Advice on a different matter

[bigbluerigak]

I have an issue, maybe you guys can help.

I have an apartment across from my house that has some pretty crappy people in it. The issue is that when people are over they park in front of my house and have a tendency to dump out their trash in my yard. This has been a weekly thing but this time they messed up.

Someone, I do not know the vehicle yet, left a bag of trash, vodka bottles, mcdondalds.... Oh and a nice pay stub from the large native corp/company they work for with their name and their address.

Any ideas other then my wife's of.... DON'T YOU F#@KING DARE

The new president of this native corp/company knows me, I worked under him for 5 years at another company. It would be too easy to go right to him. Any other ideas?

 

[Junkman]

Call the guy and tell him to come pick up his trash. Don't tell him how you found him, and hold onto the pay stub. If he doesn't pick up his trash, then tell your friend that he is a boozer, and you have the empty bottles to prove it.......... or you could just put the trash in the front yard of the people that these people come to visit.

 

[TLCDino]

Wow. That is really terrible, but I am in your wife's court. Just not worth the risk of escalation. People are crazy and can be a-holes. This person is obviously a nut and capable of who knows what.

Why and crazy crazy blow back. Better to deal with a little inconvenience then risk some crazy run-in with a potential nut.

BTW - how much do they make for a living? Just curious... Seems funny..

 

[NJHandyGuy]

drive to his house put the bag on his front lawn problem solve bet he'll never do it again

 

[ddawg16]

So far.....bad advice.....

The only real crime is littering....unless the cops catch the drinking.....

The problem of calling the president of the native corp is that while you may have a pay stub...do you know what the guy looks like? Good chance it is him....but.............

My advice....call the police....don't talk to the guy at the front desk....talk to the community relations officer of the commander/chief of the PD/Station....tell them about your problem and the impact it is having on the quality of life in the area.....all it takes is a few nights of increased marked police car visibility and/or an arrest or two and the problem will get better......

Should that fail...talk to the president of the corp....

Though, I would like to point out that I have had good success standing in front of my yard watching people.....on occasion, we have knuckleheads stop across the street to smoke pot......I stand outside and just stare at them....takes about 36 sec at most.....

Another trick....walk out there with the phone to your ear....most people will think your calling the cops and leave.....

 

[gesoffen]

How about a bit of old fashioned civility? Or is that to confrontational these days?

What I'm getting at is the next time you see the "suspect", do him the favor of returning his/her long lost pay stub. Make sure you address him/her by name and strike up a bit of conversation about the address/area on the stub. This will give them the hint that you now know who they are. Maybe even ask who they're over to visit so you know that persons name and apartment number. At the end of the conversation, kindly ask that they don't park in front of your house and especially don't litter on your yard.

If they have half a brain, they'll realize that you have them a bit by the balls and all you have to do is squeeze to make their life a bit more painful.

Also, if you know which apartment they're visiting, kindly ask that the tenants request their visitors to park elsewhere and stop littering (if they are approachable).

Remember to do all this talking to them as you would a friend/respected neighbor. If you start off with a pissy/confrontational attitude, you'll get it right back at you and nothing will be resolved.

 

[LAROKE]

I like to keep a pile of gay pride bumper stickers to put on any vehicle that blocks my warehouse entrance.

 

[digdug18]

I find that calling various state and federal departments take care of unruly neighbors. Homeland security -because he might be a terrorist. If that doesn't work child protection will go check his place out for you as well...

 

[jptx]

How about a bit of old fashioned civility? Or is that to confrontational these days?

What I'm getting at is the next time you see the "suspect", do him the favor of returning his/her long lost pay stub. Make sure you address him/her by name and strike up a bit of conversation about the address/area on the stub. This will give them the hint that you now know who they are. Maybe even ask who they're over to visit so you know that persons name and apartment number. At the end of the conversation, kindly ask that they don't park in front of your house and especially don't litter on your yard.

If they have half a brain, they'll realize that you have them a bit by the balls and all you have to do is squeeze to make their life a bit more painful.

Also, if you know which apartment they're visiting, kindly ask that the tenants request their visitors to park elsewhere and stop littering (if they are approachable).

Remember to do all this talking to them as you would a friend/respected neighbor. If you start off with a pissy/confrontational attitude, you'll get it right back at you and nothing will be resolved.

