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View Full Version : Partying teens - how would you deal with this?



Mike Schwing
07-02-2003, 12:37 PM
Now that I'm no longer an idiot teen I can't stand to see the woods littered up with trash. The area behind my house that is Loch Raven watershed property has always been very very clean and neat. Its a pleasure to walk and run through.For about the last month I've noticed an area in the woods on the beaten path that has been experiencing more human traffic - trampled plants, evidence of a fire or two (dangerously built) or ten, and the area has been expanding. Its doubtless, though I haven't seen them yet, that teens/college pukes are partying there at night. I don't hear them, its far enough away in the woods I suppose. I know they're there though. The parties are obviously growing in popularity - I suspect one day to find power lines and audio equipment being brought in for a rave. Fine, they wanna play in the woods - no problem, I understand, so do I. The woods are there for them as well as for me.The problem is an unbelievable amount of trash. Unbelievable. You would not believe the transformation of that nice little, clean area. It looks like a dumpster has overturned doing 55mph.What would you do to let these kids know its their choice - they can clean up after themselves or deal with the cops - every night. Signs? Late night visits when they're there? Megaphones? Hi powered lights? I'm not suggesting any of these, just thinking aloud.I do NOT want them knowing which house is mine.

Lee Schierer
07-02-2003, 12:42 PM
There is a piece of land near where I live that has a sign that says the land is free for use of all who care to go there. They just ask that you treat it with respect and remove anything that you brought in with you.

Dave Anderson
07-02-2003, 3:44 PM
Mike,
Be glad they are on public property. There are probably ordinances against underaged partying in public places.

Call the Cops, let them know you are concerned and ask them to run a patrol through the area at the times you suspect the parties are occurring.

Unfortunately, for me, my drunken teen parties are taking place at the house next to mine! :mad: With 4 foot side setbacks, the party rages on no more than 8 feet from my windows. These parties started when "junior" was 15 and went on for 3 years, EVERY Friday night. He's now on his first summer vacation from College and the parties have started again.

You bet we've called the Cops on numerous occasions BUT because they are on private property there is nothing the Cops can or will do. Junior is protected by the law and Cops are not allowed to step onto the property without first announcing themselves which of course allows the partyers to ditch their booze and scatter like roaches under a light!

Good luck!

Ken Salisbury
07-02-2003, 5:00 PM
Mike,
You bet we've called the Cops on numerous occasions BUT because they are on private property there is nothing the Cops can or will do. Junior is protected by the law and Cops are not allowed to step onto the property without first announcing themselves which of course allows the partyers to ditch their booze and scatter like roaches under a light!

Good luck!

That's California for Ya !!

In Alabama we just go over and quiet them down with a tire tool. :)

Dave Anderson
07-02-2003, 5:38 PM
That's California for Ya !!

In Alabama we just go over and quiet them down with a tire tool. :)

Tell me about it!

Never mind that 20 to 30 kids are underage, drinking and drunk - making noise at 11:30 at night - they have their rights. Eeerrrrrgh. I almost got into a fight with one of the Cops because I was so ticked off that he wouldn't do anything. I muttered something about him being useless and a waste of my taxpayers dollars. Really got him on my side with that one! :p

Ken, why don't you come on out to my place? Bring your tire tool. You and I can go next door and show the young'ins a thing or two about <i>Southern</i> <u>hospitality</u> ;)

Then we'll go into my shop for a tour and a few brews!

Bart Leetch
07-02-2003, 7:31 PM
Nothin a loud rip roarin noisy D7 pointed at the house wouldn't scare the livin day lights out of. You ever see what a D7 will do to a house. If you go slow they will have time to run out the back door as the front wall caves in. He He He.............(Can you tell I loooove D7's not much slows them down just 60700 pounds of raw power & they don't have to go fast to be destructive. In-fact you can go slow enough to watch it happen in slow motion.) Then they won't have any place to come back to, to party.

Take the above with a grain of salt. But wouldn't it be fun ?

I did chase some parters off of the empty mobile home space behind where we used to live. The LOML was sick & our bedroom where she was trying to sleep was at the back of out mobile home & they were across the street with their music box cranked up full blast & wouldn't leave or quiet down when I asked them to. So I backed up my pickup with a load of wood & dropped off a couple of logs & cranked the chainsaw up & cut wood like crazy for about 15 minutes. When I looked up they were goooone. I put the saw away & we had a nice quiet afternoon & evening. Fight noise with louder more obnoxious noise.

I think for the city land unannounced random Police patrols should begin now.

Kevin Gerstenecker
07-02-2003, 8:23 PM
Mike, I think that confronting the offenders would be a BAD idea, and a last resort. I am sure I don't have to tell you, NOTHING good can come of that scene! I would think that something could be done with the Local Law Enforcement? If they are leaving the placed trashed, there has to be some sort of law or ordinance against that sort of thing. When we were young, all it would have taken is one of the neighbors to find out who some of us were, contact our parents, and it would have been dealt with, problem solved. But, now days, the parents of these young adults are probably just glad they aren't trashing THEIR house or property, so there is probably not much that would be done, even if you could find out who some of the offenders are. Try to get others involved in this issue, when it comes to dealing with problem issues, there is strength in numbers. If you bug the Police enough, or your local political representatives, they will have to do something. As an avid outdoorsman and rural property owner, there is nothing that steams me more than behavior such as this. Maybe I should just load up the truck and come on out there and we can kick some butt together? :D
Now THERE'S a good plan, huh? ;)

David Peebles
07-02-2003, 11:40 PM
Hello Mike,

My first thought would to be to take a couple of 55 gallon drums over to the party area, and just expain your position. Most young people are just trying to find their place in the world. They are not trying to make us old dudes mad, just looking to have a place to feel free. If you let them know that you don't have a problem with their gatherings, just their clean up procedures, you may have better luck making a good impression on them.

