September 1, 2013 -- Blah, blah, blah from FBPD

I'll at least say I'm grateful they sent a rational officer out this time, although the usual "but we can't do anything" is getting tiresome.  He wasn't Officer Snarky.

Yes, I understand they can't evict the rowdies.  But they can't write citations?  They can't tell them to pipe down?  They can't warn the Banging Brood's mother?  Two months of harassment from them means nothing to the police?  So what I'm to do is "talk to the manager" who isn't here because it's past midnight, way past normal office hours?  How's she supposed to do anything?  What good would it do to leave a voice mail, knowing she won't hear it until Tuesday?

What freaking good is FBPD?  Like I've said before, they're a waste of taxpayer money.  I even explained that the sounds weren't one thump, not two thumps, but just a drumming on the walls.  And that's being called "normal", still.  What's normal about living in an effing drum for two months?  Maybe these freaking FBPD officers need to be locked in here and harassed from all sides like I've been for two months.  See just how they like it, and how quick they're willing to just blow it off as "normal".

I'll say this much, the next door neighbors were already out there, ready to explain their lies.  They're quick to pass the blame on to the other neighbors upstairs, and I know that today the upstairs neighbors have been quiet enough.  In fact, the upstairs neighbors haven't caused deliberate problems after being warned about my mental health.  The only ones that still get their jollies from bothering me are the Banging Brood.

I guess next time I should just smash the windows, since FBPD is powerless and the racket happens when the manager isn't here.  Little punks pound the walls, thinking they're safe.  They're only as safe as their paper-thin walls permit.

September 1, 2013 -- Banging Brood at it Again

At about 12:30 a.m., the Banging Brood next door started punching the wall.  Drumming would be more accurate, actually. 

I was already upset about something else, so I've had some bipolar insomnia going on.  Quite irritated, I took a metal baseball bat around to the kids' window and banged on it.  I didn't bang hard enough to do damage, but I sure got their attention.

Ah.  It's 12:39 a.m., and they're starting up again.

August 30, 2013 -- More Evidence

Last night, I spoke with another London Square resident.  He confirms the litter, the loud music, and confrontations with horn honkers.  He said he's lived there for ten years, and that London Square has always had the ghetto element.  He mentioned one man that used to live there; the former tenant wound up going to prison for too many DWIs.

Funny, the complex seemed more family-friendly before 2012.  Oh, I do remember the people working on their vehicles in the parking lots.  To me, that's not quite as bad as the other things I've covered.

August 30, 2013 -- Speaking with Another Resident

Today I spoke with another resident of London Square Apartments.  He too is aware of the drugs and other crimes at both our and the next door complex.  So even London Square looks nice-ish on the outside, the casual observer isn't going to see the resident drug addicts.  It's just like with Officer Snark and his belief that the Banging Brood are making "normal apartment living" noises.  He doesn't live there next to those noisy little monsters.  None of the cops see the problems through casual observation.

I wonder how FBPD justifies traffic stops if they're all so lackadaisical regarding law enforcement?  Maybe the whole police department needs to be shut down and Dallas needs to run the Farmers Branch crime fighting from now on.

Here's an article regarding the crackdown on criminals being permitted to rent: http://mydallaspost.com/news/local-news/775038/W-B-council-OKs-one-strike-rental-ordinance  Man, they'd be closing down a lot of units at London Square.  I swear they need to just send in drug dogs into every apartment.  That way, it doesn't look like anyone squealed on anyone, no one can claim discrimination, etc.  I'd let them in willingly.

But don't expect FBPD to enforce jack doodly.  They wouldn't notice a carjacking if it was their own squad car.  Welcome to your Farmers Branch ghetto.  Here's the standard issue welcome mat, made of marijuana. Now don't smoke it all in one shot.

If you want me, I'll pass on the welcome mat and enjoy a cup of coffee instead.

August 29, 2013 -- In a Hurry

This event occurred at the next door complex, called Courtyards of Valley View.  It's a smaller complex that's looking a bit more worn than London Square.

I was standing on the corner watching this beat up blue truck speed up to the turning lane to enter the Courtyards.  The driver's tires screeched and skidded several times, and then turned as fast as possible into the entry.  This driver was even in a big hurry to park.

If memory serves, tenants at the Courtyards are assigned their own parking spaces.  Whatever the driver's reason for the "rush", that parking space wasn't going anywhere.  I think we can rule out a bathroom, because there are several options on the way down Valley View, before you reach the two complexes.

All the same, I was thankful there wasn't any pedestrians in the parking lot at Courtyards, because somebody would have gotten squished with that sort of maniac driving.