I totally agree.....why call the cops or his boss, speak to them in person

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

I like the police presence idea.
People, espescially nut-jobs / jackasses who are the type to do these offenses are potentially going to give you trouble right back if confronted. The only way to approach these situations yourself is to decide right way that you are ready for anything - and the possible consequences. It's judgement call.
Different problem than littering, but I found what worked best to get peole to slow down on our road. I called the officer in charge of traffic enforcement in our county and explained the issue (people going 60 -70 plus in a 30mph) and that the officers are welcome to park anywhere on my property to do speed enforcement. A few weeks of officers out there at random times of day has gotten them to slow down to around 40 or so, anyway.

 

[creativecars]

I find that calling various state and federal departments take care of unruly neighbors. Homeland security -because he might be a terrorist. If that doesn't work child protection will go check his place out for you as well...

Are you serious???
Grow a little integrity.
Maybe someone will do the same for you.

 

[z28snksknr]

My first reaction from behind my keyboard was "throw his gabage all over HIS lawn", but since I wouldn't actually do that myself, I'd say start with talking to the neighbor about it as a first measure. A simple "would you mind asking your visitors to park on your side of the road? I've noticed some litter on my property- empty bottles and someones pay stubs- I think his name was _____" may do the trick.

If that doesn't work, police are your friends.

As for calling homeland security, if they miss the REAL terrorist because they were harassing your arch nemesis litterbug, the fallout is on you. Don't waste important people's time in the name of creatively harassing someone. Deal with it like a mature adult, even if it's hard to do.

 

[Az Scooter]

Unless you own the street, there is no law, anywhere that I know of that makes it illegal to park there. The trash is another story. I would pick it up and put it in the dumpster. If it continued, I would address the renters across the street, and explain the problem. It would be their choice on whether or not it escalated.

Life is too short to be angry all the time.

 

[Kevin54]

I'd call the police or sheriff and let them deal with it. Littering IS a crime. Maybe they won't pop him for a fine, but as long as he knows what happened and is talked to by the law, then maybe situations like this will slow down.

 

[dmeadow]

Dude, can I have my paystub back? You can keep the rest...

 

[GarageEnvy]

Yeah, I'm wondering why he doesn't just tell the neighbors not to litter the street too. It might not work but it's a place to start. We had a somewhat similar problem. We live near a school and had kids leaving their fast food lunch at our curb. A lot of neighbors had the same problem so they had the school make an announcement. No luck. We also have an orange tree in our front yard. The kids pick oranges and eat them. We don't really mind this except they were dropping the peels everywhere. So I approached them and told them, eating the oranges was OK but put the peels in the trash and pointed to my garbage can. It got better but wasn't perfect. With the kids that wouldn't listen to the school message and wouldn't listen to me I had to get a little bit more agressive with. I told them that they had an "open campus" for lunch as a privilege and that it was pretty easy for the neighborhood to change that. If you guys wreck it for everyone I'll make sure your classmates know who caused the campus to be closed and forced them to eat bag lunch or cafeteria food. Problem solved.

I hope the guy who threatened to call homeland security was kidding. I'd like to believe nobody is this stupid.

 

[milkovich]

How about a bit of old fashioned civility? Or is that to confrontational these days?

Confront the guy like a gentleman. Handle your business like your father or grandfather would. With civility, integrity, and a dose of brass ones. Don't embarass the guy, give him an "out" where he can fix the problem and he retains his dignity. He'll respect you and consequently your property.

Leave the back stabbing, gossip, and pranks to women and children.

 

[RobSmith]

Try the civil bit first....if they bite you. then bite back. Last week I came up behing a car with no working brake/tail lights. I pulled up beside her at the red traffic lights and said "excuse me" to get her attention and she yelled back "F#@K OFF" . She didn't even let me say anything. The light turned green and she sped off. I called the cops and gave them her number and said she was driving dangerously, maybe drunk.

 

[Auzivision]

QUOTE=milkovich;1324083]

Confront the guy like a gentleman. Handle your business like your father or grandfather would. With civility, integrity, and a dose of brass ones. Don't embarass the guy, give him an "out" where he can fix the problem and he retains his dignity. He'll respect you and consequently your property.

