Fear Thy Neighbor

[Annber03]

Hands up, who was shocked, shocked, I tell you, to find out that the guy who fancied himself the neighborhood police owned a gun, and wound up using it? Anyone? 

Alnd of course he'd also be all "Oh, that guy's clearly on dope"/"calling the cops" bit on his neighbors who weren't white, and pulling a gun, and asking them point blank if they actually lived in the neighborhood. No underlying issues going on there, noooooo.. 

I don't think it was wise for NIck to confront Danny to his face, knowing full well he had a gun and had made threats to them and kept lingering around their property before. I know the police more often than not wind up being totally useless in these cases*, but I also don't get what people like Nick think they're going to achieve by confronting guys like Danny like that. 

That being said, I'm also glad that the jury didn't buy Danny's "self defense" argument, 'cause, again, when the people you shot and killed don't have weapons, and you do, and when you've been starting the majority of the confrontations and are constantly lurking around them like you're itching for a fight...yeah, that's obviously not self defense. Like Nick said, guys like him are just eager to start something to prove how tough and badass they are. Danny can whine all he wants, but that's what you get for shooting multiple people. Especially since, again, this shooting happened outside in broad dayilight, where any other neighbors who weren't involved in this little personal drama could've been passing by. You pull out a gun in public and put people's lives at risk like this, that's what you get for it. Don't like it? Don't shoot poeple. 

*I liked Nick pointing out how pointless the police's "He hasn't done anything yet!" response was when they were told about Danny's threats. And he was right - kind of hard for them to call the cops when they're all lying there bleeding and dying from gunshot wounds. It's especially frustrating considering how often the cops got called out to the neighborhood - you had numerous complaints and Danny was the common denominator in all of them. Sure, he denied making the gun threat, but even so, given how many times they were called out there, maybe try erring on the safe side and, I dunno, take away his access to guns, just in case? Just spitballing here. I know, "it's Texas", and all that, as that attorney kept reminding us, but I think cases like this are a perfect argument for why things need to change in that regard. 

Just...seriously, what are the police even here for if they're only useful AFTER the shooting happens? Why can't they do something to try and stop things from getting to that point in the first place? 

[Cobb Salad]

That guy Danny was wound too tight to say the least.  26 years or whatever it was living in that neighborhood didn’t give him the right to rule over everyone and follow his orders.  He’s lucky that his neighbors were doing their home renovations during the DAY, I assume within reasonable hours.  Of course that’s going to make noise, it’s not going to go on forever like someone playing their music loudly or running some car with a noisy engine.  It’s sad it ended with a shooting however that’s how these situations usually end.  Not surprised he tried to claim self defense.  From the way the story was told it seems like Nick was trying to goad him into a fist fight.   I wonder how Danny finds prison these days, it probably gets noisy there, how does he deal with that?  He realizes now due to his age that he’s pretty much serving a life sentence.  Maybe that should have gone into his thinking before he decided to pull the trigger.  Oh well. 

[JudyObscure]

I hated all those lame excuses Danny's lawyer was making for him.  Like pointing out that the son was 35 years younger than Danny.  Hello.  Danny's been threatening a 60 year old woman, and that's why her son is trying to stick up for her. 

Poor David, such a sweet old guy and he gets shot twice.

What makes people think that living in a neighborhood for a long time gives you some sort of power?  Danny had control over his own little house and yard, period.

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Poor David, such a sweet old guy and he gets shot twice.

God, YES, that was a nasty little punch to the gut, that reveal. 

[libgirl2]

did they change the names because I can't find anything on this case. 

I found it. 

Edited November 1 by libgirl2

[Red Bridey]

I am always baffled that the spouses of these self-appointed neighborhood watch types don't force them to DO something else. Get out of the house and volunteer. Work part-time at Walmart. Take a class. Join a gym. Nobody forces these egomaniacs to sit at home stewing over other people's business. For God sakes, Mrs. Silvers, distract your husband or send him to therapy. You have agency in that house. 

[Cobb Salad]

@Red Bridey Yes!  That guy had wayyyyy too much time on his hands as well as an air of superiority.  

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Red Bridey said:

I am always baffled that the spouses of these self-appointed neighborhood watch types don't force them to DO something else. Get out of the house and volunteer. Work part-time at Walmart. Take a class. Join a gym. Nobody forces these egomaniacs to sit at home stewing over other people's business. For God sakes, Mrs. Silvers, distract your husband or send him to therapy. You have agency in that house. 

There have been some stories where the spouse(s) did try to calm down the person or people constantly fighting, but to no avail. I kind of get the feeling the guy wouldn't have listened no matter what his spouse told him. 