Possible Resolution? -- August 29, 2013

The apartment manager visited with me this morning regarding the blog and the continued battle with the Banging Brood next door.  I've been made an offer to be let out of my lease, which would let me go find somewhere else to move to without having to pay fees.

I also learned something.  They're trying to get the neighbors moved, but I have to be patient and let the courts do their thing.  Well, I certainly haven't been made aware of anything other than an increasingly agitated mother who still lets her kids do whatever.

I made sure to tell the apartment manager the major part of the situation.  That being, that all the banging, thumping, etc. is being called "play" by the mother.  Yesterday, for example, the beating and banging had going on persistently for an hour--it was not a random "oops, sorry" noise, which is truly normal apartment living.  And I stated that the wall, the apartment, and the next door neighbor are not playthings.  If the kids need to get out and play to burn off that excess energy, then take them out to play.  We've got several avenues available within a very short walk, even for child legs.

During our conversation, I'd totally forgotten about the little dog they had.  It was months ago, but they used to have a small dog that would whine constantly.  And my guess would be because the dog wasn't given attention.  It was neglected.  Small dogs need attention.  So do children.  It would be nice if I wasn't the source of their attention, because the reactions I have to the disturbance are anywhere from "eh" to...  let's not go down that dark path, please.

As I type this, one of the Banging Brood is at it again.  It's a regular thumping sound, like bouncing a ball or something.  I'm not sure, but I wonder if it's in response to my typing?  Sorry, but if I'm blogging, I type, and I've had my typing called "machine gun" in the past. 

Do I have to blog?  At the moment, yes.  Until I move or drop dead, I must continue with the blog.  But here's hoping all will be resolved soon and I can move on to blogging about things I enjoy.  I really want to get into arts and crafts, not gripes and beefs about the local headaches.

August 28, 2013 -- FBPD x 2

Yes, yes.  It's another installment of "That Banging Brood Next Door" and how utterly worthless it is to call the cops.

It all started at 6:14 p.m., when I'd just gotten home.  I could hear some thumping next door.  I waited until about 6:18 p.m. to see if it would stop (dream on); then I tried calling the cops.  Well, Dispatcher S said they'd send someone out here.  I didn't speak with any officers whatsoever.

Then at 6:45 p.m., the Banging Brood got much louder.  They were so rough with the wall that it shook violently.  I called the police again.  I got Dispatcher S.  She said they'd just been out there.  Really?  That's news to me.

At about 7:00, the banging was still going on.  It didn't stop until 7:15 p.m., when the officers went over there to have a heated argument with the mother.  While I spoke with the snarky male cop after their visit next door, I saw the eldest sibling taking the younger ones out to play.

Why in the blue cheese blazes didn't the mother or the eldest sibling do that before I had to call the cops the first time?  And why the crap do taxpayers have to keep useless officers that tell you to "nut up and deal with it, because it's apartment living" employed?

Six weeks of harassment, and FBPD condones it.  Or at least Officer Snark does.  Heck, he even tried passing the blame onto upstairs neighbors, and the noise isn't coming from there.  I told him to his face that the mother practically admitted to me her kids are the ones doing it, when I pointed out how vibrations travel through walls.

I sent off another email to Wells Asset Management.  I told them point blank that the whole world will know they're just as powerless as everyone else.

If the "city" of Farmers Branch ever gets off its butt and bills the complex, that's another $1,000 the parents of the Banging Brood will owe.  But I don't call the cops to make them pay fines.  I do it because they're disturbing me and doing so deliberately.  What, does six weeks of harassment sound like an "accident" to you?

Farmers Branch, you don't want me to "fix it myself".  Okay?  But that's what every government slap-monkey and everyone else seems to be telling me to do with their inaction.  I've tried telling Officer Snark this, and he calls his "advice" "help".  And believe me, when the banging got so bad that my wall shook from floor to ceiling, I was sorely tempted to "fix it" in a very unacceptable manner.

Society just doesn't "get it" anymore.

August 27, 2013 -- Playing Hooky on Second Day of School

At 1:11 p.m., the Banging Brood next door started up with the banging again.  Wait a second!  1:11 p.m...  Kids are supposed to be going to school, right?  Well, not with the Banging Brood, or at least, not with one school-aged girl being escorted home by the eldest sibling.  And August 27th was just the second day of school here in Texas. 

I saw the little girl in question at 9:30 a.m.  She looked perfectly healthy.  She was certainly healthy enough to punch, kick, and what almost sounded like body slam the wall repeatedly. 

