Advice: I think my neighbors across the street are drug dealers! (attorney, home)

[CESpeed]

Originally Posted by edelweiss

I realize that I don't have any solid evidence to back up my suspicions.... that is my question then: what constitutes solid evidence in a situation like this? Obviously I can't go to the police on hearsay, so what other things should I keep an eye out for?

To you who immediately stand up for the rights of the drug dealers and claim that they have a right to do what they want as long as they're not hurting anyone, you are either into drugs yourself or are so far left that you have lost all touch with reality. I darn well have a right to be concerned. Not just for my kids but for innocent people all over the place who are affected by people who have gotten involved with drugs. This is why it's ILLEGAL. I can't believe this is turning into a debate about whether drug dealers have a right to be in my neighborhood or not... only in California!

You are absolutely right. No Californians, even liberal ones, think that drug dealers have the right to sell drugs except drug dealers. Those too lazy to go school and get real jobs. Find out who your city council person is. Write to them and the mayor (good Luck) There is probably a watch dog organiztion in your community, enlist their help. Talk to other neighbor who you think are not involved but be careful unless you know they are not involved. You can find out who owns the property by going to the County Tax Assessor. That infomation is public.

Of course another method which is a little sneaky is start doing things that will get alot of attention in your neighborhood. Have a block party. A police and fire fighters appreciation pancake breakfast. Have a neighborhood garage sale. Drug dealers don't like attention. Doing the welcome wagon thing helps, too. Go to the door selling Avon. Girl Scout cookies.

I feel for you. Good Luck.

[edelweiss]

Originally Posted by fastfilm

The real tip off would be seeing lots of different people coming over to their place, staying very briefly then leaving, at all hours of the day and night. Has this happened?

Yes, and I will try to take some notes/plate numbers of people. Thank you.

[Metlakatla]

I don't know what I am doing in the Cali forum, but...

I realize that I don't have any solid evidence to back up my suspicions.... that is my question then: what constitutes solid evidence in a situation like this? Obviously I can't go to the police on hearsay, so what other things should I keep an eye out for?

I used to live across the street from a guy who was dealing drugs. He did not have a nice vehicle, he was sociable enough with the neighbors, and he had no job of any kind. What he did have was a lot of short term traffic at his residence. Several other posters have mentioned this as being a main tip off but you haven't said whether or not this is the case here. So do they have a lot of short term in and out visitors? edited---saw your post about the visitors.

Drug dealers normally do not work factory jobs. They're usually doing it to support a habit of their own.

[calif]

I'd just like to point out that the harm in having drug dealers next door is other people that come over to steal the drugs. There have been many incidents in CA recently with gang members or drug hungry people breaking into the dealers homes and shooting them up etc. Bullets can come through a neighbors wall very easily. I'd be concerned Edelweis too.

My advice to you is to keep an eye on it for a couple more days, see if there is a lot of traffic, people coming and going constantly. If you do witness that it won't hurt to call the local police or Sherrifs dept. and tell them your concern, or to ask what they do when someone has a suspicion. Do you know the neighbors' names?

[Haaziq]

Originally Posted by edelweiss

If someone who is high crashes their car into mine tomorrow and injures or kills some or all of my family, then it is harming someone. Someone else's drug problem is in some way everyone's problem because their actions while under the influence affect innocent people. The law is to protect innocent people from people who are choosing to intentionally harm themselves. Oh, I see, let's just make it legal so that no one has to take responsibility for their actions... Responsibility!

Wow..just wow
From the start, you're making assumptions of my position on the matter just to make me look like a fool. EVERYBODY should be responsible for their own actions, so it was foolish to assume that I would think otherwise. I'm not going to waste my time with this though, because when people are so strong in their opposition to something, they don't listen to anybody else and just form assumptions and use false stereotypes to back up their claims. You just resorted to that yourself. You're trying to make it look like I see no problem with harming people under the influence of drugs. Trying to make it seem like I'm condoning drug-influenced violence. I'm not. [mod cut: personal attacks]

[edelweiss]

Originally Posted by calif

Do you know the neighbors' names?

First names of the mom, dad, and 2 daughters. But they also have 2 other guys living there and 3 other kids, and I don't know their names. One of the guys is always coming home with a case or 6 pack of beer.

