Hey everyone,

I've been a forum lurker for a while, but today I just felt the need to vent about my crazy neighbors. Maybe you'll even get a good laugh out of my situation; I hope you do. :) First, let me say that I'm a long-time renter, and I know there's a certain noise level associated with multi-unit dwellings. It is what it is. And I really appreciate the family that lives in the unit above us; they're kind, considerate, and have never bothered us with excessive noise.

And then there's the neighbor in Apartment A (We'll call him Mr. A). He was always personable, and I even picked his kid up from school sometimes when the man was out on a construction job (his son went to the same school as my daughter). Then one night things went horribly wrong. His wife reportedly tried to commit suicide and was taken to the hospital where she remained in a coma for one week. She had brain damage as a result of the incident. Then Child Protective Services came and took the son away. We were pretty shocked by this turn of events. But two weekends ago was the craziest day of all: We left our unit around noon to go to the movies. Crouched on either side of our walkway were SWAT officers with rifles pointed!! The police had the driveway blocked, and we were told by an officer that we had to either go back inside or leave the property. Well, we got the heck out of Dodge. When we returned three hours later, the SWAT team was dispersing, Mr. A's truck was being towed, and his front window was shattered. The next night he was back, blasting his stereo at 2am (which was very uncharacteristic). I heard other neighbors pounding the ceiling and walls to get him to turn it down. Finally I gave up and called the police because I didn't know if he was in a bad mental state. He turned it down. I later heard from his relatives that he had tried to murder his wife, and that she had taken the son and moved back in with her family. Mr. A was evicted.

Okay, so I chalk that whole debacle up to a tragic but random incident. But then there's the family right next door to us in Apartment E (We'll call them The E's). There are at least 7 or 8 people living in the unit, which can't be larger than a 2 bedroom/2 bath (the largest offered at this complex). They have a small dog that they used to leave out on their patio all night. It would bark at midnight, one AM, two AM, etc. I let this go on for about a week before I talked to management. They left a note on the E's door, and the dog was never left outside again. The teenage son has dropped out of school and wanders around the complex asking for cigarettes, or asking if he can take out people's trash for $3. The teenage daughter is pregnant and never leaves the house. The worst part is that she fights with the brother -- a lot. She locks him out of the unit on a semi-regular basis, which leads him to pound on the door as hard as he can and scream to be let in. I'm not sure if he's slow, on drugs, or just doesn't care, but we asked him to be quiet several times. Then one night he pounded for 45 minutes straight. I called the police, who showed up and had a talk with the whole family. The E's were told that they either had to let the son in or he had to leave, but if there was another pounding disturbance, they'd come arrest all of them if need be. (I love our police force.) The son was recently gone for a few days. His mother said he was in jail. It was blissfully quiet until he came back and started pounding and swearing again. I called the apartment manager, who left another notice on their door. I later heard the mother yelling at the son that she would "f'ing kill" him if they had to move to another apartment. Sheesh!

And finally, the neighbors behind us - and the neighbors above them. We'll call them... the Backsides. Downstairs Backside got to know us because her daughter goes to school with our daughter. One day she came over, visibly upset, because her ex husband had been released from prison and had left a 'gift' on her front porch. (It was some kind of ceramic rabbit, but apparently it really disturbed her.) So she told us to keep our daughter away for her own safety until things were resolved. (No problem!) Meanwhile, Upstairs Backside got evicted. I really felt sorry for them; it was an emotional situation with the woman sobbing and clinging to their stairway while the cops and apartment managers talked to her. Then her relatives showed up and were worried about her being suicidal. (They were literally right outside my patio doors, so I got to see/hear the drama.)

For all that our immediate neighbors are nuts, I like the apartment complex quite a bit. It's got a great community of young families with kids, and a nice play area that can be seen from our front window. The rent is also very cheap -- which attracts some of the 'wrong element', but also makes it easy for young families to pay off credit cards and save up a down payment for a house.

We're leaving in 2010.

So that's my vent! I think my neighbors are crazy. No other building in the complex seems to have the issues that mine does, so I wonder if I somehow got moved into the 'mental ward' of the complex!! *lol* Anyone else live in a madhouse and want to share? I'd especially appreciate someone reminding me that, no, not every neighborhood is this crazy, and I've just gotten thrown in with a bad lot!

Thanks in advance,

Apt. C