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I’ve been thinking a lotttt lately about how one of the biggest acts of daily violence that seems normalized as fuck in white dominant neighborhoods is calling the god damn police on people who are simply existing in public/common spaces.
I live in a townhouse complex that is technically private land but its owners are the 68 of us who each own 1/68th of the green space, pool, sidewalks, etc., and pay HOA dues to maintain it all. A lot of people who live in the neighborhood surrounding our complex don’t understand or don’t care that our little sliver of land is not a small public park and they walk their dogs through it, kids ride bikes through it and other normal, harmless things.
The aggression with which particularly white, boomer aged women in the HOA freak the fuck out about “non residents” doing these mundane, non destructive acts on our Facebook HOA group is truly unhinged. Shit like
“Someone is playing with a large dog on the lawn outside my unit! Does anyone recognize them? If this is your guest please notify me immediately or I’ll be calling the police on the trespasser!!!” [Creepy pic taken through her blinds attached]
“A homeless man just passed my unit pushing a shopping cart full of junk! I’ve already called the police but wanted everyone to keep and eye out!”
And my favorite (🙄) “Whose teenagers are using the pool right now??”
Like teenagers?? In my pool?!???? So fucking dumb.
It’s gotten a teensy bit better in more recent years because many of us have intervened when we see posts, begged chronic-cop-callers to stop, etc. A couple of men of color residents went as far as to offer to be “on call” for these ridiculously overly afraid and racist white women so when someone seems shady to them they can call those neighbors who said they’ll talk to the “trespassers” instead of escalating to cops. They shouldn’t have to do that but how kind of them to offer. People are so (rightfully) paranoid their friends visiting will be accosted by the Police Calling Crew that folks routinely post now to let others know who is coming to stay with them or if they’re getting a new roommate we’ll see around, etc. It’s nuts.
How do these creeps surveilling us not get that THEY ARE THE PROBLEM?!
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