Since I knew the complex manager wasn't going to be there, since it was her lunch break, I wrote a note and taped it to the office door.  But just in case the note wasn't received (no guarantee it wouldn't be snatched off the door), I wrote the company that owns this property.  They're known as Wells Asset Management.

There's a thing or two I've learned about the people that live here.  They love to violate codes and laws when there's no way to report the violations to the complex manager.  So you're stuck calling the useless FBPD.

August 26, 2013 -- Boom, boom, boom-sha-boom

At around 9:13 p.m., as I walked past a closed apartment door a few doors down for mine, I know I could hear music in there.  If it's loud enough to hear (and feel) outside on the walkway, it's too loud.  But being as I couldn't hear it from my apartment, I didn't bother to report it.  Besides, it's kind of hard to report something when you don't have your phone with you. 

August 26, 2013 -- Chase Down that Car!

I saw this event unfold as I was approaching London Square Apartments from my favorite bus stop.  This young man, bare from the waist up, chased down a dark car on foot just outside the complex.  The car pulled into the entry for the neighboring complex (an equally run-down and ghetto site). 

Given how agitated the young man was, I honestly thought, "Uh oh.  Farmers Branch is definitely turning ghetto.  Look!  A car jacking!"

But given certain details, I think it was more a case of irritation and embarrassment all around.  First, the bare-chested male wasn't carrying anything as he chased after the dark (I want to say navy blue) car on foot.  After he opened the passenger door and thrust himself in there, I saw him holding a long, cylindrical tube and gesturing with it. 

A young woman walked to catch up with the young man.  Just as I was approaching the half-way point across Valley View, the whole thing broke up.  The young couple walked off, and the car got out of there fairly quickly.  Given the way the young man walked, I'd say he was more embarrassed about something, rather than wanting to commit a crime.

All of this happened last night around 9:10 p.m.  Even though it's rather dark to get a better look at the car I saw, there's enough security lighting to tell it was roughly navy blue.

August 26, 2013 -- Banging Brood Disturbance

At 12:01 a.m., the Banging Brood wanted to get started again with the harassment.  Now granted, for some reason unbeknownst to me, I decided to wear earplugs.  And unfortunately, my manic insomnia kicked in and I was busy imagining arts and crafts projects when they banged hard on the wall for about a minute.  With the earplugs, I could just hear them.  But it was the vibration through the mattress that disturbed me more than the sound.  Still, they only banged for about a minute and stopped for the rest of the morning.

So I'm guessing that "Mommy" sort of learned to keep an eye on her brood.  Now if she'd teach them how to tell time and realize that 12 a.m. is way too early to disturb someone.  Seriously, is it natural for little 4- and 5-year-olds to want to raise Cain throughout the night, when others in their age group are in bed at a normal hour like normal children?  What's wrong with the parents here?  Can they not tell the difference between day and night?

It doesn't take any matter of a braniac to figure out that the Banging Brood do their banging on the wall deliberately.  Normal apartment living has the truly random thump, bang, plop, thud.  The accidental noises--that's the norm.  You do NOT deliberately hammer on the wall with your fist, especially at 12 a.m. and call that accidental.  Who in the blazes punches the wall half a dozen times over the span of a minute, hard enough to vibrate a mattress and then says "oops"?

August 25, 2013 - Curious Sighting

It was 7:04 p.m. as I was walking home, and I saw a FBPD squad car pull out of the London Square Apartments parking lot.  But what was curious was that the same car circled back around and went back into the parking lot through the complex's other parking lot entrance.

Now, back in 2007, seeing police cars once or twice a day was commonplace.  They used to do "courtesy patrols," and the police used to meet once a month with residents for a Crime Watch meeting.  Both of those practically vanished by the end of 2012.

During this year, 2013, squad cars have been infrequent sitings, at best.  And I haven't seen a posting for the Crime Watch meetings since 2012.  How in the heck are you to have a "Crime Watch Area" if the cops aren't involved?  Sure, regular citizens are supposed to play their part and report suspicious activity.  However, what's the point when you make reports and they're ignored like nothing happened?

The real crime here is the taxpayers being robbed by the local government.  They pay taxes and expect certain things to be done.  In this case, a police department that actually does its freaking job and enforces local and state laws.

Sure, gas prices are high.  And it's costly to send out the fleet to patrol.  But come on!  They don't even want to bother with writing citations.  They ignore complaints.  I don't think they even have a record of all the times I complained, let alone anyone else that's made calls about other misdemeanors.

