Mr. Rogers might have woken up every day feeling like it was another beautiful day in the neighborhood, but we’re not all living in an educational children’s television series, now, are we? The sad truth is, we’re not, and there are few things more unnerving than not feeling safe in your own home.
It’s the place where you’re supposed to be able to go at the end of a long day to feel taken care of, protected, and comfortable above anywhere else in the world. Your home is just that, your home, and it seems a cruel fate not to be able to go to it and know that you’re okay once you get there.
So what do you do when your neighbors are harassing you without showing signs of ceasing? A video on TikTok proves that taking matters into your own hands to ensure your safety isn’t out of the question; in fact, it might just be the only way to ensure the issue ends.
It’s not just the story being told in the video that hits home that these neighbors are a real problem; it’s the behavior captured on video. The neighbors in question wouldn’t take information from a police officer, they didn’t comply when an officer was attempting to put cuffs on them, and one even tried to run away instead of owning up to what they’d been doing.
The family that lived right next door to the terrible neighbors weren’t the only ones who felt the pain of being stuck with people hell-bent on terrorizing them; it was an entire street of people who had to tolerate the nasty and loud behavior.
So, it made sense that the community got together to give them a proper send-off when the time came.
They even made sure to have a variety of refreshments readily available for the enjoyment of those gathered in attendance, you know, out of the kindness of their hearts.
While this video is something that made us laugh today, it’s important to note that what the neighbors experienced due to the couple who were hell-bent on terrorizing them is anything but funny. Living next door to a set of terrible neighbors is something genuinely unnerving and scary; without an interpersonal relationship, not a lot can be done about neighbors who wreak havoc with anything from noise violations to threats of violence.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency states that uncontrolled noise presents a danger to all of us, which is why the Noise Control Act of 1972 was passed:
“Inadequately controlled noise presents a growing danger to the health and welfare of the Nation’s population, particularly in urban areas. The major sources of noise include transportation vehicles and equipment, machinery, appliances, and other products in commerce.
The Noise Control Act of 1972 establishes a national policy to promote an environment for all Americans free from noise that jeopardizes their health and welfare. The Act also serves to
- Establish a means for effective coordination of Federal research and activities in noise control
- Authorize the establishment of Federal noise emission standards for products distributed in commerce
- Provide information to the public respecting the noise emission and noise reduction characteristics of such products.
While it may not seem a “severe” threat to have someone harass you with noise alone, there are a few components to this: one, uninvited bursts of noise aren’t just disruptive; it’s scary and can debilitate anyone who has PTSD, anxiety, or noise sensitivity; and they can also be harmful and cause fear in dogs.
If the neighbors were harassing them with noise, it could only have been a matter of time before an escalation happened, causing more harm to the neighbors or anyone else on the street. FindLaw.com shares the different types of harassment that can come from neighbors, and some of it can be life-altering; yet without an HOA (and sometimes, even with one), these situations will get better before they get worse.
It’s not hard to understand why some neighbors leaving warrants a full-on celebration, and Deborah admits to having a party of her own when their awful neighbors moved; in fact, it was a street-wide observance!
May we all have better neighbors than these folks, unfortunately, have had to deal with. If not, may we have the type of neighbors to sit with us in the hard times — and may they bring refreshments.
