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Neighbor Harassment (solved)

Captain MarcusCaptain Marcus now arrives the hour of actionRegistered User regular
edited July 2012 in Help / Advice Forum
I live with my family in a small town in Florida. Our friends next to us moved away last year, and an elderly Italian man moved in. We've mostly ignored one another after he yelled at us two weeks after he moved in for putting trash cans on "his" side of the front median (they were on our side). He's occasionally yelled at my mother for random things we do that he disapproves of. We also sometimes find garbage near "his" side of the fence in our backyard.

Today, however, he trained his sprinklers (full of hard water) on our driveway, creating calcium spots on our car. When my father complained, he got pushed in the chest.

My mother said that it was illegal to push the guy back because apparently it's a third-degree felony to push an old person in Florida.

Is that correct? Also, is there anything we can do? Is pushing battery, and can we file a complaint the next time he does it?

Captain Marcus on

Posts

  • MetroidZoidMetroidZoid Registered User regular
    Filing a police report would be the first step, I would think. Get something on paper.

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  • MalgarasMalgaras Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    You can file a complaint this time, and you should. Even if nothing comes of it, which is probably going to be the case, it's good to get it on the record in case this becomes a bigger issue.

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  • JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    Sounds like you are asking permission to beat on an old man which isn't the answer. Have you tried talking to him in a less confrontational tone? You kind of screwed the pooch on this one by making your only interactions with him negative.

    I'd just threaten to call the police if he touches anyone again.

    and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
    but they're listening to every word I say
  • evanismynameevanismyname Registered User regular
    I believe that pushing is assault.

  • SerpentSerpent Sometimes Vancouver, BC, sometimes Brisbane, QLDRegistered User regular
    It may be battery, too!

  • Aoi TsukiAoi Tsuki Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    JebusUD wrote: »
    Sounds like you are asking permission to beat on an old man which isn't the answer. Have you tried talking to him in a less confrontational tone? You kind of screwed the pooch on this one by making your only interactions with him negative.

    I'd just threaten to call the police if he touches anyone again.

    What? No. The fact that his father "complained" and the neighbor is old does not negate the fact that the neighbor committed assault and/or battery. File a police report, now.

    Aoi Tsuki on
  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    Very little justifies initiating a physical confrontation, so if we could keep that sort of thinking to a minimum (read: none) here, that'd be awesome.

    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    File a police report. Old people be fucking crazy.

    I'm normally of the "keep the police out of it, try to be friendly with your neighbors" school of thought, but old people are rarely rational actors, doubly so in Florida, especially if he's already initiated a physical confrontation. So, CYA (cover your ass) by filing a police report now.

    And any sort of non-consensual physical contact that is not done for self-defense is considered battery, so is, in fact, illegal in most jurisdictions (IANAL).

    Thanatos on
  • SentrySentry Registered User regular
    Yeah, this is the kind of thing that can escalate quickly and violently, and thinking that "what can he do, he's just an old man" is absolutely the stupidest thing you can think. There are a number of stories of old people shooting their neighbors over imagined transgressions. You need to involve the police in this ASAP.

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  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    Sentry wrote: »
    Yeah, this is the kind of thing that can escalate quickly and violently, and thinking that "what can he do, he's just an old man" is absolutely the stupidest thing you can think. There are a number of stories of old people shooting their neighbors over imagined transgressions. You need to involve the police in this ASAP.
    Many of them occurring in Florida, in fact. Crazy old dude with gun is just as dangerous as young dude with gun.

  • DraygoDraygo Registered User regular
    Have you (your parents) notified your (parents) insurance company of the damages? Another place to go.

  • Captain MarcusCaptain Marcus now arrives the hour of actionRegistered User regular
    JebusUD wrote: »
    Sounds like you are asking permission to beat on an old man which isn't the answer. Have you tried talking to him in a less confrontational tone? You kind of screwed the pooch on this one by making your only interactions with him negative.

    What? No, I wasn't. And he screwed the pooch with us. Our first interaction with him wasn't "hello neighbor, nice to meet you" but "cut down that damn bush next to the sidewalk, or I will" (bush was on our side of the property line).


    Thank you (everyone else) for the advice, we'll definitely file a complaint first thing tomorrow.

    Consider this solved.

This discussion has been closed.
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