Well, here's hoping they weren't trying to bust my crock pot for the odor of cabbage soup.  I know it smells bad, but it's dinner.  But the day they make smelly food illegal is the day they rip out all cooking appliances in the apartments and don't return them.  What's smelly dinner to me may not be the same for you, and vice versa.  (Goodness knows the squad car wasn't circling because the scent of donuts was in the air.  Otherwise, my door would have been gaping wide, torn off the hinges, and the car would have been parked with hungry "reinforcements" joining it.  "All units, all units.  Donuts found.  Bring coffee.  Repeat, bring coffee.")

FBPD Excuses

During the calls I've made to get something done about the Banging Brood next door, FBPD has given me various excuses.  Well, here's a chance to do some rebuttals.

The most common excuse: "The walls are paper-thin."

Really?  Paper-thin?  If I really "fit in" with the rest of the gangsta wannabes, the thugs, the thieves, etc., then do you really think it's particularly wise to give criminals an idea like "paper-thin" walls?  Besides, if the walls are paper-thin, imagine saying such a thing out on the landing, where anyone can hear it, like the aforementioned ghetto types.

"I don't have any authority here.  Talk to management.  They're the only ones that can enforce their rules."

So management, who isn't on-site at all hours, is supposed to stop the Banger Brood at midnight or later?  Really?  You know, calling an answering service isn't going to do beans.  Heck, about the only thing that seems to have worked was to contact London Square Apartment's home office, and even then you don't get a response like you're supposed to get when you call the police.

"I can't just write citations.  I have to witness a crime being committed, and then I have to judge if it's excessive or not.  Your problem can only be resolved by talking to management."

I take it that means the taxpayers can shave off judge salaries now, since it's up to the police to be judge and jury.  And given that the cops are only here after bad stuff happens, that means theft, shootings, beatings, stabbings, rapes, and other such crimes will go unpunished in Farmers Branch, because the officer didn't witness these acts being committed, even if it happened in a parking lot!  So maybe taxpayers shouldn't be asked to supply an income to the FBPD either.  Make them all volunteer crime fighters.

As for all this "talk to management" hooey, if they were dropping hints about the condition of the apartment's interior, they should have tried being less vague about it.  I know on a couple of occasions that officers have been in there.  On one call, they told me that the neighbors I've been complaining about have the kid's room right next to my bedroom.  Sheesh, if not for my insomnia, I never would have known they've been drawing on the walls with crayons.

"All we can do is ask them to be quiet."

Bah.  I remember small town cops in my home town (also in Texas) that were quite happy to field complaints and write tickets.  And they'd do it all day if necessary.  Harassing your neighbors was definitely discouraged.  Why in the blazes would the small town where I was born have better police service than big city cops?

Could the problem with FBPD have something to do with the pairs of shoes I've seen thrown over power lines everywhere lately?  I mean, I'm seeing them everywhere in the Farmers Branch and North Dallas areas.  It's even happening in places that are more posh than London Square Apartments.

As an aside, I didn't have anything to report yesterday because all was quiet.  And this was a Saturday, which is usually "party night".  Though I'd zonked out from my doctor-prescribed sleep aid, party noises would have caused me to wake up.  So it was really, truly quiet last night, like it was back in 2007 when my former roommate and I moved to this complex.

August 23, 2013 -- Confirmation from Banging Brood's Mother

At around 10 a.m., Banging Brood's mother spoke with me about the problems I've been having with her children making too much noise.  It seemed like at first she was going to lie and deny her children are pounding on the wall.  But I told her flat out that you do not feel physical vibrations from the wall if the banging comes from another apartment.  Those kinds of vibrations don't travel very far down a wall, only the sound.  They're the kind of vibrations that travel outward into the room from the point of impact.

Then their mother was, "I don't understand.  This is a problem?  I have x many kids.  What am I to do, tell them not to run, not to play?"  Sheesh.  She could easily remedy their hyperactivity by taking them to the nearby college track.  Let them run their little butts off, scream, chase, play tag...  They might attract attention from security, but the campus police are pretty understanding when you tell them it's for exercise.  True, it's a bit odd to be exercising at night.  But what if you're a night owl, you don't like getting sunburned or heat exhaustion, and night is the only time you have to get out and walk?

I told her that the other neighbors have kids, and I don't hear a peep out of them.  She tried saying, "But they have fewer kids than I have."  Feh.  When I was little, I could make as much racket as her brood--all by myself.  The number of kids is not the issue, it's the constant barrage of noise, especially at night, and I told her so.