Leave the back stabbing, gossip, and pranks to women and children. [/QUOTE]

+1 ... nicely put. [

 

[C G]

Personally I dont think you will have any success trying to deal with this kind of person face to face in a reasonable manner. If they have no self respect for themselves or any respect for other people and their property, you will get no where. And possibly they will escalate it, because anyone that would just throw out bags of trash like that just don't care. Plus your description of the apartment situation just cements this kind of persons attitude to me.

But you just cant ignore it, I like the idea of calling the community relations officer if your city has one. Cities are dying for money right now, Im sure they would love to fine someone for doing this.

Oh as far as calling his boss, Im not really sure what this would accomplish. He is the boss not the baby sitter or mother of this employee. He has no real say on what this person does on his own time.

I feel for ya though. For some reason some people find it amusing to toss stuff over our fence once in awhile. Picked up a full size coffee can full of cigarette butts the other day...weird? No names with any of the tossed garbage yet, maybe someday =)

 

[91FE]

Confront the guy like a gentleman. Handle your business like your father or grandfather would. With civility, integrity, and a dose of brass ones. Don't embarass the guy, give him an "out" where he can fix the problem and he retains his dignity. He'll respect you and consequently your property.

Leave the back stabbing, gossip, and pranks to women and children.

Amen.......

 

[reinhardt]

I know it isn't done like this much anymore, but I try to follow the teachings of the Bible. Bible says return evil with kindness, it heaps coals on their heads. Be the nicest guy you can and you won't have many problems. My house is in a tight subdivision. Parking is at a premium. The guy next to me has around 5 people living there, each with their own car. One of them tried to claim the spot in front of my house. I approached the guy with respect and asked him if he wouldn't mind parking in front of his own house.

He told me parking was tight, see look someone is in front of our house.

I answered, "Sir that is my truck because you were parked in front of my house. I'm not telling you to park somewhere else, I'm asking you." He told me he appreciated the respect and he hasn't parked there since. It probably greatly helped that he was older. I've had similar conversations with other neighbors and they don't repeat either. I always introduce myself first too, makes a difference. I agree with others to talk to the individuals. Maybe go talk to the tenants with some fresh baked cookies. Offer up some help with cars maybe. (assuming since you're on this forum you have an interest in cars/garages..) I think that's your best bet to bring a stop to problems. If you strike up some kind of friendship with the tenants then they should reciprocate and tell guests not to park in front of your house.

Ben

 

[CUSTOMMANCAVES.COM]

I like to keep a pile of gay pride bumper stickers to put on any vehicle that blocks my warehouse entrance.

I do the same, however my bumper stickers read "***********"...

(My shop is in Collier City! )

 

[ersatzs2]

How about a bit of old fashioned civility? Or is that to confrontational these days?

What I'm getting at is the next time you see the "suspect", do him the favor of returning his/her long lost pay stub. Make sure you address him/her by name and strike up a bit of conversation about the address/area on the stub. This will give them the hint that you now know who they are. Maybe even ask who they're over to visit so you know that persons name and apartment number. At the end of the conversation, kindly ask that they don't park in front of your house and especially don't litter on your yard.

If they have half a brain, they'll realize that you have them a bit by the balls and all you have to do is squeeze to make their life a bit more painful.

Also, if you know which apartment they're visiting, kindly ask that the tenants request their visitors to park elsewhere and stop littering (if they are approachable).

Remember to do all this talking to them as you would a friend/respected neighbor. If you start off with a pissy/confrontational attitude, you'll get it right back at you and nothing will be resolved.

++1 nice post

 

[december45]

call the police or go see them.. .going to see them is the way i would do it.. bring the trash with you with the names and address.... file a complaint or what ever it takes for the police to take action ask for increased patrols, ask them to come for coffee what ever but the more they are in the neighbor hood the better... we lived on a cul de sac.. that my back yard fence was also the fence for an apt parking area.. they tossed their **** over the fence on a daily basis..... i tossed it right back on a daily basis.... in the end i had to involve the police to get it to be better... but what really fixed it was to move.

 

[ZeroSignal]

I would wait for him to come back again and open up his car and dump all my garbage(out of the bags) into it.F him.

 

[darkk]

I would bring the bag of trash to where he works, hand it to the receptionist and tell her to return it to her boss because he must have left it in your yard by accident.....

 

[Zeke]

Put in motion lights. Maybe a security camera.

When the school kids did the trash thing, I took out a long lens and took pics from just far enough away that they knew I had god shots. I sent the pics over to the school. Problem solved.

