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Sat 10 Oct, 2009 09:29 am
I'd like to describe a hypothetical situation and find out whether anyone can see a legal or non-legal way to deal with it. Here it is. A couple live in a condominium in a nice part of town. Note especially that this is a condominium which is owned and not an apartment which is rented. The condominiums are two stories and the couple lives on the first floor. There are about 100 condos in the complex. One day a new neighbor moves in upstairs, a 20 year old man. It soon becomes apparent that he has no job and is not a student. He has no visible means of support. By day he spends hours sitting on a chair on his balcony or else is gone for part or all of the day. Almost every day, many people, come to his apartment for a few minutes or a few hours. All of them are between about 18 and 25, The traffic is about 10 people a day, not including his parties, which I am getting to. At night, one of two things happens. About every other night he has a party. The parties have about 15 guests, and are always rowdy. The couple below hears loud footsteps often jumping or running loudly, whooping and laughing. The parties can begin as early as 7 pm (or later) and last until as late as 4 AM (or earlier). That is to say, the starting and ending times of the parties are random within those limits. On the nights when there are no parties, the man upstairs will return between 1 AM and 3 AM. Both when he has parties and when he doesn't, he goes to sleep with his music going all night long. He apparently prefers to sleep with music. Both the music he has for parties and the music he sleeps by is always just on the borderline of being within the bounds of decency. It isn't loud in the condo below, but is clearly audible - probably not to the point of illegality - but it is annoying and almost impossible to sleep through. The couple buys a white noise generator to make it easier to sleep. This helps, but not quite enough. A couple of times after the man moves in upstairs, the husband politely asks him to try to control the noise late at night. The man upstairs always says he will, but the changes are always minor and temporary. In summary, there are often noise problems during the day and almost always all night long, but the music component of the noise is always just barely withing the bounds of decency, yet is still very unpleasant. The concominium board is generally sympathetic, but toothless and ineffective. Does ths couple have any recourse legally or otherwise?
@Brandon9000,
This sounds like a problem Dave could fix for you.
@Brandon9000,
This is a funny construction, sort of a 'I have a friend who is kind of pregnant...' But, let's assume that it's not you that we're talking about.
I'd lay 10-1 odds that the dude is a marijuana dealer. No big deal there.
But the noise thing is a big deal. Start calling the cops. At the very least, leave an anonymous note on the door saying that the cops WILL be called if the noise continues, and people who don't want cops coming by their place should keep that in mind before having loud-ass parties and music all night.
Cycloptichorn
Brandon, the Dave that farmer is talking about is probably OmSigDavid. He'd probably suggest you take an automatic weapon with you the next time you talked to your neighbor. His suggestions for any sort of interpersonal contact generally revolve around rate of fire.
@Brandon9000,
Yup. Call the cops every time the music is too loud.
You might also report a zoning violation.
@MontereyJack,
David knows a very great deal about legal - and non-legal - consequences of threatening anyone with a gun. In fact I can't believe that such an idiotic idea was floated by way of advice to begin with - not even the naivete of the poster who suggested it can begin to excuse it. The FIRST thing taught about shooting is always point the gun at the ground or at the target. The SECOND thing is NEVER to point it at another person UNLESS you're prepared to SHOOT the person. Ignorance in the advice given here so far is compounded by stupidity: pointing a gun at a suspected drug dealer is sure to cause prompt reaction by his "security" associates - all of whom are armed, none of whom has gone through formal training in firearms. Why not have Brandon's friends wear T-shirts with this picture to make it real easy for when they're out of their home, of course known to said security associates?
@DrewDad,
Another firearms expert has joined the thread. Truly appalling advice - how can you be so ignorant? - Edit: no, Drew Dad isn't so ignorant, he's just terminally stupid.
@High Seas,
High Seas wrote:
Another firearms expert has joined the thread. Truly appalling advice - are you truly so ignorant?
In other words, Just suck it up?
@edgarblythe,
Edgar - how's with you read before posting? Thanks.
High Seas, a little lighter, please. I really doubt farmer was being anything other than ironic. Tho David does seem to see any conceivable situation as somehow requiring the presence of a gun.
I read drewdad and then your reply to him. Just want to know more.
@Brandon9000,
Are "the couple" the only people bothered by the noise? Is there only one unit that shares walls/floor-ceiling with the problematic unit? Is the problematic person a renter or owner?
@MontereyJack,
Monterey - I live in Manhattan. The chic part of Manhattan, admittedly, but even so I know what's happening around town in my own borough as well as in surrounding areas like the Bronx. If the guy really is a drug dealer there's countless other ways to get him out of there - threatening him with or without a gun, and complaining about the noise have got to be the absolutely last things to attempt. It's not a funny subject. David will be able to say more about the crime statistics in our town - part of his legal work involved them.
@edgarblythe,
So if you read back couple more entries you find out more - so unlike you not to think of that
@High Seas,
But drewdad had not posted earlier and he said nothing of shooting in his post.
@farmerman,
Don't you live somewhere in the boondocks?
@High Seas,
And I often carry my lunch. Your point?