And as for her "I don't understand.  This is a problem?"  She should have realized it was a problem after being warned numerous times by management and the police.  But she kept trying to lie her way out of things instead of correcting her unruly nest of demons.

So their mother confirmed 1) how many children she has, 2) that she leaves the younger ones in the care of her eldest, 3) she left them in the care of the eldest child yet again this morning after our conversation, 4) that they are the ones beating the wall at all hours, and 5) she permits this bad behavior, even after numerous warnings.

By the way, I had a bout of insomnia up until about 3 a.m.  The Banging Brood were thumping and banging around from 10 p.m. until that time.  I even told their mother about it, that the noise especially bothers me when I'm trying to sleep. 

And where is CPS in all of this?  Off getting their nails done on the taxpayer's dime.  If both parents work, shouldn't the brood be in day care?

August 23, 2013 -- Much Nighttime Activity

You can learn a few interesting things when you suffer from insomnia.  That, and when you wish to squash any lingering doubts that the Banger Brood aren't causing the racket past midnight.  Or past the duly posted curfew of 10 p.m.

Anyway, I was trying to see if maybe the noises could have been from the second story.  Nope.  No one there at all.  Then I checked the laundry room to see if anyone had been doing laundry.  Why? Because I could swear my laptop's microphone picked up washing machine noises.  Which would be quite a feat, seeing as the laundry room is several apartments away.  (I also wanted to see if perhaps that couple loitering outside the laundry room earlier might have engaged in sexual activities.  I've found spent condoms in there before.  Bleh.)

When I left the laundry room, I saw six people (two groups) on the breezeway of the building across from mine.  Now granted, just walking around like that shouldn't be cause for alarm.  But remember, I've been here since 2007.  Not until this year have tenants been wandering around the complex late at night.  I know it for a fact, because I used to go on walks around the track a couple of years back, before I ran into a wild-eyed man that freaked me out.  Back then, I was one of the few people still moving around outside.  (Hey, you can meet security guards on patrol near the track, so I wasn't the only one operating on "night shift".)

And as an aside, I did find out that the Banger Brood have done more than beat up on defenseless walls.  I saw through a sliver of blinds--crayon drawings on one wall.  So there's no telling about the condition of the rest of the apartment. 

We'll see if anything comes of the email I sent to London Square Apartment's management company: Wells Asset Management.  It was probably a waste of electrons, but I feel compelled to try just about anything to hang onto my sanity for just a bit longer.

August 22, 2013 -- Loitering

At around 9:15 p.m., I noticed a pair of young adults loitering outside the laundry room at my building.  In the past, I've seen nasty used condoms strewn about in that public area.  Small children go in there, for crying out loud!  That same couple was still loitering when I returned to my apartment at 9:22 p.m.

I went out again and came back at 9:32 p.m. (I'm box-hunting for a maybe sculpture project, I'm not sure yet.  And this time of night is a good time to find some behind the Subway.)  Anyway, there was another young female loitering.  She was hanging out on the stairs at a different building.  I don't think she was the same female I saw loitering with a young male near the laundry room.

I think FBPD quit doing their "courtesy patrols" already.  I haven't seen them since Tuesday.  Well, I take that back.  I saw a squad car down Alpha, by about maybe 2/10ths of a mile.  So we have spotty "crime watch" at best and equally spotty traffic stops.  Does FBPD have a budget of all of a PENNY?  Gee, the gas prices alone are probably hurting them at this rate.

I'm thinking maybe the State of Texas needs to send in some marshals or something, because we don't have real law enforcement or government agencies here.  Most are made of tissue paper.  A fiddling Texas breeze blows them ten miles away.  And even cowboys riding to the rescue would be an improvement.

Please, for the love of your own lives, Avoid.  Farmers.  Branch.  TX.

You know what they say, "It's only going to get worse before it gets better."  That's the same story here.  We're in the early stages of ghetto-ification.

Maybe Wal-mart had better re-think their Super Walmart project that they want to build over on Midway Rd.  It's only a mile from London Square Apartments.  I've found crappy discarded handguns before in the Neighborhood Grocery parking lot.  While Wal-mart probably boasts of a better security force than FBPD, I don't think many people like the idea of getting caught in the middle of gang wars.

August 22, 2013 -- First Confrontation with Banging Brood Next Door

At about 2:30 p.m., I was suffering from one of my medication-induced coughing fits.  When I say "coughing fit", it is the kind that turns you red in the face, almost unable to breathe.  It's one that can't be stopped by a cough drop or syrup.  It subsides when it subsides, and you hope you live through it.

