[Lifestyles] Welcome to the Neighborhood… NOW GET OUT!

Hmmm… Do you ever wonder what kind of person is living next door to you? Or maybe down the block? How about around the corner? At the beginning of last summer, a new neighbor moved next door to me. She was quiet older woman for the most part, but her kids or grandkids were always in and out of the house. About three weeks after they moved in, one of her grandkids got into a fist fight with some “Gangsta”, that do not live in the building might I add, right in front of my door. I mean there was blood, juice and whatever else one my door, a neighbors door, the floor and their door. It was a mess that a neighbor and I cleaned up. Shortly after, people would ring our bell door at all hours of the day and night, mistaken it for theirs. One time I was gearing up to go the laundry at about 4 in the morning (I can’t stand being around those bad ass kids when I am washing clothes) and when I opened the door, I woman was standing there knocking next door wonder who I was! Ain’t that something? While I locked my door, their door open and she speedily ran in. While I waited for the elevator she was making her way towards me, it had to have been less than a minute since the door opened and now.

I will never forget what happened the next day. It was on a Saturday day morning during the first heat wave when I awoke to a loud banging on my door. It was so loud that it woke the whole house. I grabbed a robe and went to the front door and looked through the peephole to see two white men standing there. Surprised, I went into the kitchen to grab a knife (you never know what people are capable of these days) and went back to the door cautiously looking through the peephole once again. At this time they were not in front of my door but next door with one of the men violently kicking at the door. I opened my door and instantaneously they apologized for the noise and showed me the police badges around their necks. I didn’t say a thing. I just closed the door and informed my mother what was going on. The banging continued for about another 15 to 20 minutes until the door finally gave way. After that morning, I have not heard a peep from them. I already concluded that some one in the house was dealing drugs, but the kicker really was that they were doing it right next door.

But there are worst things to have next door to you than a drug dealer.

Above is a map of the neighborhood I lived in. Nothing special about it really, expect for the different color dots that indicate the homes and workplaces of different types of people convicted of some sort of sexual crime (i.e. rape, child molestation, etc…). Here is link to find those in your neighborhood:National Sex Offender Registry When I think of all the kids that run up and down this block, sometimes wearing grown folks clothes, I see how easy they can get picked up. Hey, I understand they did the time for their crimes and need to live somewhere in order to resume some sort of normalcy, but why near me? Yeah, I have a touch of “N.I.M.B.Y.” (Not in my backyard) when it comes to this.

Besides it didn’t surprise me one bit that our local government or whomever would dump these types of people in urban areas like Flatbush, Bedstuy andHarlem. Would they place them in Park Slope, Cobble Hills or and other community where the majority of the residents were Caucasian? Don’t think so… They would be drummed out in no time.

Kenny.