 

[what have i done]

I like to keep a pile of gay pride bumper stickers to put on any vehicle that blocks my warehouse entrance.

SURE----that's why you have that pile of stickers! LOL

pretty dam good idea though

 

[Chris Adams]

I had the problem at a house I still own on the other side of my town. We were living in that one while my present house was being built.
Guy would not have trash pickup, made a hell of a mess and stink.
So, being neighborly I spoke kindly to him, explaining the mess was getting pretty bad and was hoping he would do something. I also offered to help clean it up.

Then got a lesson in human nature that I had forgotten.
He was a slob because he wanted to be. He made messes because it made him feel good. He rented there because he had been kicked out of the last three place he had rented.
He felt justified in keeping months of garbage beside his house, as it was HIS house. He was on welfare, thus had nothing to lose. He had a criminal record thus again, nothing to lose. The government was paying his rent, his kids food stamps and his wife's drug habit. He was merely a drunk.
He also enjoyed confrontations.
In other words, anyone who dumps trash on your lawn, wants to dump trash on your lawn.
Treat it like it's not on purpose and they will escalate, because they want to provoke you.

Try what Ddawg16 says, he has personal experience.
Also consider talking to the guys landlord, quietly. I doubt he is a homeowner.
If he is, you are screwed, but be careful.
Crazy is as crazy does and there is a LOT of crazy out there.

 

[ddawg16]

I had the problem at a house I still own on the other side of my town. We were living in that one while my present house was being built.
Guy would not have trash pickup, made a hell of a mess and stink.
So, being neighborly I spoke kindly to him, explaining the mess was getting pretty bad and was hoping he would do something. I also offered to help clean it up.

Then got a lesson in human nature that I had forgotten.
He was a slob because he wanted to be. He made messes because it made him feel good. He rented there because he had been kicked out of the last three place he had rented.
He felt justified in keeping months of garbage beside his house, as it was HIS house. He was on welfare, thus had nothing to lose. He had a criminal record thus again, nothing to lose. The government was paying his rent, his kids food stamps and his wife's drug habit. He was merely a drunk.
He also enjoyed confrontations.
In other words, anyone who dumps trash on your lawn, wants to dump trash on your lawn.
Treat it like it's not on purpose and they will escalate, because they want to provoke you.

Pretty accurate.......

While I commend each of you who have proposed the 'gentlemans' approach....(nice to know there are still civil people out there), I think Chris has painted an accurate picture....

The reality is that anyone who would drink in front of your house on the street and leave trash....most likely does not really care about you or how nice you might be....chances are, talking to them about it would only single you out and get them to do it more....about the only way they will change is when confronted with a situation that they find 'uncomfortable'....like sitting in jail....

The typical rule of thumb....if they are a neighbor that lives close....try the gentlemans way first....if that does not work OR they don't live there....let the cops handle it......that is their job.

The bottom line....it's about quality of life.....if we give in and allow people to drag down our everyday quality of life....it will continue to get worse and worse....you don't have to take direct action....but when you see something that needs attention...pick up the phone....

 

[dirttracker18]

Confront the guy like a gentleman. Handle your business like your father or grandfather would. With civility, integrity, and a dose of brass ones. Don't embarass the guy, give him an "out" where he can fix the problem and he retains his dignity. He'll respect you and consequently your property.

Leave the back stabbing, gossip, and pranks to women and children.

Wow, it may not work but if we could all move toward this philosophy the world could be a better place.

Best place to start, decide to move further after.

 

[long handles]

You live in Anchorage, so calling the cops may or may not do anything unless it's a slow day. It's just a perception us non-Anchoragites have of the "big" city.

I'd track the guy down and give him the opportunity to correct the situation.

If he wasn't receptive to the idea or willing to correct the bad behavior, I'd take it to the next level. That next level being calling or contacting the Anchorage PD, the muni, your friend at the native corp, and the owner of the apartment complex.

As has been mentioned, in this day and age you've also gotta consider the potential for escalation on the other person's part. So act wisely and don't let emotion or being pissed set you on a bad course of correction. There's crazy people out there that are willing to go nuts over just about anything.

Ken

 

[socapots]

How about a bit of old fashioned civility? Or is that to confrontational these days?

