Letters to the Editor
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@ ololon
Here's what the LW wrote:
A week ago I went over to his house in an attempt to collect and was met with threats of physical violence, culminating in my neighbor's zooming in to within an inch of my face, snarling that he would have little problem "kicking my ass." Knowing his ex-con status, I've little doubt.
Maybe you don't interpret this as indication of potential violent tendencies but most people would.
Stop smoking whatever you're smoking. It's impairing your ability to reason.
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One more thing...
It is unbelievable how many supposedly intelligent people (which perhaps I mistakenly assume Salon readers are), jump on the idea of a convict and start shouting, "Run from the dangerous animal!"
There's someone who assumes the neighbor is an alcoholic, let alone the person who assumes the con is a felon, or the one who assumes he's on parole, or the other who assumes he's doing a crap job as a single father. This neighbor is not necessarily a drunk, or on parole, or a violent repeat offender merely because he may have been in prison! Drunken arguments with a girlfriend -- on the PHONE -- do not make someone violent! And while I may want to kill my neighbor's dog (he howls ALL THE TIME), and while I may say I'd gladly do it, I DON'T... and neither has this neighbor!!
And the fool with a master's in counseling -- are you mad? How could you be so unbelievably irresponsible with your professional expertise? Put your name to that post if you dare. Please.
You should all be ashamed of yourselves. And everyone who accuses Salon readers of being liberals should read these comments and know the truth.
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Hey anonymous!
I stand by what I've written.
You, however, need to reread precisely what you've quoted and show me where this indicates an excessively violent potential. Sure, if the LW has never bothered the neighbor, and if that was the one and only time he's gone over to ask for payment, and if he wasn't particularly aggressive himself when asking, then this reaction was certainly excessive.
We don't know this, though. LW didn't get punched, did he? The whole thing culminated in a threat -- a threat, not a punch, not a push, not even bad breath. Just a threat, and one that may well have been provoked.
Don't jump on one comment and make assumptions. Read!
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Castles in the Air
Cary’s suggestion isn’t a peace loving good neighbor response, but rather what a coward or a jellyfish would do. Understand that you’re afraid of your neighbor with just cause, but just walking over and telling him whatever you think is reasonable, let’s be friends will indeed not only cause him to see you as weak, but will also give him the impression that he can take advantage of you forever and come to you any time his car breaks down. Cary, have you moved into that castle in the air?
Sounds like you may not have documented all of your parts and labor and even if you’re a home business you must start doing this because the IRS loves to go after cash businesses and if you have no documentation and no receipts, in that case it will be your word against theirs and the IRS is well used to winning. If you have no documentation, it will indeed be your word against his in small claims court, and as another poster pointed out, small claims court will just render a judgment and he still won’t pay you. Other needed documentation, if his son and his friends keep shooting B.B. guns, you need to document it and consider calling the police or this won’t stop and someone will get hurt. If his son continues his bad behavior and the police keep coming knocking, this might help get the bad neighbor out of the neighborhood and you’ve stayed legal and legit.
About twenty-five years ago, I had a good work friend who had borrowed money from me before and had always paid it back, but smaller amounts than the last amount she borrowed. She said she needed money to pay her utilities and house note and so a bunch of us at the restaurant where we worked loaned money in varying amounts and my amount was about $150 because she was absolutely desperate and depressed and crying. She asked me to take her to a bar, said that her tips that day had been better than usual and that a musician she knew and liked would be playing there with his band. I ended up paying the cover charge, which wasn’t great, but still & yet… She had said that she would buy me a beer because I came through for her. To make a long story short, she said that she had agreed to meet a friend at the restaurant and would I mind going and picking him up and I was put upon, but said I would go out and have a smoke and think about it. I looked through the double glass doors and she was talking to the musician and had her hand behind her and was standing oddly. In her palm was the money that all of us had gotten together for her and she palmed it backward to him so that almost no one could see. He handed her a takeout bag, big brown bag and she came out. I said what’s in the bag, and she wouldn’t tell me, just asked if I had called her friend for her. I said no and she left to call tipping over the bag in the process and out spilled a Ziploc bag of pot and another containing pills and another containing cocaine in little baggies inside the bigger clear bag. I was furious. I told her to get her damned drugs out of my car and said I can’t believe that you bought drugs to sell with the money we gave you. She said well, get real move into reality. Do you think with the pittance that you people gave me that I could pay my bills when I’m three months behind? I told her that I wanted my money back and knew immediately that I would never get it back by her response and I needed the money but really didn’t want drug money. She said, just hold on to these for me while I make this call. When she got out, I used a paper towel to put all of her drugs back in the paper sack and threw them onto the parking lot and left. Our friendship was over and she threatened me and I told her that I would call the DEA on her if she didn’t cease & desist.
My point is that Cary seems to still be wandering around in Being Cary Tennis ala Being John Malkovich from yesterday, wandering around lost inside his own head,so he has given you bad advice from fantasy land. Don’t put up with any garbage from anyone dangerous. Your girlfriend is partly right. Let go as in let go of the money, but keep an eye on what this guy is up to and what his son is doing and report them when necessary. Cut all association with Mr. Ex Con