Letters to the Editor
-
violation and vanity
First, isn't this issue (class boundaries and gentrification) exactly the same as the one in this week's Law & Order episode? Seems like there's a lot of that going around in the good ol' US of A. Some of the responses hint at an underlying anxiety around the epidemic in plummeting real esate values, and I kind of think they're on to something. But that doesn't mean that other values should go out the window.
Like, for example, common decency. Planting the oleander hedge was an act of violation (a rape analogy might be too strong, but violation nontheless), and "peeps" was right: call the police and find out what laws have been violated (property rights are about 9/10s of the law, so there is bound to be something pretty concrete). Find out what charges could, hypothetically, be laid. Armed with this information take the high road and *do not* immediately haul the police into it, but use this information (about legal recourse) as a bargaining chip.
Go to the elderly nonwhite neighbour lady, and tell her that the renegade oleander-planter not only confessed that it was she who had paid her gardener (an undocumented migrant, perhaps?) to plant the hedge, but actually asked if you would contribute to the cost. Tell her that you found this offensive, given that the hedge was planted against the property owner's will, and that now that you've been dragged into this frey you'd like to help. Ask if the old lady *likes* the oleander hedge... and present your excellent suggestion, that the nice healthy plants could perhaps be redeployed to a location that would please the family on whose land they were placed (and to whom they now clearly belong). If your nice nonwhite neighbour likes this suggestion, tell the jerk (on Law & Order they actually typified the obnoxious gentrifier as a bigot) that if she is willing to move the oleander hedge to the desired location, you will drop your desire to help the old lady press criminal (or whatever -- remember, private property was violated and so there most certainly is legal recourse!) charges. Maybe this will work. Maybe it won't. But it's worth a try.
The other violation -- that of the nice old non-white lady's pride -- will be harder to heal. Still, it's worth trying. Invite the nice neighbour over to have a nice glass of iced tea on your porch and tell her that you really, truly were sincere when you and your husband offered to help her and her son with yard work. Tell her that you are happy to respect her wishes, but are *not* happy sitting back and letting the renegade oleander planter continue to bully her (the world "bully" also came up in the Law & Order episode). Say that you aren't offering to totally relandscape her yard -- that would take too much time and money! -- but that it really isn't a hassle to (for example), mow the extra patch of lawn on her plot when you've already gone through the hassle of hauling out the lawnmower to do your own yard. Tell her that once you've hauled out the paraphenalia to prune your own trees and bushes it really isn't a big deal to do a quick job on hers (at least the ones that are near your property line). Remind her that it's okay for neighbours to help neighbours, that's just being "neighbourly." And maybe suggest that if she balks at "taking" from you and your husband, you'd be glad to swap a bit of yardwork for (perhaps) and evening of babysitting.
And the next time you see the gardiner, ask if he is aware that the recipient of his carefully-planted oleander hedge didn't actually want it. My guess is that he might not feel too good about it.