While I was having this coughing fit, the children next door saw fit to bang on the wall.  It increased in duration and intensity while I continued to suffer.  And after my fit subsided, they persisted in aggravating me.

I was so furious that I decided "no more cops".  I stomped over there, hammered on their door as hard as I could with my knuckles (made sure I hurt for a few minutes), and confronted the NOT A PARENT that answered the door.  We're talking about a youth that's not old enough to have birthed four to five other children.

She was understandably terrified while I scowled at her, even though my only intention was to say, "If your children have a problem with my coughing fits, then they need to just get over it.  I can't help it."  I stormed off back to my apartment, and all was quiet again.

So what the officers have been told, "Oh no, Mr. Officer, my little angels have been sitting here watching TV with me the whole time," has been nothing but lies.  If those "little dears" are so "innocent," then the banging racket should persist even after the confrontation.  It's the simplest of logic, for goodness sake!  Only the perpetrators would stop if they had a bear-sized angry woman at the door.

I've seen their mother a time or two over the past year.  And last night, I caught a glimpse of their father for the first time.  I knew it was the father, because he had the same voice that was yelling at Mommy about them losing their children.

What I suspect is happening: their parents work and leave the younglings alone with the eldest daughter.  The eldest daughter does nothing to make her siblings stop.  Nor does Mommy when the police tell her they need to cut it out.

Now for those of you that like saying, "Kids will be kids.  What's your problem?"  In my own defense, there's another family to the other side of me.  The worst I've heard is a little banging of the pantry doors during meal times.  I normally have to be in the kitchen to even hear it.  And yes, that family has children too.  Sweet-dispositioned children   I have no complaints at all with the other set of neighbors sharing the same building floor with me.  They behave like decent people.  It's the other family (the ones I confronted today) that just aren't "getting it", that after a few visits from the cops, you'd better Knock.  Off.  The.  Noise!

Ghetto Men

Now before you think I'm being overly judgmental, racist, or whatever, I want you to understand something.  I've overheard one young man brag about being from the ghetto.  You will notice that other than "young man", I said nothing about race. 

And admitting you're from the ghetto implies a lot of bad things: gang wars, gang rapes, drugs, prostitution, and so on.  Whether or not this young man was ever involved in any of that, I would have no idea.  But I've seen a lot more activity at London Square, especially late at night.

At London Square Apartments, we do have young men as mentioned.  I've seen them loiter around in their own little groups.  Some are of the wannabe gangsta types, with their underwear showing.  On August 18, 2013, FBPD did break up a loitering group, and oddly enough, this time I wasn't involved in calling them.  So I guess FBPD isn't completely useless--just mostly.

Now on August 20, 2013, a group of six males walked past my apartment.  And half of them looked inside.  How do I know?  I was sitting in a chair, watching outside the open blinds.  I wanted to see what was going on outside.

Then around 6:30 p.m. on August 20 again, I heard a woman yelling at someone.  It sounded like it was coming from outside, because it had an echo quality.  So I went outside with my phone in hand.  A few adults had been watching their children splash around in the swimming pool, but when I came out to investigate, the adults were all gawking at me.  I couldn't find the source of the commotion, so I went back inside.  A few minutes later, I came back out for a walk. 

The group at the swimming pool had dispersed already.  When I reached the opposite end of the quad, I saw the source of the earlier ruckus.  A FBPD officer had a young man subdued on his knees.  Towering over the subdued male was a woman, probably the source of the vocal outburst.

The Indoor Environment -- London Square Apartments

Before I go further regarding the outdoor Ghetto-ification, I want to "show and tell" a bit here about the sort of indoor environment you can expect in your typical apartment at London Square.  Before about the middle of 2013, I was living with a roommate and his girlfriend.  She had grown concerned about how all of us were getting sick way too frequently, and how our elderly neighbor was also quite ill.

So she went after the vent in the kitchen to find the source.  Now mind you, all of the vents have been covered in many layers of paint over the years.  Which means in order to get into a vent, it's necessary to cut the paint around it.  When she opened it, she found insulation and paint chips bearing a black, powdery substance.

This image also resides on Google Maps for London Square Apartments, the only thing remaining up, since my review has been deleted.

What you see in the image:
1) The large black fibrous object is insulation that's original to the apartment complex's construction.  I know, because management seemed especially proud of that fact.  The blackness in the insulation is of a powdery consistency.

2) The smaller brown, white, and black pieces are paint chip samples.  The black blotches are also powdery.

Concerned that this could be black mold, I saved the samples.  These were collected around November 2012.  I filed a complaint with the "city" of Farmers Branch and they contacted management.  What the manager decided to do to resolve the problem was to find the cheapest vent cleaner that could be located. 

