Meeting about other neighbour...should i go?

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samanthajane

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There is a neighbour in my estate who has been given notice to leave for a various number of reasons.

There is a meeting next happening which is called a RA meeting but I have heard that it is just to talk about this person. They are holding the meeting on the green which she is going to be able to see from her house.

I have heard so many 'stories' about this family so i have no idea what is and isn't true.

The only thing that would involve me is that the family are meant to be selling drugs around my house. It's hard to explain but from outside my house they are able to see who is coming from any direction and you can only walk through they are able to make a run for it and get away before a cop car can drive around. ( it's is a bit of a hang out area for teenagers drinking )

Other neighbours close to me have said they have seen this happening, well they said this at the first meeting which i didn't attend. It's right outside my front door and neither myself of my bf have ever seen anything like this.

Also not so long ago a large group of people were outside her house shouting "get out" or words to that effect. I dont want to go incase anything like this happens again.

I'm beginning to feel a bit sorry for her. I dont believe everything she and her family have been accused of, but this had to come from somewhere so maybe there is a truth to it. The guards have raded the place twice and nothing was every found on both occassions.

I dont want to get dragged into it cause then it will be another neighbour and then another. ( it's like eastenders, always something going on ) but if they are doing all the things they have been accused of i dont want to ignore the situation either.

What to do.........
 
Do you have any idea the likely numbers attending?

If you are likely to be in the minority by not going, I would go and for two reasons: Firstly, if the family are as bad as they say you don't want to be seen to be showing tacit support for them by 'boycotting' the meeting. Right or wrong, mob mentality can be a terrible thing.

Secondly: you may get a chance to hear the 'facts' properly and maybe consign some of the more juicy details to the gossip bin - or not as the case may be. At the very least this may well be your only chance to get a fuller picture of what's going on and you may finally be able to make an informed opinion yourself.
 
I have to ask - who has given them "notice to leave"? If,as it sounds, it's a rented house then surely only the landlord ( private or council) can do that, not an angry mob - which is how it sounds from what you say about them standing shouting outside her house.

Personally I would go but take an independant observer along, what about asking your local councillor to attend with you, or a friend unconnected with the estate. Either you or that person take notes of who said what and make sure to tell them that you have never seen any of the alledged incidents that a being talked of.

Would it be possible you could find a way of informing the family concerned that the meeting is taking place, at the least they should be allowed to defend themselves against whatever accusations people are throwing about.
 
Could you be "otherwise engaged" for that day/evening? You're not boycotting the meeting (and assumed to be "on their side" as Caveat mentioned), but you're not in the thick of it either, which I guess from your post you don't really want to be.
 
The landlord had given them notice to leave 1 month. At first she was refusing to go, which is why i think the 'protest' took place.

I think now (but as before it could be all gossip) but she has said she will go when she finds somewhere else.

I dont even know what this person looks like, i'm sure she already knows about the meeting and that she is the main talking point. He house is visable from a lot of other houses and i dont really want to be seen going anywhere near her.

I was otherwise engaged on the first meeting, not sure it would wash for a 2nd time. I dont really have much to do with the other neighbours apart from those close to me.

I just dont want the spotlight on me and people asking what i've seen or anything. If people just ignored me i'd stand at the back and listen, but i'm dreading being asked things. I'd find it a bit odd if ever other house had seen things and just one hasn't. But i'm no means going to say i have seen something when i haven't.

Honestly I have never seen anything and this family have not harmed/bothered me in anyway what so ever. I just feel the less people there the better. Good thing is i can see where the meeting is taking place from my house so just before i'll have a peek and see how many other are there on the 'green' .....what a place to have a meeting. I could arrange for an emergency call 10 mins into it.

The first meeting was held at the school close to where we live, i'm pretty sure it's now in the estate to intimidate her.
 
Since you've been alerted that there may be drug dealing happening directly outside your house, you should keep an eye out to see if the reports are correct. People running away when a Garda car approaches doesnt look good to be honest.

If it were me and there were accusations of drug pushing in my estate, I'd want to know about it and I'd want the people out.

I have seen this type of behaviour before - one place where I lived, the residents effectively harrased a criminal family out. As well as telling them they arent welcome, they made sure that details of every movement they made and every visitor who came was fed to the Gardai. Was very effective and this particular area is a no go area for criminals even to this day - happend >10 yrs ago.

My wife also once lived in an area where there was drug selling and most of the neighbours took the view that if the criminals didnt harm them personally, they wouldnt get involved. Place soon became over run with criminals.

Like it or not, neighbourhood peer pressure or attitude is a very effective way of keeping an area crime free. Criminals like taking the easy route and wont settle in areas where the neighbours are pro active about reporting crime and making sure criminals are not welcome. If criminal activity is tolerated in an area, it soon takes over.
 
I've never actually seen anyone do this, run away from the guards but because the lay out of the estate and roads blocked you cant drive from one end of the estate to the other. From my house they would easily be able to get to the next walk through and the only way around is at least 5 mins.

even thought my bedroom faces the front of the house i sleep like the dead and nothing wakes me up! There was something going on a few weeks ago i just happened to be awake and i saw all the lights of the guarda cars. Even had a helicopter over head as well.