But still. Yes. People like him really do need to get hobbies. 

[JudyObscure]

12 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

For God sakes, Mrs. Silvers, distract your husband or send him to therapy. You have agency in that house. 

I agree whole heartedly, but at least Mrs.  Silver wasn't egging him on with the, "Are you going to let them get away with that?" stuff we've seen on a lot of these shows.

When we first retired my husband was following me around the house pointing out spots I'd missed when I cleaned, so I volunteered at the local free store/ food bank.  Of course he came along and while I couldn't take the chaos for more than one day, he stayed and thrived, going in 4 mornings a week and doing tons of good for the community -- they just don't give me enough credit for donating him.

[libgirl2]

Wow, that was something else last night. All that for parking. 

[Cobb Salad]

Yeah, I’d sympathize with the guy to a point if he was annoyed about the neighbors having parties or whatever and inviting their friends over who’d park all over the place but to keep losing it over and over because they were parking where they were just as entitled to as he was was just ridiculous.  Then for him to call the police so they’d issue parking tickets was just as bad.  I’m sure the city of Baltimore was happy to get the money.  You’re in the city!  Parking is already a challenge there!

It’s a crime the case hasn’t been settled.  He belongs in prison.  

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

Yeah, I’d sympathize with the guy to a point if he was annoyed about the neighbors having parties or whatever and inviting their friends over who’d park all over the place but to keep losing it over and over because they were parking where they were just as entitled to as he was was just ridiculous.  Then for him to call the police so they’d issue parking tickets was just as bad.  I’m sure the city of Baltimore was happy to get the money.  You’re in the city!  Parking is already a challenge there!

It’s a crime the case hasn’t been settled.  He belongs in prison.  

And he had that neighbor arrested for threatening him with a gun, all because she tried to speak to his wife about the problems. 

I agree, if it were people who didn't live their parking up and down that street all the time (not just for a special occasion), then yes, I would be pissed. But they lived there. Where should they be parking their cars if not their neighborhood?

The police might  not mind issuing tickets but I can see where it gets annoying to keep coming out for the same things every time this guy would call. 

This case needs to be settled.  

Edited November 7 by libgirl2

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

And he had that neighbor arrested for threatening him with a gun, all because she tried to speak to his wife about the problems. 

I agree, if it were people who didn't live their parking up and down that street all the time (not just for a special occasion), then yes, I would be pissed. But they lived there. Where should they be parking their cars if not their neighborhood?

Yeah, that's the frustrating thing with these stories. There are people in some of them who actually will try to handle things in a quiet, civilized, respectful way...and they still wind up getting caught in the crossfire, because one person can't handle solving their problems without violence. 

And yes, unfortunately these parking issues are always going to be a problem in towns and cities where people don't have their own driveways and garages. My mom has to park on our sidewalk, and that can be a hassle sometimes depending on how our neighbors park and if anyone's coming to visit said neighbors. At least in our case, nobody's ever kicked up any sort of neighborhood battle over it thus far, thankfully. 

It can be annoying and frustrating, for sure, for people who live in those neighborhoods, but yeah, if the people live there, they're allowed to park wherever they can find a good space and which is as close to where they live as possible. If another neighbor has problems with that, there's far better ways to handle it than this guy did. 

Quote

The police might  not mind issuing tickets but I can see where it gets annoying to keep coming out for the same things every time this guy would call. 

It never ceases to amaze me how many times this plays out on these shows, with cops always being called out over nad over and over again. Shouldn't there be some kind of limit to how many times they have to get called out to the same place to deal with the same people and the same problems before they can finally put a stop to it for good? 

[libgirl2]

So far, I'm siding with the obviously bad neighbor. Though I know that will change. 

Edited November 14 by libgirl2

[libgirl2]

Unbelievable! I think if Kirby wasn't carrying a gun it would have turned out different, but that really angered me. 

[Annber03]

Yeah, that verdict was bullshit. Kevin was a nutjob. On the one hand, I'm sad that some of Kirby's loved ones didn't get to see the case go to trial, but given how it turned out, maybe that's for the best. 

On a significantly lighter note, boy, that state trooper they interviewed sure had quite the head of hair :D. 

[libgirl2]

5 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Yeah, that verdict was bullshit. Kevin was a nutjob. On the one hand, I'm sad that some of Kirby's loved ones didn't get to see the case go to trial, but given how it turned out, maybe that's for the best. 

On a significantly lighter note, boy, that state trooper they interviewed sure had quite the head of hair :D. 

Especially his parents didn't have to go through a trial for what? Nothing. I can't understand how he wasn't charged the first time he was shooting at him. I was under the assumption that would be considered attempted murdered or something. 

