Are these your cars? Are these your sons?
For the past couple of months, the neighbors on NE 23rd Avenue in Portland, near the Madeleine School, have had regular visits – at least twice a week – from a group of young men. They come in various numbers, but two cars are always included, and usually it's just the two.
Their nighttime visits have been frequent, but lately they show up in the daytime hours, too. Like on Super Bowl Sunday, before the game. Today there is a Presidents Day party in progress. It's been on for a couple of hours.
They sit in the red car (Oregon TB-20137) right next to the school and smoke weed. Sometimes they get out and relieve themselves on the school building. After a while, usually an hour or two, they drive off, often erratically and at an unsafe speed. They leave behind garbage, usually including an empty marijuana container or two.
I've spoken with some of the neighbors, and they tell me they have asked the wayward lads, both politely and rudely, to take their little pot parties elsewhere. But the entitled dudes just laugh them off, returning again and again as if to taunt them. The red car makes a point of parking facing the wrong way, I guess to show that he is a badass.
If these are your children, you might want to advise them about the laws regarding dispensing marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school. You might also want to check with your insurance carrier to get their views on the subject of covering teen drivers who drive under the influence.
UPDATE, Monday night: Here's what Trail Blazer Red Car Boy left behind in the gutter this evening, for the grammar school kids and their moms to step over in the morning. According to the neighbors, four dudes drove off in four cars.
You would think that since they are mobile that they could find a more inconspicuous place to toke up at. I know that area well, and it is like a fish bowl. At least they could toke up at the old PNW Bell switch building a block away in one of its various nooks and crannies. Not like I would have any experience in doing that myself you see.......just making a suggestion.
ReplyDeleteIt's a big city. So many other options. But they are making a point to the neighbors. Okay, dudes.
DeleteI'm reminded of the time many years ago when a young man driving Mom's Volvo stopped in the street in front of my house and started honking as a way to get the kid across the street to come out. The driver had gangster rap blasting out of his open car windows. I walked out there and asked him not to share that "music" with the neighborhood. He got out of the car, puffed himself up, and warned me that I ought to be careful about what I said. I laughed and walked away. As for the neighbor kid, not long afterwards, when his parents were away, he invited some friends over for a party. I called the cops after looking out and seeing several young men pissing in my front yard. The kids' parents were not amused when I talked to them later.
DeleteHad two guys meet at a hedge near my house every other day or so. One would drive in from one end of the street and the other from the other end, to conduct a drug deal without getting out of either car. I took photos of the meet-up, including license plates, and then left a sign at the curb stating I had their photos and had reported them to the police. I never saw them in front of my house again, but I did notice they were still at it just a few streets over.
ReplyDelete