[Haaziq]

Originally Posted by CESpeed

You are absolutely right. No Californians, even liberal ones, think that drug dealers have the right to sell drugs except drug dealers. Those too lazy to go school and get real jobs. Find out who your city council person is. Write to them and the mayor (good Luck) There is probably a watch dog organiztion in your community, enlist their help. Talk to other neighbor who you think are not involved but be careful unless you know they are not involved. You can find out who owns the property by going to the County Tax Assessor. That infomation is public.

Of course another method which is a little sneaky is start doing things that will get alot of attention in your neighborhood. Have a block party. A police and fire fighters appreciation pancake breakfast. Have a neighborhood garage sale. Drug dealers don't like attention. Doing the welcome wagon thing helps, too. Go to the door selling Avon. Girl Scout cookies.

I feel for you. Good Luck.

Who are you to make that statement? Do you know every Californian? I am not a drug dealer, and how come I still see that there are way more problems with drugs being illegal than being legal? Do some research. Go and read on that little thing called Prohibition. See how that increased crime and gangs? Good. Absorb the information. Apply it to modern America with drugs. Simple.

[edelweiss]

Originally Posted by Haaziq

If they are not harming anybody, it is none of your business.

Drugs lead to harm, often innocent people. It is my business.

[jerblaine]

Originally Posted by Haaziq

Maybe you haven't kept up with state legislations, but some things are only illegal in some areas. Just because something is illegal doesn't mean it's wrong. Saying something is wrong because it's illegal would be based on opinion, not an absolute fact. In Berkeley, California, marijuana is technically legal (I say technically because it is not in writing, but it is not criminalized. Not to mention, you can sue somebody for stealing your plants (this includes ones that were grown for recreational use). Connecting illegality with immorality just doesn't work when you break it down.


P.S. The War on Drugs is BS and causes unnecessary problems. If you learned about the Prohibition and school, you can easily observe the same results in the case with drugs.

You are right!!! you know what I am talking about!! The war on drugs is a lost cause!

It ruins lives!! it is the same as Prohibition.......the problem is the govt. makes WAY too much money off the face that they are illegal!!!

[whitechocolate86]

Originally Posted by Haaziq

Maybe you haven't kept up with state legislations, but some things are only illegal in some areas. Just because something is illegal doesn't mean it's wrong. Saying something is wrong because it's illegal would be based on opinion, not an absolute fact. In Berkeley, California, marijuana is technically legal (I say technically because it is not in writing, but it is not criminalized. Not to mention, you can sue somebody for stealing your plants (this includes ones that were grown for recreational use). Connecting illegality with immorality just doesn't work when you break it down.


P.S. The War on Drugs is BS and causes unnecessary problems. If you learned about the Prohibition and school, you can easily observe the same results in the case with drugs.

I personally don't think marijuana or other "not-so-harmful" drugs should be illegal; however, if someone sees a bunch of different cars coming to a house and they just keep showing up in such a pattern to make one think that an illegal business is operating there, that person has every right to get the attention of the police, that is a great risk to the overall welfare of everyone in that neighborhood, some moron has a rental house in my neighborhood and I have seen many party-goers rent it out, many have enticed me to come to their parties and offered me alcohol and pot, probably to convince me not to call the cops because of the noise, many times that beer was KEYSTONE or COORS(which isn't all that bad), but still if you wanna convince me not to call the police, you could offer some Shiner Bock or Guiness, and mainly because the noise and offer of crappy beer I have called the police enough times to get the renters out of the neighborhood...there are children and morons who are driving drunk don't need to be here...and my knowledge of drugs(no matter how harmless they might be) being there is what I used to get the cops to make sure the parties were delt with, not to mention that underage people were being served alcohol...having an illegal business (be they selling drugs or something else) puts people at risk...I appreciate your bay area open mindedness...I have a great desire to check out sf and berkeley (Home of the east bay punk scene), but seriously...people have a right to make sure criminals aren't exploiting their "hood"...and as for the guy who said the thing about the IQ...and drug dealers being smart...I'm sure he was joking...you can have a sense of humor about the subject.