An aggressive neighbor demands that his 70-something neighbors not walk on the sidewalk in front of his house. What can these walking seniors do to manage the threats? Advice columnist Eric Thomas weighs in.
Dear Eric:
We have a neighbor a few doors up who hates us. We don’t really know why, but he doesn’t want us to walk on “his” sidewalk. He considers that harassment by us – just us. We walk up and down the street for our health and pass his house six to 12 times a day. If he sees us through his window, or one of the more than 12 cameras on his house or next to the sidewalk (so he can eavesdrop), he runs out and turns on his sprinkler so that it sprays across the sidewalk, over his cars, and into the street.
The police and a lawyer told us to walk on the other side of the street. We are in our 70s and I am unsteady on my feet, and the other side has more tripping hazards. I also meet up with cats on my side who wait to be petted, and I don’t want them running into the street to see me on the other side.
It is not legal to water beyond the lawn and illegal to block passage on the sidewalk, but no one will stop him. He did take us to court in 2022 to stop us, but the judge told him that we have every right to walk by as many times as we want to. Lot of good that did. We heard from the police that he’s preparing to try again. What can we do?
– Walking Seniors
Dear Seniors:
Why won’t the authorities step in here? You’re already in contact with the police about this. Ask them about the possibility of a restraining order against this aggressive neighbor. It’s perplexing that their response is to warn you about an upcoming lawsuit instead of stepping in to quell a potentially dangerous on-going dispute.
The priority is your protection. If they won’t do it, you have to protect yourself. Now, you may have the legal standing, as well as the common sense standing here, but this person has already escalated his attacks on you and it’s likely that continuing to push this issue will put you in danger. Stay away from him. I know this is not fair; I know this affects your quality of life. But he has real problems and it’s best to do everything you can to keep him out of your orbit.
Is it possible to walk one block over or take a ride to a nearby park? Can you walk to his house and turn around? Yes, you should be able to walk on your own street, obviously, but this is a person whose aggressive antisocial tendencies are huge warning signs. Better to be inconvenienced than harmed.
R. Eric Thomas (he/him) is a national bestselling author, playwright, and screenwriter. His accomplishments include “Eric Reads the News,” a daily humor column covering pop culture and politics, serving as the interim Prudie for the advice column “Dear Prudence,” and “Congratulations, The Best Is Over.”
Send questions to eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.
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