Let me tell you what the vent cleaner guy told me, "You're going to have to supply your own drop cloths.  Spread them out all over your stuff, because I'm going to come in and blow out the vents.  Insulation will be blown all over the apartment, and you don't want it on your stuff."

Do you know what three people--trying to make ends meet on just one part-time, minimum wage job--could use for drop cloths?  Our own bedding.  Does that sound like something you would want to do?  Would you like to supply materials and labor, just to have this substance strewn all over your one bedroom apartment, especially if you suspect it's making you and everyone else in the dwelling sick?

Where were we to go, especially with two cats?  Were we supposed to just stay in here?  Were we to leave?  Where?  Nothing was offered in way of explaining that detail.

Yes, I went to the manager and called off the "vent cleaning".  I still suffer a progressive deterioration, both physically and mentally.

I'd gladly have this apartment, or the samples you see in the photo, tested for black mold.  But I don't trust the local government agencies to do anything competently.

I'll also admit that when I was trying to take a decent picture of those samples, I opened the ziploc bag.  After exposure, I wound up with my soft palate swelling.  I know of at least one other resident that has had that same "choking feeling", like a panic attack.  (When someone with medical training asked, I couldn't remember ever having the other signs of a panic attack--racing heartbeat, sweating palms, etc.)  Yet another person, living on the upper floor of my building, has a horrible, hacking, congested cough.

The elderly lady I mentioned earlier moved after the vent cleaner told her the same thing.  She couldn't afford to do what the cleaner was asking, even though her health was in a rather poor state.  She had hypersensitivity to everything that could be breathed, aches, pains, respiratory problems--most of which I suffer now.

Again, this is another reason to want to avoid living at London Square Apartments.

Why are You so Angry?

I'll tell you why I'm angry about this situation.

You can "thank" the neighbors in three of the apartments that all share a common bedroom wall with mine, and the upstairs neighbor that stomps on my ceiling.  They want to beat, bang, jump, stomp, scream, hammer, drum, and otherwise violate noise ordinances--throughout the day and night.  I can even give you a date when this harassment started: July 2, 2013.  

I informed management about it and it was ignored. 

I called the Farmers Branch Police Department (henceforth abbreviated to FBPD), and they just made excuses; they didn't do anything particularly useful.  When you call them, you should just ask they send the whole department out to your location so you can see FBPD looking sharp in those regulation-snug uniforms.  They've been little more than a taxpayer-funded eye-candy pageant thus far.

And the manager had no idea the FBPD was involved, or so I was informed on another occasion.  The manager stated that the property is fined $500 for each time the police are called.  So that means that the Farmers Branch City Hall is allowing $5,000 or more in fines to slip through their fingers, through their own negligence.

Child Protective Services (Stemmons Freeway location) was informed about children running riot at all times, day and night, without adult supervision.  I know the children can gain access to drugs, because I've smelled marijuana smoke--on two separate occasions--in public areas.  Drunken parties have occurred in the parking lots late on some nights, well past the posted (but unenforced) 10 p.m. curfew.  Empty beer bottles litter the landscape.  So children could gain access to alcohol as well.

The section of London Square Apartments I live in is located at a cluster of buildings, all facing inward to a lawn.  I call this area "the quad".  Across the quad, there used to be an unmistakable handgun target (human silhouette) proudly displayed in one of the upstairs apartment windows.  So the children could gain access to firearms, at least in theory.  (This target has been taken down after I contacted CPS)  Pity the CPS isn't very good at fact-finding, because some of the residents were able to trick them easily.  How did they do this?  By having their children play "musical apartments". 

On three separate days, I saw the same group of children leave together from three separate apartments.  This time they did have adults supervising them.  But that didn't deter these children from harassing me--day and night--with noise through the bedroom wall we share in common with the upstairs units.

The noise harassment from the next door and the upstairs apartments began on July 2, 2013.  It happened after I reported another neighbor as having way too many occupants for a one bedroom apartment (and the constant banging of the pantry doors).  The manager did transfer this family to a larger place on the premises, but like I said, after that family moved was when the harassment began.  No matter how many times I called FBPD, nothing deterred these hoodlums.

And don't tell me I "deserved it".  I sure as flaming heck didn't deserve to have people spying on me or prowling outside my apartment prior to this.  It was like I was under siege before July 2.  No one deserves to have people shuffling back and forth around or lurking near their domicile, and it was being done regularly.