I've no intention to just let it go on, but i dont want to be involved either. A catch 22 situation.

The ares in general is beginning to get a name as a not very nice area, i've lost count of the number of cars broken into, shops robbed, vandalisim ect.
 
Trouble like this i would stay well away and like gipiman said,be otherwise engaged on the day.Just my personal input.
 
I disagree and think you should go. At least you will get to make your own mind up.

Agree The Green is a silly place to have a meeting, very unprofessional and vigilante style. Is there a proper RA or is it a home made job. Who is leading the crusade so to speak. It is a good suggestion above to get a local councillor involved.

Just another question, if there is nothing untoward with the family concerned, why do you think the neighbours have picked on them. Is there a case for bullying?

That said, the only way to make a stand against anti social behaviour in our community is for all the neighbours to make a stand together. Strength in numbers.

If there is anti social behaviour it is not enough to say you dont want to get involved. No one wants to get involved so then they get away with it. People sticking together is the best way forward.
 
samanthajane said:
... I've no intention to just let it go on, but i dont want to be involved either...
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The old "Isn't it a disgrace? Isn't it terrible dreadful awful? Why doesn't somebody (else) do something about it? What are the Guards being paid for?" syndrome.
samanthajane said:
... A catch 22 situation.
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I prefer to think Joe Heller would have called it an abdicating responsibility situation.
samanthajane said:
... The ares in general is beginning to get a name as a not very nice area, i've lost count of the number of cars broken into, shops robbed, vandalisim ect.
Click to expand...
I agree with what csirl pointed out above, people get the type of neighbours and neighbourhoods they attract and build for themselves.
 
I understand where your coming from mathpec, I think i'm going to go, to see what happens but if anything else happens i'm not going to be a part of it. I have no inention of standing out side this womans house shouting 'out' at her.

To make things even better i learned today that this isn't just about this family either. There is another family who own the house but only their children live there with a few friends, and they are causing a lot of problems aswell. And their house is clearly visable from the green as well.

will let you know what happens next week when the meeting takes place.
 
I just re-read your original and it struck me that "RA" could mean Residents Association, which is how I interpreted it for this thread, but could also mean Rent Allowance, or a few years ago, it could have been interpreted as something more sinister ... :eek:
samanthajane said:
... will let you know what happens next week when the meeting takes place.
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Sound, best of luck with it; a (very, very) few of us worked hard to get our estate into shape during the first couple of years, now we're kinda sitting back and enjoying it, chillin' don'cha know.
 
Ha ha yeah it does mean residents Association ( which if anyone remembers a post i asked a while ago about this, is nothing to do with the people who came knocking at the door a while ago )

It's going to take a while to get everything sorted but i hope it calms down., Will also help for me to get too know my neighbours. Out of 300 houses i would know maybe 5-6 of the people that lived in the estate.
 
I don't know Samanthajane. It seems to be that some of your neighbour's are bullying this woman and her family. Maybe they think she's lowering the tone of the area? Also I don't go along with 'where's there smoke, there's fire'. The Garda have already raided the woman's house twice. That is an unpleasant experience. Not that my home home was raided but I had a friends that was (previously rented out to know drug dealer). Having people go through your personal stuff is not very nice. If they do raid this womans house again and find nothing, I hope she sues the garda which she is perfectly well entitled too.

At the end of the day if this woman and her family are trouble they will eventually be found out.
 
Sounds like an unpleasant place to live, meeting on the common green to get a neighbour out, will there be pitch forks and flaming torches?

Surley there is a more civilised way of doing it.
 
I'm not doubting what people are saying and i dont live next or around her, i'm only 30 seconds away but there are housing inbetween us so i've never had to deal with other neighbours have.

I was told she was caught staring in someones window while they were in the kitchen for 5 mins. Just staring nothing else. Thought this was a bit wierd but she wasn't causing any harm. She's generally not very friendly and keeps to her self and can be loud and noisy, but apart from that theres nothing else that i'm aware of that she has done.

Although not a reason for her being asked to leave, she's just generally not liked. She crashed into someone car a while back while it was in their driveway, the house is in view of mine and i cant for the life of me figure out how she could of managed it.

I know that just because her house has been raided and nothing found doesn't mean she's not involved in drugs, but as of yet she not actually broken any law. Apart from being a bit nosiy and not really giving a damm about anyone, i dont think she's actually done anything wrong. Being a pain in the bum isn't reason enough for all thats happening about this.......but again i dont live next door to her!! I'm blessed with my neighbours.

Just to add i dont know if the is going to result in protesting outside her house. I just know that happened before. I'm hoping it's just going to be talking, but with a lot of people unhappy fustrations and anger can lead to other things.
 
It seem from your posts samanthajane that a "mob mentality" is taking over your estate...be very careful you dont let yourself get sucked into it! thats my advice for what its worth.
 
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