Neighborhood Watch?

Your neighbors sound like real darlings... One of my best friends had the cops called on her because she was Standing While Black. She was waiting outside of her rental home in an upper scale neighborhood for her ride to work, and someone had the nerve to call the police! A nicely-dressed, 20-something female looks like a horrible threat to these rich white people? Sheesh...

What a horrible thing for your neighbours to do. What did Tony think of it? He seems the type to laugh it off but - still - I'm not surprised you're angry, I would be too. I bet they're all 'racis..er..churchgoers' as well.

Where I live, we have a lot of "new" neighbors moving in and out. Unfortunately, we also have a high crime rate. We cannot keep a regular neighborhood watch, because we don't know who does or doesn't belong. So, because we don't know there is a lot of theft. We had one neighbor who moved in and couldn't keep up with his home keys and we called the cops on him because we didn't recognize him in his black hoodie and crawling through one of the windows of his home. Funny, but three of us, independent of each other, called the cops. It might disturb him, but had it been a thief instead, the man would have thanked us. hahaha.....no one knew what color the person was just they looked suspicious. Another time, around 1 am in the morning, several of us late night people, saw a man struggling to get in a car. The lights were out in the the adjoining house, and there was no outside light to help the man see the locks. It looked so weird, that one of the neighbors called my husband and he told them to call the police, while he and the one neighbor went out to see what was happening. They watched the guy push the car out of the driveway and with the door of the car still open, he kept trying to get to start. When the man saw that he was being watched, he jumped out of the car, and took off on foot running down the street. Obviously, he was trying to steal the car. When the cops arrived, everyone told them which way the man ran and what he was wearing, but no one could tell what color he was. My neighborhood is so racially mixed, that color would probably not have anything to do with thinking someone was committing a crime. However, strange behavior sure does. This is not a rich neighborhood, but when I was robbed, it was by a neighborhood boy who I knew and it was around this time of the year. We almost caught him as we came into the house as he was exiting out the rear. At the time, we didn't know it was him. Scared him so bad that he had dropped most of what he intended to steal. It took some time afterward for him to be discovered as the thief, but the police did catch him, but only after he stole my son's car when my son was trying to help him with some of his other behavior. The point being, at least your neighbors care about what goes on around them. Call them "busy bodies" but had it been a thief, you would have been grateful. Sounds like you got an apology and Richard easily was discovered as harmless, regardless of the neighborhood watch and what you believe to have been racial profiling. Thanks for the discussion.

I would be very angry. Can`t you ask the cops who was the nosy neighbor? Then you might go and pay them a visitAnd tell them, while you are at it, if they would want to have a party for you so that they know your friends.

Hi friend, sad to hear about this. We must know about our neighbors, as you mentioned you are new to that place, so the persons in your neighborhood don't aware about your friends and family members. But calling cops for this thing is too much, first of all this persons must call you and ask about the person without calling the cops

Clever neighbors you have! Someone breaks in and goes through the house in a way we all do and they think "That looks suspicious!!!" Unbelievable. Have no words for it!

Great neighbourhood you live in, so if it had been a white guy with a key they wouldn't have bat an eyelid, and I suspect, sorry to sound cynical that the police arrived on the scene quickety quick, had it of been a white man the police would have taken longer? Sorry but that really irks me. I hope the situation has been sorted, Tony has every right to be angry, but of course he has to be polite to the police.

would be mad it very well couldntot have been TOny! and you have neighbor watching out for your best interest!

just people have way too much time on their hands and make it their job to be nosy as to what is going on in the neighbourhood.

what the heck? im all for neighborhood watch but that is a bit much. if im going to look out for my neighbor i'd first know who they were and who was normally n and out. i dont imagine id turn anyone in for going thru the door. i would not have probly noticed.sounds as if someone has toouch time on their hands

Perhaps you should type up a note with a picture of Richard that says "I really wouldn't mind if you called the cops when he comes by...

Not much of a neighborhood watch.. if they'd been watching before they probably would have noticed him around with you and noticed it's okay.

Sounds like you live in a great neighborhood. Not! My neck is going to get tired from shaking it so much. Somebody is watching you! I don't think I would want any of them to come by and say hello or welcome.

Well, you could look at it either way, they might just tried to be nice and watch out for you....I guess you could try it with a white guy and see what happens

Wow!! What a welcoming thought. Especially since you are New to the neighborhood. Does not give for a warm Welcome to either of you I am sure. Makes you wish many times people would mind their own business more as well. Who cares who comes in and out of a person's house if they are allowed. And did they not see him using a key?

hi dawnald that showe these neighobrs are rascist and that horrid . They did not evern come over and say "hi and welcome neighbor" and yet a black man shows up and they think hes a crook? They need to get a grip this is 2012 not 1900 and they should have shed that ugly racism anyway..My husband ran a gardening service and often he came home dirty and exhausted. He looked a bit like a bum as he was dirty from planting things .So when my neighbor saw him moving stuff in our garage and putting some things into his pickup they called the police as they thought he was stealing things from my garage. I told the police that was my husband and he lived here and he had just returned from gardening and was dirty and tired.The police office told me Mrs.Linton was a busy body and was always calling the police on anyone. he went over and bawled her out and we had no more

Hi Dawnald. Proves that most people should keep their big mouths shut until they know the whole story. I hate it when people do stupid things! Some people should just pluck the 2x4 out of their own eye before they try and see what is wrong with someone else's eye. I know it makes me pissed off to see all the stupid stuff I see all the time. I wonder if they know Christ. God didn't create any of us any better then anyone else! I wish people would mind their own business! Sorry this happened to you my friend!

at least they were looking out for you.. even if they were wrong.

It's just sad how ignorant people are. When you see someone open a door with a key your not going to think "oh he is robbing the house. I better call the police."