the parents of any of these kids, ever, except
the father in the family who moved. Relationships with the other
parents had always been cordial.

These kids are really quite smart. They don't behave like "bad"
kids. They don't wise off or snarl at you. Don't speak to or even
really look at me. So the police really have nothing to pursue.

I'm sure this rant is going to sound a bit paranoid, but assuming that
I'm rational, for the most part anyway, and people really are out to
get me does anyone have any suggestions about how to approach this
thing?

All favorable comments are welcome and appreciated.

Two suggestions - first is to talk with the police, and any other
town/munincipality governing board about what exactly the rules are concerning
loitering, harassment, and tresspassing (is the swale on your property?) Be
prepared to call the police where that legality line is crossed, totally ignore
it where it isn't.

Secondly, get together with the other neighbors having similar problems, and see
how they feel about it, what they've done or plan to do about it. Possibly,
you'll be able to have the three households affected visit the parents and/or
make a complaint about it.

But don't get riled and have a plan in your pocket as to what you'll do and
under what circumstances you'll do it.

Consider putting up survelliance cameras on your property (ask the police and
town about the rules concerning that first).

Banty

Thanks for the suggestions. Surveilliance cameras may well be in my
future.

The other affected people and I have spoken about this and are pretty
much at a loss about what to do. I had suggested we all get together
with the parents of the instigators to discuss things but that never
happened and I ended up talking to two of the parents with two of the
kids. The father of one said he agreed that it looked as though I was
a target but didn't seem to think his son would be a participant in
all that. The other, who is the boyfriend of the mother of one of the
others also does not believe that his kids would be involved in the
activities. He had even approached me a few weeks ago for suggestions
about what to do about things when his kid had irritated the leader
and been threatened with being beaten up. His girlfriend is naval
reserve and left recently for Iraq and he asked me to drive his kids
to karate when he isn't able to get home early enough to do it. I've
done it a couple of times and when alone without their peers, they're
meek quiet liitle children. Like all good bullies.

The police have said that I may call if they are loitering in front of
the house and I have done this. They do not consider skateboarding to
be loitering, and I don't either for that matter. But I am annoyed
when they congregate and stand or sit around in the driveway or the
swale especially since they don't even live adjacent to me.
Unfortunately each of the two times I did, the kids had dispersed by
the time they responded. In any case the kids would just retaliate
anyway which is what happens whenever I say anything to them. They'll
ratchet things up a notch.

Thanks again.

Thanks again.

wrote:

I'll try to make this short. Problems started several years ago with
neighbor who has since moved. Eight year old son and two friends began
breaking branches off plants and threw a dead rat in the back yard.

Forget this - those people are gone.

A few months ago large group set off acid bombs in front of my house.

What are acid bombs? Did you see them do it?

I spoke (raising my voice at times, not yelling) to the "instigators"
about it and called the police and the kids seemed responsive at the
time, but then began organizing large groups of kids skateboarding in
front of house, sitting on swale and throwing empty bottles and trash
in the swale. At times they congregate in front of the driveway and
are slow to move if backing out in the car.

Throwing trash is littering if it is public property.

I have not been the only target. They engage in similar activites at
times in front of the lady's house next door. I learned during a
subsequent attempt to reason with two of the three principle
instigators that they were disturbed with her because she had offered
them a pizza party if they washed her car, which they did, but they

I would tell the lady what the problem was - maybe she has a different
recollection

never got the party. The guy who lives across from me had graffiti
written on his van. I don't know what he did to offend these guys.

Ask

This morning, one was skateboarding, just a few feet back and forth,
out front while another "filmed" him with a camcorder aimed directly
at my house. One of the two is a true leader. The kids all do

My response would be to film him back from inside the house.

everything he tells them from what I have seen. I heard him instruct
his partners on how to start fights with black children without being
held responsible. I watched him skateboard right up to, but stopping
just short of a kid bouncing a basketball on his way to the courts.
An apparent attempt to provoke a response.

Then he is the point person for his group.

These guys live two, three and four houses away from here, not
directly across the street. I had never had any contact with any of
these kids before all this started. None. Just with the son in the
family next door who moved away three years ago. Never had any
conflict with any of the parents of any of these kids, ever, except
the father in the family who moved. Relationships with the other
parents had always been cordial.

These kids are really quite smart. They don't behave like "bad"
kids. They don't wise off or snarl at you. Don't speak to or even
really look at me. So the police really have nothing to pursue.

I'm sure this rant is going to sound a bit paranoid, but assuming that
I'm rational, for the most part anyway, and people really are out to
get me does anyone have any suggestions about how to approach this
thing?

All favorable comments are welcome and appreciated.

Just favorable?

I personally would approach the parents first and ask them what they
thought I (i.e. you) might do to defuse the situation, being careful
not to accuse anyone, and being as positive as possible - the kids are
smart and they don't behave like bad kids - one of them is an obvious
leader etc. It takes a village etc.... It would depend on how the
parents react as to what I would do next

wrote in message
ups.com...
...

Thanks for the suggestions. Surveilliance cameras may well be in my
future.

The other affected people and I have spoken about this and are pretty
much at a loss about what to do. I had suggested we all get together
with the parents of the instigators to discuss things but that never
happened and I ended up talking to two of the parents with two of the
kids.

Maybe if you talked with the kids (and not the parents), they would listen.
And it doesn't have to be about them hanging out on the street. I bet they
are tired of being thought of as the problem rather than valued members of
society, which they are. Talking to them as people may go a long way in
solving the problem.

Another thing is that if they are hanging out in front of your house, there
is probably no place better to hang out. Talk to them and find out where
they do want to hang out. Maybe you can work with them to convince your city
to build a basketball or skateboarding place for them. Or keep the youth
center open longer.

Granted, their parents should have listen to you when you said they are
causing problems. Like people come up to parents with complaints about their
kids all the time for no reason.

If you're kind to the kids and get them on your side, everyone wins.

Jeff

The father of one said he agreed that it looked as though I was
a target but didn't seem to think his son would be a participant in
all that. The other, who is the boyfriend of the mother of one of the
others also does not believe that his kids would be involved in the
activities. He had even approached me a few weeks ago for suggestions
about what to do about things when his kid had irritated the leader
and been threatened with being beaten up. His girlfriend is naval
reserve and left recently for Iraq and he asked me to drive his kids
to karate when he isn't able to get home early enough to do it. I've
done it a couple of times and when alone without their peers, they're
meek quiet liitle children. Like all good bullies.

The police have said that I may call if they are loitering in front of
the house and I have done this. They do not consider skateboarding to
be loitering, and I don't either for that matter. But I am annoyed
when they congregate and stand or sit around in the driveway or the
swale especially since they don't even live adjacent to me.
Unfortunately each of the two times I did, the kids had dispersed by
the time they responded. In any case the kids would just retaliate
anyway which is what happens whenever I say anything to them. They'll
ratchet things up a notch.

Thanks again.

Thanks again.