neighbor keeps blocking driveway. should I call police?

amother

Tue, Apr 24 2012, 10:08 pm

amother wrote:

Op here

When calling the police I always gave the cars make, model, and license plate number so the police knew which car to ticket

then they probably did ticket him.
when we lived in Brooklyn, we rented a house that had a driveway. but it was a busy street, and there was a dude down the block who always parked in front of our driveway, insisting that when the owners lived there (an older man, in his mid 80s, who has since moved in with his kids), it was never a problem. well - it was never a problem b/c the owner didnt DRIVE A CAR!! and we had two cars. Anyhow, we started calling the police, and they started ticketing him. the first time, he rang our doorbell at 7am and started yelling at us about mesirah and whatnot and how we were chayav kareis for our actions. DH slammed the door in his face. the next time (two days later), we called the police again, and ticketed him, again. after that, I think he got the message, and he never did it again. so I can totally empathize. Dont miss dealing with this daily garbage in bklyn one bit....

amother

Sun, Jul 08 2012, 2:31 pm

Since he got the ticket, the neighbor no longer blocks our driveway during the week, BH. He does block every shabbos and his kids block whenever the visit he he was our main problem.

This morning the antenna on our car was missing. Another neighbor told DH that he saw the neighbor (who used to block the driveway daily) take the antenna off our car and put it on his own car yesterday morning. We have a witness. Should we call the police and get him arrested for stealing or just swallow the cost? Should we say anything to him or not?

EmesOrNT

Sun, Jul 08 2012, 2:39 pm

OMG - this guy has ISSUES!!!

You said he still blocks the car over the weekends, so try to get him ticketed again. Definitely report him for the theft, especially if you have a witness. Petty theft comes with more than just a ticket as consequence.

Just curious, does the rest of the neighborhood see what's going on?

amother

Sun, Jul 08 2012, 2:47 pm

He blocks the driveway on shabbos cuz he knows we cant call the police.

One neighbor keeps asking how we deal with them, shes scared of those people!

I want to call the police about the theft but Im worried about ending up with slashed tires or something...

shanak

Sun, Jul 08 2012, 2:48 pm

This neighbor definitely doesn't sound very nice. It's always better to avoid fights and promote peace. Read Dale Carnagies' "How to win friends and influence people". It might help you take care of the problem in a diplomatic way. It takes some working on the middos but it's worth it in the long run not to create enemies.

EmesOrNT

Sun, Jul 08 2012, 2:49 pm

If he can park his car, you can make a phone call. Keep you're eyes peeled.

Slashed tires is vandalism, with an even higher price than petty theft. I suggest you install security cams by your driveway. I think it's worth the cost.

amother

Sun, Jul 15 2012, 1:58 am

I didnt feel comfy going to the police without asking a rav. Our rav said before calling the police we should speak to the guy, tell him we have a witness and ask him to return the antenna. DH spoke to to the guy and he denied everything so we went to the station and filed a police report.