And yes, that was some hair! 

[lu1535]

I couldn't get past the neighbor that looked like Bobby Flay!

[JudyObscure]

Kevin was clearly in the wrong, but I can't help wishing: 1) Laurie hadn't pushed Kirby to get physical and be confrontational with Kevin, 2) Kirby hadn't kept parking on Kevin's land after he told him not to, 3) somebody had fixed Pete's fences so he didn't keep getting out, 4) they hadn't waited so long to get cameras.

Although Kirby hadn't fired his gun, if he pulled it out of his holster, that's grounds for Kirby to shoot and I imagine that's why the jury had to acquit. With no witnesses they couldn't prove that didn't happen.

I feel so sorry for Joan who lost her son and husband within a few weeks.  I don't feel sorry for Laurie, she escalated the feud when she could have been trying to calm it.

[libgirl2]

9 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Kevin was clearly in the wrong, but I can't help wishing: 1) Laurie hadn't pushed Kirby to get physical and be confrontational with Kevin, 2) Kirby hadn't kept parking on Kevin's land after he told him not to, 3) somebody had fixed Pete's fences so he didn't keep getting out, 4) they hadn't waited so long to get cameras.

Although Kirby hadn't fired his gun, if he pulled it out of his holster, that's grounds for Kirby to shoot and I imagine that's why the jury had to acquit. With no witnesses they couldn't prove that didn't happen.

I feel so sorry for Joan who lost her son and husband within a few weeks.  I don't feel sorry for Laurie, she escalated the feud when she could have been trying to calm it.

I did think her telling him to go fight him was wrong. As I had said when I started watching it, I understood Kevin being upset with the car parked on his property, it was HIS property. I wouldn't want someone parking on mine. And to say "where should I park?", not my problem. 

I wonder if the history of the police calls was brought up at the trial which could have put doubt in the juror's minds? Still, the shooting at him and missing shouldn't have been dismissed as it was. 

I don't know overall it was a mess that could have been prevented. Or maybe not? Kevin could have still chosen to do what he did. I got a feeling that the neighbors thought something was up with the man. 

Edited November 15 by libgirl2

[North of Eden]

Late to the party with this But props to whoever cast The actor playing Cutter. He was looking  perfect In the Role of a greedy real estate Developer. Kind of remind me of A younger version of actor Danny Houston.

Late to the party with this But props to whoever cast The actor playing Cutter. He was looking  perfect In the Role of a greedy real estate Developer. Kind of remind me of A younger version of actor Danny Houston.

Late to the party with this But props to whoever cast The actor playing Cutter. He was looking  perfect In the Role of a greedy real estate Developer. Kind of remind me of A younger version of actor Danny Houston.

Late to the party with this But props to whoever cast The actor playing Cutter. He was looking  perfect In the Role of a greedy real estate Developer. Kind of remind me of A younger version of actor Danny Houston.

[libgirl2]

Well, I can see some of the issues with the new family being a problem. That Amber is nuts. Not saying the other family is a prize but this is not black and white at all. 

Edited 15 hours ago by libgirl2

[Annber03]

This whole thing was a mess. Good lord. I fully agree that Amber did NOT help the situation any with her need to constantly confront the neighbors as she did (and taking a dump in their yard, like, really? Did she honestly think that would somehow resolve their issues and make them back off?). I can totally sympathize with her feelings towards the neighbors in and of itself*, and as we've seen on this show, and as this episode clearly stated, calling the police is clearly a useless endeavor. 

But surely there were FAR better ways to deal with things that that. Credit to Kim for acknowledging Amber's behavior was not helpful, at least. 

*Seriously, Kenneth and Christine REALLY needed to learn the concept of minding their own damn business. If the family's in their own yard and not bothering anyone, leave them the hell alone. Who cares if their pool's an "eyesore", it's not your yard, so back off (and slashing the pool, too. As I said with Amber's little stunt, really? How old are we here, people?).The only thing I could agree with them on were the carts, 'cause I would be annoyed about that, too. But again, they didn't handle that issue very well, either. 

And I also agree that you can't get on the family for having a lemonade stand because of the traffic, only to turn around and have a yard sale, which would have the same effect in terms of traffic. 

I just got a kick out of Christine's constant calls to the police on the day of the fatal fight. What exactly was she expecting the police to do, it's not like they oculd physically move the family out of hteir house, but it seemed like she wanted them to do something dramatic such as that. 

I do agree, though, the police should've done a lot more that day than they wound up doing, especially given how many times they got called out that day alone, and how all the calls were clearly just everyone doing it to intentinally piss each other off. They should've followed through on their threat and slapped the cuffs on some of them. Maybe the attack wouldn't have happened if they had. 

