It's apparently here in the deep south.
The new neighbors are frequently fighting. Not just yelling; actually beating one another against the wall. I heard "help me" once, and called the police. The police suggest I tell the office. The office has stated in their monthly condescending newsletter that any problem is not their problem after office hours. Call the police. So nobody cares but me. And the truth is, I wouldn't care if they weren't disturbing me, because she keeps letting him back into the apartment knowing they're going to fight. She kicks him out, then lets him right back in a few hours or a day or two later. Over and over and over.
After a long night of hearing their fighting from my bedroom, I left to go sit at the only place open in my town, Waffle House. I made the mistake of placing an order, which I paid for and had to wait for as a fight began a few feet away from me. An obviously-impaired woman started yelling at the top of her lungs and harassing people. The cook, who was also yelled at, eventually told her to leave him alone so he could cook for "this nice lady", who was me. That wasn't helpful, as that only directed her attention to me. I was so fed up at that point, I snapped "Yes, I would like my food so I can leave!" So naturally, the woman started threatening me. "You done f'ed up bitch", etc etc. Her boyfriend told her to stop, and said to me "I'm trying to save you but she's right, you done f'ed up." Everyone in the restaurant was at attention at that point, looking pretty concerned. " I announced calmly that she was the one acting like a fool, that I was armed, and that I wasn't going to let her hurt anybody in there. At that, she walked out and took her loud, obnoxious mouth into the parking lot where she continued to yell and threaten nobody in particular, while her friends assured the waitress that they would take care of her bill.
First of all, let me state that I should have left immediately when the woman started in spite of having placed an order. The company would have lived with losing that seven bucks, and they are entirely at fault for allowing that woman to stay and make customers feel unsafe.
Secondly, I don't own a gun and never will. Being "armed" means I have mace in my pocket and a stun gun in my car. The stun gun took me a year to talk myself into, only after my life was directly threatened in the grocery store parking lot, and it was free. If I ever have to use it, I will be traumatized for life. I've never hurt anyone, and don't plan to.
But you can't let the idiots in this town know that. You only get respect when you make yourself clear that you have the upper hand. Otherwise, their "bad ass" is going to "f you up". That is the mentality in this town. Aggression wins.
I hate every minute of it, and I hate almost everyone here. Literal Nazis, who simultaneously claim to serve Jesus, run the local pizza shop. Good luck going to the store without an addict asking for money or trying to carjack you. I once carried groceries into my apartment from the car and a man high on drugs jumped in front of me in my own breezeway and asked if I was "ready to do it". He only backed down because the women he was with yelled at him to leave me alone. Everybody wants to beat the hell out of everybody for no good reason. The cops might as well set up a station in this neighborhood to save some time.
My French ancestors founded this city, and it is documented history that they were good, respectable people. When the Spanish took over the area, they granted this land to the family because they liked them. And now it has become this. It's disheartening, and I am drained in every way.
Rant over. I just wanted to make clear what happened the other night, since I mentioned it on Twitter. I'll obviously never step foot in WH again, but the fact that I have to make that kind of decision at all is a disgrace. I hate aggression, and I'll do whatever I can to halt or at least avoid it, but a public defender I am not. So don't be surprised if I'm murdered someday for simply trying to protect myself or someone else in this god-forsaken town.