Anyway, back to the "thumpers and bangers", as I'd come to call the noise tyrants.  I remember on one occasion, officers told me that my next door neighbors had their children's bedroom adjacent to mine.  On another occasion, I was told that the officer was informed that, "Oh, but officer, my children have been sweet little angels.  They've been watching TV with me the whole time."  Bull.  As I was trying in vain to show the officer the footage I'd recorded (I discovered it was best heard with headphones, not through poor-performance laptop speakers), the "little dear" thumper started up while the officer was present.  Yes, it was three separate bumps, but the officer did NOT want to listen as I repeated the facts yet again.

Instead, the officer poo-pooed the situation, saying that HE had to observe the crime and HE had to judge if it was severe enough.  Cripes.  As if nearly 60 days of harassment, minus only TWO DAYS of blissful peace, doesn't count as being "severe".  And yes, he suggested I run away too.  You know what, Mr. FB Officer, SIR?  How about the rowdy neighbors keep their racket QUIET when I'm trying to freaking SLEEP?!?  I already have to drug myself senseless with doctor-prescribed and over-the-counter sleep aids.

Tell me, where is the "saintly mother" when her children are pounding through my wall so hard I can FEEL VIBRATIONS from a foot away?  And where's CPS to do something about her parental neglect?

That last interaction with FBPD's finest failures was around 9:30 p.m. on August 17, 2013.  Since then, the noise has abated for the most part.  But I could hear the thumpers getting ready to escalate their racket again around 11 p.m. on August 20, 2013--when I was lying in bed attempting to go to sleep.

That's how the thumpers and bangers operate.  If "forced" to be quiet, they'll do so for maybe a day.  Then they'll test their limits (and my patience) by slowly ramping up how loud, how long, and how often they beat up the wall.  They especially like doing this at night. 

Do you realize what happens when a person is deprived of sleep for too long?  Eventually the person in question gets so fed up, so "I don't give a drat anymore", that said individual can lash out violently.  Frankly, if I'm deprived of sleep, I prefer it to be due to something that wasn't caused by outside influences.  Outside influences make me feel trapped, like a cornered animal.  And cornered animals will rip you to shreds to get away from the tormentor.

Oh, and for the record, I informed management about the problem next door again on August 16, 2013.  The manager acted like "who cares" until I mentioned police involvement.  Then notes were taken.  But...  Nothing was done.  The alleged "little angels" were at it again hard and heavy the next night.

And this is one of the last actions I'm left with--informing the public of how this complex is becoming a cesspool--a ghetto.  Just so you know, there's also what I believe to be prostitution going on at the complex as well.  On separate days, I've seen this same woman exit different apartments and different buildings during the mid-morning hours.

Yes, I'm angry.  I'm angry about the continued noise harassment.  I'm ticked that the government agencies are categorically worthless.  And it bothers me that London Square Apartments is actively being annexed by the ghetto.

And you know what?  If it wasn't for the external factors driving me to do this, I wouldn't have said a word on the Internet.

So here you go, folks.  If you're looking for ghetto-style living in a small town setting, look no farther than London Square Apartments, right on the boundary between Farmers Branch and Dallas, TX.

Introduction

Greetings, and welcome to this blog.

Allow me to introduce you to London Square Apartments, located at 4030 Valley View Ln, in Farmers Branch, TX.  This apartment complex is the reason why I say the "city" of Farmers Branch is becoming ghetto.  And since Google Maps no longer has my initial review of London Square Apartments, I decided this should be the vehicle for warning the local area of the problem growing like an unseen cancer under their noses.

This blog will be a mix of gripes aimed at the complex (and its management), Farmers Branch Police Department, the Child Protective Services division located on Stemmons Freeway, and Farmers Branch City Hall.  It will also include any observed crimes that occur at the complex while I'm still a resident.

Which brings you to the very practical, logical question, "Mia, why don't you move if you don't like it there?"  Well, I'm working on it.  My lease expires in October, and I hardly think--given how far downhill the complex has already gone--it's worth $580 for a one bedroom apartment and the expensive commercial utilities that bump the cost close to $1,000 (especially in the summer).

Now don't get me wrong.  I was thinking of starting a blog before my review of London Square Apartments was removed.  But the situation demands exposure.

And I am not one for being bullied, harassed and ignored any longer.

So I'll be posting in this blog about what I observe and/or experience.  I'll keep the blog going for as long as I'm still in the area.  If I've moved, I'll inform you.  If I quit posting for a long time without telling you, assume I'm deceased, no doubt the victim of the ghetto-ification of London Square Apartments and surrounding areas.