But yeah. That attack was ridicluous and insane. It did not have to end like that, for Joseph or for anyone else. Everyone needed to grow the hell up and learn to keep to themselves. I feel bad for all the other neighbors on that street who had to put up with this stupidity for so long - I imagine they all probably breathed a sigh of relief when everyone eventually moved away. 

Edited 15 hours ago by Annber03

[libgirl2]

8 hours ago, Annber03 said:

This whole thing was a mess. Good lord. I fully agree that Amber did NOT help the situation any with her need to constantly confront the neighbors as she did (and taking a dump in their yard, like, really? Did she honestly think that would somehow resolve their issues and make them back off?). I can totally sympathize with her feelings towards the neighbors in and of itself*, and as we've seen on this show, and as this episode clearly stated, calling the police is clearly a useless endeavor. 

But surely there were FAR better ways to deal with things that that. Credit to Kim for acknowledging Amber's behavior was not helpful, at least. 

*Seriously, Kenneth and Christine REALLY needed to learn the concept of minding their own damn business. If the family's in their own yard and not bothering anyone, leave them the hell alone. Who cares if their pool's an "eyesore", it's not your yard, so back off (and slashing the pool, too. As I said with Amber's little stunt, really? How old are we here, people?).The only thing I could agree with them on were the carts, 'cause I would be annoyed about that, too. But again, they didn't handle that issue very well, either. 

And I also agree that you can't get on the family for having a lemonade stand because of the traffic, only to turn around and have a yard sale, which would have the same effect in terms of traffic. 

I just got a kick out of Christine's constant calls to the police on the day of the fatal fight. What exactly was she expecting the police to do, it's not like they oculd physically move the family out of hteir house, but it seemed like she wanted them to do something dramatic such as that. 

I do agree, though, the police should've done a lot more that day than they wound up doing, especially given how many times they got called out that day alone, and how all the calls were clearly just everyone doing it to intentinally piss each other off. They should've followed through on their threat and slapped the cuffs on some of them. Maybe the attack wouldn't have happened if they had. 

But yeah. That attack was ridicluous and insane. It did not have to end like that, for Joseph or for anyone else. Everyone needed to grow the hell up and learn to keep to themselves. I feel bad for all the other neighbors on that street who had to put up with this stupidity for so long - I imagine they all probably breathed a sigh of relief when everyone eventually moved away. 

And that is why I keep away from my neighbors besides a wave hello. My husband got into it with the guy next door and I told him just ignore him from here on out. Luckily, they keep to themselves like us. Things could have escalated. I don't trust the guy TBH, but leaving each other alone has worked. 

I only called the police once on that house when another family was living there. It was 3 am and they had such loud music on I could hear it clearly in my house. 

[Cobb Salad]

Meanwhile with all of the calls these people were making to the police there was one less unit available for a real emergency.
 
It’s ridiculous to expect the police to really do anything like in the situations shown in last night’s episode except to tell them to stop it.  

The best rule here is mind your own business when it involves activities other people are doing on their own property.  It might be hard for some people but if they don’t like what’s going on across the street, just don’t look in that direction.  It’s not that hard.

What I was curious about was the comment the one woman made about their backyard that it had all these holes in it - how did that happen?  I guess it wasn’t due to the nature of the ground there like a sinkhole or they shouldn’t be living there at all. 

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Cobb Salad said:

Meanwhile with all of the calls these people were making to the police there was one less unit available for a real emergency.
 
It’s ridiculous to expect the police to really do anything like in the situations shown in last night’s episode except to tell them to stop it.  

The best rule here is mind your own business when it involves activities other people are doing on their own property.  It might be hard for some people but if they don’t like what’s going on across the street, just don’t look in that direction.  It’s not that hard.

What I was curious about was the comment the one woman made about their backyard that it had all these holes in it - how did that happen?  I guess it wasn’t due to the nature of the ground there like a sinkhole or they shouldn’t be living there at all. 

Yea, the holes in the backyard was kind of odd. How safe is that? 

[Cobb Salad]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Yea, the holes in the backyard was kind of odd. How safe is that? 

I think as homeowners they should have been asking about that during the buying process plus having it addressed as a condition of closing.  You’d think if you’re moving in to a house with children you’d want them to be able to play in the backyard.  

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

I think as homeowners they should have been asking about that during the buying process plus having it addressed as a condition of closing.  You’d think if you’re moving in to a house with children you’d want them to be able to play in the backyard.  

I agree. And how  much nicer it would be to have your pool back there, a nice little patio with furniture, some privacy, instead of being camped out on the front lawn for the world to see.