Should I call police? Please advise (Charlotte, Cornelius: apartment, lease, mortgage)
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Ani I just saw this. So glad you are ok, and don't worry, many of us, probably me, would have run out too screaming at them. Definitely made the right move in calling the police. I had some punks bang on my door, and try to break it down and kick it in and I called the non-emergency police to report it. Of course I too had no information whatsoever to add b/c I did not see anyone that could be described, just a figure shorter than me and I don't even know how many of them there were
Ani, I am sooo sorry that you had to deal with this. You have shined a light on something for me though. About 15 years ago I had a very similar encounter & had the same reaction you did. Which is really weird for me b/c I'm normally very level headed. I always felt bad about what a stupid mistake that could have turned into & always beat myself up whenever I remember it. Hearing you had the same reaction & after thoughts tells me (& you) that emotions are not always rational & to not beat yourself up over an instinctive response that wasn't based on a rational decision. It's just a visceral reaction & hopefully we have both learned our lessons to remember to remain calm level headed & heaven forbid we'll never have to use them.
OMG Ani, I am speechless! Please, it's not your fault! I know how violated you must feel. I can't believe someone would do that in your very quiet neighborhood. I'm so relieved you or hubby and/or Miss Scarlet wasn't hurt! Please try not to let this ruin the holiday spirit for you.
Give my regards to the rest of the family on Thursday. I have fond memories of last year.
Always call the police b/c if they come back and do something else you will already have a police report on record in case they do actually do something god forbid.
You know, I have been posting here for several years. But I think this is the first time it has hit me how much I depend on our forum "family" to provide info and support. My hubby's reaction was - ehhhh. The thugs didn't take anything; you didn't get hurt; dumb idea running out there; don't tie up the 911 lines.
You'd have to know my hubby to appreciate that this was not lack of concern. It's just that the guy is so tough-minded and non-drama. My running out of the house screaming was totally inappropriate behavior to him. Not much gets a rise out of him; the most cool-headed person I have ever been around.
But his advice just didn't seem right to me, knowing how many cars are being broken into (and stolen) and how many thugs are cruising just looking for homes to invade or property to heist. So I thought - OKAY - the CD members always have a broad spectrum of opinions. And of course, some of us have been posting together for years and we have gotten to know the reliability/good sense of each other's advice.
Thank you so much, HOOLIGAN, for seeing my post and immediately reacting. You have given so much good advice and you don't over-react to situations. As soon as I saw that you felt I should call 911, that is all I needed. Then the subsequent posts help me weigh out how dumb/wise I had been about how I handled things.
I really appreciate all the kind words about my reaction being more in the mainstream than totally lunatic, lol! It helped when the officer came and explained to me that they had already received other reports about the vehicle/occupants. I thought - okay - then it was a GOOD thing I reported what occurred - that helped back up what someone else saw/reported - and maybe we can get some more of these thugs off our streets and out of our neighborhoods.
I can't believe I bought in what has historically been considered the most safe area of Charlotte and am having this type of thing happening. I know we discuss crime on this thread and I know this is NOTHING on the level of a home invasion. But it still paints a picture of how the thugs are now circulating in the burbs and are targeting areas they used to rarely (if ever) go into. What audacious, arrogant, entitled folks! They have no moral fiber that would tell them that they have no right to other people's belongings. They don't care! And further, from what I have read (and seen on TV and in videos) these thugs feel it is their right to go get your and my belongings! Yes, I have heard this stated: "Those folks can afford to replace their TV. So what?" or "They have insurance on their car. They ain't suffering." If you haven't heard/read these types of statements, you should. It tells me all I need to know about the attitude that has been engendered in these kids (they are almost always under 15-23 y/o). This is frightening! Why on earth would anyone want to raise kids thinking the world owes them something?
I was raised to believe no one owed me a damn thing - better get out there and work hard.
Okay - off on a rant and I gotta get busy with Thanksgiving details (as I am sure you all need to do, too!) But on the eve of Thanksgiving, I feel it is appropriate to again thank all of you for your support, good suggestions (Marge: I am gonna look for the bulbs you mentioned), kind words and advice. I really do value the community we all are part of on City-Data.
Oh, I am fine now! Just shaken when I realized how goofy my actions had been!
I am so on watch here. I checked and both my neighbors were not home last nite (folks on each side of me). So . . . it was an attempted crime at the right time - no one looking out for our street.
The officer told me last nite to call any time I saw a suspicious car on this street. He said - don't go up to the vehicle - just call us. He said that some of the homes around us (not our particular neighborhood but close by) were being rented out and these were not good citizens. He said they were keeping a very close check on things b/c there have been things happen that point to some folks living in the rented houses. He said demographics had changed b/c folks had moved away, couldn't sell their homes and were renting them out.
This was very disturbing to hear. Those of you with HOA that won't allow folks to rent their homes - you better be glad for that restriction - see what can happen.
YES - always call the police. It's not a matter of whether they can do anything. By calling, your street or neighborhood will be on their "radar" as a place with activity that they should keep a watch on.
ani - I can't believe this happened to you!! Don't beat yourself up over this. I think under such circumstances we all react in ways, that upon further reflection, engender a coulda-woulda-shoulda response. Hey...you did the best you could at the time and you're still here (Thank God!). That's the important thing to remember!
One thing that threw me when I first moved here was the huge number of single family homes for rent - even when times were better. I think that this is due to homes being so much cheaper where rentals can still pretty much cover most of a mortgage and expensive areas border inexpensive ones - something very foreign to my NJ origins where the small (by Charlotte standards) cities are surrounded by rings of increasingly expensive suburbs where crime is an "afterthought" far down on the list of everyday existence.
Reality really does "bite" in Charlotte more and more these days!
Ani, glad you're okay. Look on the bright side: you didn't get hurt, and your car didn't get stolen. If there's a "next time", you can go about it differently.
I hope your hubby realizes that when you suddenly behave over-excitedly, that there just may be something happening.
And I hope you have a garage. Locked up belongings are better than belongings out on the street at night.
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