What I'm getting at is the next time you see the "suspect", do him the favor of returning his/her long lost pay stub. Make sure you address him/her by name and strike up a bit of conversation about the address/area on the stub. This will give them the hint that you now know who they are. Maybe even ask who they're over to visit so you know that persons name and apartment number. At the end of the conversation, kindly ask that they don't park in front of your house and especially don't litter on your yard.

If they have half a brain, they'll realize that you have them a bit by the balls and all you have to do is squeeze to make their life a bit more painful.

Also, if you know which apartment they're visiting, kindly ask that the tenants request their visitors to park elsewhere and stop littering (if they are approachable).

Remember to do all this talking to them as you would a friend/respected neighbor. If you start off with a pissy/confrontational attitude, you'll get it right back at you and nothing will be resolved.

This is some good advice.
now if they turn out to be pricks... put a car out on the street at all times. lol.

 

[PaulR]

Go passive agressive: Put up a yard sign.

"no dumping"

 

[Bookworm]

Reminds me of a problem I had, maybe 30 years ago.
I had just moved into a house in an older section of town. The houses had a grass alley in back, an access/easement for the gas/electric utilities. As a property owner, it was my responsibility to help maintain the alley. It was completely overgrown, so I spent a weekend cutting head-high weeds, hauling garbage, and generally cleaning up. The house next to me had an old widow living there, I just figgered I'd take care of it for her, no big deal. The house across the alley from me, well I went around the block, knocked on the door and introduced myself. Explained to the fellow that we were both responsible for the upkeep of the alley, and now that I had cleaned it all up perhaps he would be so kind as to assist me in mowing it occasionally.
He told me he couldn't see that alley thru his 6' fence, didn't care about the alley, and f*** off while removing myself from his porch.
Okay....
I went back home, and mowed my 1/2 of the alley for 3 months. When the weeds got headhigh again, and it was 100-degree summer, I called a complaint to code enforcement. They came out, saw (my) half of the alley taken care of, and visited the cabbagehead behind me.
I set up a lawnchair and a cooler, drank ice cold barley-pop in the shade of a big elm tree and kibbitzed, whilst he sweated off 20 pounds in the summer heat whacking down weeds and hauling off trash. Took him most of a saturday.
Never had a problem in the alley after that.

 

[draglink]

Confront the guy like a gentleman. Handle your business like your father or grandfather would. With civility, integrity, and a dose of brass ones. Don't embarass the guy, give him an "out" where he can fix the problem and he retains his dignity. He'll respect you and consequently your property.

Leave the back stabbing, gossip, and pranks to women and children.

This is always my first approach and has probably worked 99% of the time in my 43yrs.
I live in a pretty rural area, but still a neightborhood, so the demographic of people could be different than others. I can say I have met some decent people over the years this way, usually the 'conversation' ends with a smile, and a firm handshake!

 

[pcmeiners]

I would confront the guy, if no resolve then involve the police. If that did not work, I would likely mail the garbage to his boss, with a note, stating the bag contains something of interest about one of his employees. Failing the above I would be in DEFCON 1 status, not sure what would happen.

Only had one incident with one of my neighbors. He was dumping grass clippings, wood and other trash over my fence. I waited until he had a big family gathering, then confronted him. Asked why... he tells me "it was a long walk to dump it in the field across the street "(all of 140 feet). Absolutely dumbfounded, I wait approx 15 sec in silence to say something.
Well I informed him, with every 4 letter word I could muster, if it happened again I would jump the fence and destroy his pool. screen house and anything I could, before the police got there....one of those, I don't **** if I am arrested moments . Well after a year of no problems (I refuse to hold grudges over an incident which is not repeated), I talk to the guy, he has been a very good neighbor since.

 

[december45]

i think Chris has it right... taking the high road, where you talk to the gentleman and problem solved, in all but rare cases is pie in the sky thinking.... IF they were reasonable adult gentleman, who would respond to a respectable explaination of the situtation, YOU would not have to be in the situation of talking to them to begin with... There just would not be any need, because respectful people think beyond just their own little world and would not want trash thrown in their yards and therefore would not do the same to others. I know everyone in my generation knows the golden rule... abiding by it is another story.

 

[Groovy]

Yep Gentelman approach and be nice the first time but don't let them make you their prison Biatch if it happens again I would document it with a camera and create a file you could have your lawyer show the jury on what made you go all crazy with that chain saw gas can and glock