Dave,

Old Hippy :-)

Howard Barlow
07-04-2003, 12:47 AM
Mike,

You bet we've called the Cops on numerous occasions BUT because they are on private property there is nothing the Cops can or will do. Junior is protected by the law and Cops are not allowed to step onto the property without first announcing themselves which of course allows the partyers to ditch their booze and scatter like roaches under a light!

Good luck!

Laws sure are different in Texas. If we have a noise complaint, we knock on the door. When it opens and we see one beer can or wine/whisky bottle, we're in. If we smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage on or about an under 21 person, we're in.

Generally, there will be a few of them outside playing grab@$$. If we see or smell alcohol, we go in.

If they run, we have lawful justification to pursue. Private property is no defense to unlawful acts. If we have probable cause that a criminal offense is in progress, we go in.

Tickets for everyone. Free rides for some. A lot of pi$$ed off parents, you know, being awakened at wee hours to come get their little darlings.

Mike, if these kids are just getting together without alcohol, yeah right, they still need to clean up. Call the sheriff. Tell them what's going on. Chances are they will go to see that everything is in order.

Don Farr
07-05-2003, 11:26 AM
We had this exact same problem several years ago on a vacant lot that was adjacent to our old home. The first thing I did was call the police and ask if they would meet me during the day when the teens were not around. I talk to the officer and explained to him the problem and our concern about retaliation.
He offered to patrol by the site and advised us of our rights. He actually suggested to me to keep a shot gun handy loaded with bird shot or rock salt. I thought this was extreme but did it anyway. Thankfully It never came to that.
Now that the police had a report on file, I went to the party spot (while they were not around) and cleaned it up. They had even built a small lean-to structure that I tore down. I put up posted signs, even though it was not my property.
They tore down the signs and continued to gather there for a while. When the cops went by they would run out the other side of the lot.
After several weeks of this I think they got tired of the hassle I was causing them and they disappeared.
Hope this helps.

markus shaffer
07-09-2003, 4:23 PM
Mike,

I'm inclined to agree with David Peebles on this one. Sometimes it's best to try to talk to kids these days. just don't get your hopes up. I spent quite a lot of time in my youth (which wasn't all that long ago) dealing with police and security guards of all types and it did nothing but give me utter disdain and a lack of respect for them. In my defense, the worst I was ever doing was tresspassing only for the sake of skateboarding. however, if i hadn't been a skateboarder, i would have been one of those kids at the party trashing the woods probably. but i digress. nothing will make kids angrier these days than being yelled at by adults. an ass beating is what quite a few of them need these days, but obviously that's probably not an option. when talking to them, i would happen to take the shotgun and perhaps a pistol on the hip with you. maybe add a machete on the other hip for added effect. not with the intention of shooting them, but more like giving them the impression that you just might be a crazy outdoor type who could loose it at any moment and rampage through their parties. maybe slur your speach a bit and add a nerrvous tick. really let them think you might crack up at any moment. i'm not all that sure this would have made an impression on me when i was a kid, but perhaps i wasn't all that bright. more to the point though, perhaps these kids have some bit of intelligence and will get the idea.

good luck

-markus

Howard Barlow
07-12-2003, 2:03 AM
Mike,

when talking to them, i would happen to take the shotgun and perhaps a pistol on the hip with you. maybe add a machete on the other hip for added effect. not with the intention of shooting them, but more like giving them the impression that you just might be a crazy outdoor type who could loose it at any moment and rampage through their parties. maybe slur your speach a bit and add a nerrvous tick. really let them think you might crack up at any moment.
-markus

Markus,
I hope you are joking. You would probably be the one talking to the cops. Let's see...brandishing a weapon in public, threatening juveniles with a weapon, disorderly conduct....

What if you come upon a crazy one? What if you came upon Rambo? He steps in your face and says shoot me. He starts walking toward you. He's much bigger than you. He's under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Nope. Taking guns to parties is best left to the cops.

Paul Downes
07-15-2003, 5:01 PM
Mike, I would try a polite request for respect of the woods and others who frequent the area. If you get nowhere with that, I would go to my trapping supply store and get some skunk scent. Liberally sprayed up-wind while the party is going on has a certain dampening effect. Good luck! You might want to wear a tyvek suit.

Mike Schwing
07-25-2003, 12:08 PM
Well here's what I decided and here's what happened:

Before I left on vacation I typed up a paper that said -

"Partiers - have all of the fun you want down here, but either clean up after yourselves or deal with the cops. Your choice."

I put a few copies in plastic protectors and nailed them to a few trees in their party area.

Yesterday my daily exercise took me through the party spot - it had been totally cleaned up!

Ed Falis
07-25-2003, 2:36 PM
That strikes me as just the right balance, Mike. Glad it worked.

- Ed

Paul Downes
07-25-2003, 3:26 PM
Glad that worked Mike! It's always better when people act like humans.

Scott Neblung
07-29-2003, 4:39 PM
....planting some poison ivy or scattering some dog poo around the area to deter the lads.

Sounds like you have it under control though Mike.

Scott....back to the WOOD CAVE Batman....