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Dude, are you kidding me? Oh you're from Chicago, now I understand
I have a new neighbor with a couple of kids, one very young girl and one or maybe two boys in thier early teens. They moved in to a house at the entrance to our neighborhood a bit over a year ago.
Tonight he came and rang my doorbell to let me know I needed to drive slowly in front of his house, because he has kids that like to play outside, and may be in the street. Apparently he has had this conversation with some of the other homeowners in on our street and his. The problem is is kids will just run out in the street, unsupervised, without regard to oncoming traffic. His *2* year old daughter has run out in front of me and my wife enough times that we have had the conversation with each other about it.
He is apparently under the impression that his kids can and should be playing in the street, and everyone else should be watching for them. He asked me to slow down in front of his house, because he can hear my truck and knows I am going more than 20mph on his street. I was very polite and let him know that I watch out for his kids, that his little girl had run out in front of me and my wife, and the boys were known for taking off on a 4wheeler in front of me as well. I asked him to have a talk with his kids and let them know that they need to be watching for traffic, should they ever NEED to be in the street, and that they should be having a talk with their children about not playing in the street. I dont want to be the one that cant stop in time to avoid hitting someone, and I dont want it to happen with someone else either. He said he was from Chicago, and that wasnt how things were done. I let him know we werent in Chicago, and the speed limit is not 20, its 30, and that he cant stop all the traffic coming in or out from going the speed limit. I told him he is responsible as a parent for his kids.
I guess that pissed him off, because then he starting making comments like "if you wernt standing on your own property this wouldnt be going the same way" and I would be seeing him around... I asked him if he was threatening me, and he said he wasnt going to answer that, to take it however I wanted. As he was saying this, he was walking out into the street in front of my house, and yelling back to me. The asshole inside of me came out, and I told him he was a complete idiot. He mentioned calling the police, and I told him that was the first time in this conversation he had said anything intelligent. I pulled out my cell and dialed 911, and he decided to walk back home, telling me "watch your back, I'll be seeing you around" as he walked off.
The police came, I gave them my DL and CHL, and we had a nice chat. They let me know I wasn't the first to call with an issue involving this family, and they had been to the house several times. I let them know that they were there mainly to document the incident, just in case this idiot decided to come back or I wake up with busted out windows or something. They were cool, and told me to give them a call if or when I see the kids out in the street, and offered to go talk to them tonight. I didn't want to press the issue, I don't see any reason to take it any farther. As far as I could see he hadn't done anything that would be worth them wasting more of their time.
It scared my wife to have this happen. We live in a nice area, on a quite cul-de-sac. I dont expect to have issues like this. It floors me that people have the mind set that everyone else should be responsible, and they have no fault.
Tonight he came and rang my doorbell to let me know I needed to drive slowly in front of his house, because he has kids that like to play outside, and may be in the street. Apparently he has had this conversation with some of the other homeowners in on our street and his. The problem is is kids will just run out in the street, unsupervised, without regard to oncoming traffic. His *2* year old daughter has run out in front of me and my wife enough times that we have had the conversation with each other about it.
He is apparently under the impression that his kids can and should be playing in the street, and everyone else should be watching for them. He asked me to slow down in front of his house, because he can hear my truck and knows I am going more than 20mph on his street. I was very polite and let him know that I watch out for his kids, that his little girl had run out in front of me and my wife, and the boys were known for taking off on a 4wheeler in front of me as well. I asked him to have a talk with his kids and let them know that they need to be watching for traffic, should they ever NEED to be in the street, and that they should be having a talk with their children about not playing in the street. I dont want to be the one that cant stop in time to avoid hitting someone, and I dont want it to happen with someone else either. He said he was from Chicago, and that wasnt how things were done. I let him know we werent in Chicago, and the speed limit is not 20, its 30, and that he cant stop all the traffic coming in or out from going the speed limit. I told him he is responsible as a parent for his kids.
I guess that pissed him off, because then he starting making comments like "if you wernt standing on your own property this wouldnt be going the same way" and I would be seeing him around... I asked him if he was threatening me, and he said he wasnt going to answer that, to take it however I wanted. As he was saying this, he was walking out into the street in front of my house, and yelling back to me. The asshole inside of me came out, and I told him he was a complete idiot. He mentioned calling the police, and I told him that was the first time in this conversation he had said anything intelligent. I pulled out my cell and dialed 911, and he decided to walk back home, telling me "watch your back, I'll be seeing you around" as he walked off.
The police came, I gave them my DL and CHL, and we had a nice chat. They let me know I wasn't the first to call with an issue involving this family, and they had been to the house several times. I let them know that they were there mainly to document the incident, just in case this idiot decided to come back or I wake up with busted out windows or something. They were cool, and told me to give them a call if or when I see the kids out in the street, and offered to go talk to them tonight. I didn't want to press the issue, I don't see any reason to take it any farther. As far as I could see he hadn't done anything that would be worth them wasting more of their time.
It scared my wife to have this happen. We live in a nice area, on a quite cul-de-sac. I dont expect to have issues like this. It floors me that people have the mind set that everyone else should be responsible, and they have no fault.
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