Did I Do The Right Thing??

[calulu]

We have had a situation happening here in my neighborhood and last night I'd finally had enough and called the cops. This morning I called CPS.

There's a rental house across the street filled with this redneck family with an 11 year old son. Last night the son went out in the street and started shouting obscenities such 'fuck you motherfuckers' and 'suck my cock' at full blast. He would not shut up, kept yelling into his cellphone words that would make a sailor blush. None of us could sleep so I finally called the po po. They showed up and told young Dirty Mouth to get inside the house and stfu. After the po po left momma peeled out of there in her car and didn't come back for an hour, meaning kiddo was back out in the street shouting within minutes. Called the po po again and momma was home before they arrived the second time, they were in the house with the lights off.

Over the course of the last three weeks since people have had their windows open I've heard his momma scream all these same words and phrases at him and saw him being struck upside of the head by Momma. In light of last night combined with the obscenityathon I called CPS.

However, now I am feeling guilty that perhaps I overreacted. But I cannot get over her calling her kid these names like that.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I'd say you did the right thing. They're the ones who can look into the situation and see if it warrants intervention. It doesn't sound good; however, most people wouldn't have done what you did (maybe called the cops because he was disturbing people in the middle of the night, but not CPS). Don't feel guilty. Your heart is in the right place.

[sanchopanza65]

You probably did. I mean, something is obviously wrong there, and you should leave it to the experts to figure that one out. I just hope she doesn't find out that it was you who called them and get mad at you for it.

[blas]

At least you had the guts to do it. I never called the cops or CPS on my former neighbor, and I really should have, but I was too afraid she'd find out it was me and then go psycho trailer park queen on me and make me just as toothless as she was.

[calulu]

I wasn't going to call but the sight of that kid outside at midnight on a school night screaming those words was just too bizarre.

[blas]

Sometimes you don't even need to call CPS. Sometimes just a call the cops prompts them to contact CPS, if they feel the situation is dire and warrants it.

Thinking back on it, I should have just phoned the police and let them do the investigating....so that way if I was right, that woman would have had her babies taken away, and if I were wrong, then at least she would have gotten a noise violation.

[Buglady]

Something is definitely not right there. You did the right thing alerting CPS so that the situation can be assessed and that family get the help they need. (CPS does more than "take babies away" - they try very hard not to do that, in fact. The first step is usually parenting classes and behaviour management strategies for mom and dad, and possibly respite care if the kids have special needs. Stressed-out people make bad parenting decisions sometimes).

[Sheldonrs]

You did the right thing. And in case nothing comes of it this time, keep doing the same thing until it changes.
And thanks for doing it. *HUGS*

[wagegoth]

I called the cops one time on my next door neighbor because I could hear the children and adults next door. The things they were saying sounded really sick, the children pleading and the adults laughing. That was over 20 years ago, and I still feel sick thinking about it. Thankfully, the cops came right out, the children must have been taken by CPS and the adults arrested, because I never saw or heard them again. The dispatcher was so nice to me, that's what I remember.


Calulu, hell, yes, you did the right thing. Having worked in special education with abused and neglected children, every time I hear someone say, "Well, they were their kids, it wasn't really my business, so I didn't call," I want to kill them.