Steamboatsig said:
Quote:
How about rallying the neighborhood. I am sure you are not the only property owner on the block that is sick and tired of punks trashing the neighborhood and lowering the value of their homes.
See if you can get a neighborhood meeting together. See if you can get your bad neighbor to attend. Try and instill some pride back in the neighborhood. Maybe get a representative from the police force to attend the meetings.
Just a thought.
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Excellent thought. This is exactly the kind of suggestion that not only may prove to resolve the problem, but might even turn around the decline of a neighborhood.
I made it a point to introduce myself to my neighbors on my street when my wife and I moved into our home five years ago. Since then we have all grown so close that now we have a very close-knit "enclave" in an otherwise sleepy bedroom town. When I lived in San Diego, we lived in the same town house for almost eight years...yet hardly knew our next door neighbor, let alone the guy three doors down. That was slightly disturbing.
Now, if one of my neighbors leaves town, we don't hesitate to let each other know so that we can keep an eye on each other's homes. We now have a tradition of spending Thanksgiving and Superbowl Sunday together...and share tomatoes & cucumbers from the garden and fireworks for the 4th in the summer. One neighbor, who I particularly trust, even has the key to my house. He makes sure that my mail gets into the house and that the fish get fed.
One of my neighbors, whom everyone had decided was a complete dirt bag, turned up on my doorstep not too long ago...hat in hand. I helped him out (prudently tucked my snubby under my shirt, mind you). Turns out he is a hard working, no-luck sort of Joe...and I have no doubt that he would crawl over glass to help me out. My point is this: try to coax those crappy neighbor to WANT to be neighborly. A kind word or a kind gesture can go a long way. Seriously. People aren't always as bad they seem.
As for my neck of the woods, we all know that we all have guns and that we are just a phone call or a hand wave away.
Community isnt just a collection of houses...