What To Do About That Pesky Drug Dealer?
Here’s a specific situation facing a tenant in a building but his question could also apply more broadly to illicit activity going on in the vicinity of your home: I’ve got quite the interesting situation going on in my building. I live on the first floor, and I know for a fact that there’s a…
Here’s a specific situation facing a tenant in a building but his question could also apply more broadly to illicit activity going on in the vicinity of your home:
This makes me extremely uncomfortable to know that this type of activity is so close to home. Because this goes on at all hours of the night and keeps me awake, I want to call the police and report this, but I also am wary of the “don’t snitch” edict in this neighborhood. I should also mention that even when not dealing, this guy and some friends are usually smoking blunts in the hallway (right outside my door) from 12am to 2am on weeknights.
I just don’t know what to do: (A) suck it up and wait til August and hope to get some sleep before then OR (B) call the police, hope that the dealer doesn’t figure out it’s me, and maybe have an increased chance of sleep. I’ve posted about this before, and the situation is now even worse. Anyone out there have advice?
Any thoughts?
Drug Dealer in Building [Brooklynian]
“I always consider criminals to be dangerous and unreasonable.”
Well that shoots that idea!
“Unless you’re under the impression that the guy is dangerous or unreasonable there’s no reason not to.”
I always consider criminals to be dangerous and unreasonable.
NSR – yeah I would. Unless you’re under the impression that the guy is dangerous or unreasonable there’s no reason not to. He would probably appreciate coming to him first rather then calling the cops.
As a criminal defense lawyer I would suggest that even the nicest of my clients (and many are nice) would perhaps be less than sympathetic to being asked to respect “sleepy time.” Nor do I think moving the transaction from the lobby (incredibly stupid) to the apartment will resolve the issue of buzzers, slamming doors and strangers wandering through the hall. Dealing drugs out of your apartment puts your lease at risk and even the landlord’s ownership of the property at risk if they tolerate it. District Attorneys seek evictions and forfeitures in civil court as well as prosecutions in criminal court. Seems to me the advice to approach a detective at a precinct meeting or even just going to the precinct is the best one. Be advised that others who have made complaints have been threatened and harrassed in similar situations. That said, I despise a culture which repeats and glorifies a “don’t be a snitch” mantra, even as I think the war on drugs is a failure. Just as the drug statutes don’t refelct the reality of drug use (public health crisis), this idea that someone can’t demand respect and lawful behavior from those around him is deeply direspectful and cynical.
“Weird – I’ve never heard of dealers who do business where they live – especially out in the open in a common area of a building.”
DH, I lived in a building for awhile right here in CH where the super was [may still be] dealing right out of his apt.
Oh, and I would move.
But I’m married with a small kid. When I was single, I might not have cared too much unless the situation seemed dangerous or the noise was annoying me.
“I would perhaps ask nicely if during “sleepy time” they could conduct business in their own apartment. ”
Would you really?
Weird – I’ve never heard of dealers who do business where they live – especially out in the open in a common area of a building.
If this drug dealer isn’t particularly scary – I would perhaps ask nicely if during “sleepy time” they could conduct business in their own apartment.
If he does have that many clients coming in and out you could call the cops and say he is trafficking out of his home and they’d probably show up (the cops usually don’t seem to care about little nickel and dime dealers) – but that would be snitchin’ and snitches get stitches and end up in ditches.
I recommend nuking the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.