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(I did a forum search but didn't find much of anything relevant. Im sure deep down somewhere there is a similar thread so if someone can refer me to an older thread that would be cool).
Here's the story: my mother lives in a fairly nice part of Staten Island. Some of the neighbors are not so nice when it comes to parking however. A few years ago I had nails put in my tires when parking "too close" to some of my neighbors' garages.
Recently things have stepped up. A month ago someone put a nail in my tire when parked in front of my mom's house, not someone else's house. Two days ago someone smeared sh#t on my mom's bottom step. We are worried that it was human feces since there was a lot of it. Last night they put a nail in my mom's bf's car.
I'm pretty angry that someone does this **** to us in front of OUR house. My stupid neighbors w/the garages I understand them at a primate level, they think its their area. Well this is MY area if we want to be stupid and neanderthal about it.
BTW I don't park close to those garages anymore, which are around the corner from my mom's house.
In fact, I prefer parking right in front of my mother's house. Right in front of my mom's house the street widens by about 2 feet for the last two spots. Considering that cars go by at 50 mph on narrow streets, those 2 feet are pretty good insurance that your car won't get hit by cars zooming by. I guess you could call those two spots "premium" spots if you were worried about your car getting hit/sideswiped.
I don't park there everyday since I live in Manhattan and often park my car in Manhattan. So I come and go, and somebody is getting irritated thinking that it's their spot. The house is the second to last on the block and we are cool with the last house, so its not them.
Its prob someone in the 10 apartment complex next door, even though they have THEIR OWN PARKING LOT in the back!
My mom's been there for 5 years and these have only happened recently. We have a suspicion as to who it is, someone with handicapped plates and an SUV who either lives next door or frequently goes to visit someone there. The fact that they have a handicapped plate means they are less likely to want to walk the 100 feet or so from the parking lot behind the complex to the front doors plus the fact that those two spots offer protection for a large SUV.
The SUV guy parks there more often than anyone else, though there are 2 or 3 other cars that semi-regularly park there. I don't want to say anything to anyone, because I hate confrontations. Not even in a diplomatic, gentle manner. I'm a big guy and don't want to seem threatening which could aggravate the situation. I'm also not a tough guy and don't like fighting and I'll be damned if I end up in legal trouble because of something so stupid.
Before we file a police report and before we spend 200-400 $ at Costco on outdoor security cameras, any advice?
I know these things sometimes happen in NYC, especially the outer boros. I've heard similar stories from 3 people parking in BK and SI.
For the record, I have never exchanged words with anyone in the neighborhood. I don't have a beef with anyone and neither does my mom.
1. Video is the obvious answer. Any chance you could buy something used, maybe at B&H, more cheaply? Have you noticed any patterns, other than that it presumably happens after dark?
2.Call the police now and ask their advice. Wish you would have called them when you had excrement on the doorstep. By calling them beforehand, you'll get a head start, and maybe they'll have a suggestion. I wonder if they might even participate?
3. I'm assuming there's no local block/neighborhood group? I wonder what would happen if you went over to the manager of the complex and asked politely if they'd ever heard of anything similar there before. You might get some information, or maybe an ally.
4. Don't shrink from confrontation. I admire that you are cautious, with being a big guy. So call it "discussion," not "confrontation," and approach it diplomatically.
You have my utmost sympathy since I have some feel for the problems with street parking nowadays—been doing it in Manhattan the past 2-1/2 years since I lost my job. Not the same as the turf wars in the other boroughs, of course, like the one you're describing. But there is always a destructive entitlement complex hanging like the proverbial sword over one's head. Not long ago I broke my rule against parking in tight spaces (my car is small, fortunately, so I can usually adhere to that rule). There was a spot available right in front of my building and I needed it desperately to load stuff the next day. So I wiggled in—carefully, as always, not tapping the adjacent vehicles—and crossed my fingers. The following morning, I came out to find my taillight smashed. $117 I could ill afford… The space behind me was, not surprisingly, vacant by then. Probably fled. Had to be something that sits high, probably an SUV, belonging to someone who just had to have that space no matter what.
Anyway, besides common experience I share your loathing for confrontation. And I would be pretty upset about this too, especially the s**t-smearing incident. So I hope someone has some helpful strategies for you. But when you want someone to cease and desist, I think documentation is usually your best weapon… you may have to buy those security cameras.
Not the same as the turf wars in the other boroughs, of course, like the one you're describing. But there is always a destructive entitlement complex hanging like the proverbial sword over one's head.
The part that gets me is that if anything it is "my turf". Both of the spots are directly in front of my mom's house.
Plus, they have their own parking in the back. How many people in NYC wouldn't love to have their own dedicated large and virtually empty parking lot in the back?
The more I think about it, the more it has to be the SUV guy.
Reason is, there are plenty of empty spots right next to the 2 "premium" ones. In fact, the empty spots sit right in front of the apartments, whereas the ones in front of my mom's are about 15-20 feet to the right.
This is not Brooklyn with it's congested parking, there are empty spots up and down the whole street!
Unless of course this whole thing has nothing to do with parking and it's something else or someone is ****ing with us for no reason.
Aint much you can do about it. Cops won't do anything to them, but if you retaliate or take measures into your own hands, they'll be all over YOU. Of course, if you do get a video and burn a DVD of the person doing it and leave it on their car windshield, that's probably not technically blackmail... might want to ask a lawyer.
If you really don't want to spend the money on a real camera system, get a fake one. They work wonders. Just make sure you make a whole show about putting it up and that it's in a conspicuous location. Personally, I'd get the REAL camera, because the police will act if there is video. What most people attribute to police inaction is actually lack of real evidence. "I'm pretty sure who's doing this," doesn't cut it in a court of law, and most of these types of situations are based on that level of proof. You're likely correct in your assumption, but the cops need more. I think most of us can also agree that the cops don't need to be spending time staking out a residential street for routine criminal mischief either.
Get the camera and I bet this all stops. And it is definitely not blackmail to leave a dvd on someone's car. Read up on the legal definition of the term.
If you really don't want to spend the money on a real camera system, get a fake one. They work wonders. Just make sure you make a whole show about putting it up and that it's in a conspicuous location. Personally, I'd get the REAL camera, because the police will act if there is video. What most people attribute to police inaction is actually lack of real evidence. "I'm pretty sure who's doing this," doesn't cut it in a court of law, and most of these types of situations are based on that level of proof. You're likely correct in your assumption, but the cops need more. I think most of us can also agree that the cops don't need to be spending time staking out a residential street for routine criminal mischief either.
Get the camera and I bet this all stops. And it is definitely not blackmail to leave a dvd on someone's car. Read up on the legal definition of the term.
Sometimes, that can backfire as well. When the douche who's pulling this crap see's what's going on, they might rethink their tactics and either wear a disguise of some type or get somebody else to do the dirty work for them. IMO, it's better if you keep the surveillance cams out of view.
And as for what type of camera you could use, you could even use your own phone as a camera - provided it has enough storage space to record overnight (32gb or more is best). And don't forget to keep the phone plugged in as well so it doesn't die off before the end of the night.
Agreed, that's why I say get a REAL camera. But if the OP seriously does not want to spend the money, a visible fake on is a much cheaper option that may be more palatable.
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