Calling Out Bad Behavior In St. Elmo - And Response (2)

  • Tuesday, May 31, 2016
I have lived in the St. Elmo community of Chattanooga for practicially all 52 years of my life. My grandmother moved to St. Elmo in 1919. My Dad was literally born in a home in St. Elmo and lived his entire 72 years in this community and my Mom has lived here 60 years of her life. I am very disappointed in what my neighborhood has become.

I like people. I get along with most anyone. But there's such a thing called respect.
I work very hard to keep our property looking nice and to have things that I enjoy in my small vegetable garden. We don't bother anyone, but quite frankly, my neighbors bother me. We have a five foot wide strip of property at the back of our yard that is outside of our fence. This is our property. I maintain it. Now that the city has turned Virginia Avenue into some glorified biking and walking trail, many allow their animals to do their business all over that strip of our property.  I do not appreciate stepping in animal excrement everytime I cut the grass and weedeat that area. It's disgusting. Secondly, my neighbors' cats come inside of our fence and have adopted my vegetable planter boxes as their outdoor litter box. They dig daily around my plants and damage them. I have spent a lot of money to have my garden and I do not appreciate having it destroyed. Keeping my yard nice and my garden is my personal enjoyment. I assume that people own animals for their personal enjoyment as well. It's not fair to me that something you enjoy destroys, steals and impedes my enjoyment. Keep your animals on your own property! 
 
There is a different mindset in my community that has evolved in the last 10 years. Very little to no respect exists among neighbors. I am trying to adapt to change and new ideas, but I cannot and will not adapt to blatant disrespect. You "non-thinkers" can do what you want to do when we are all gone. But currently, there are some of us long-time dwellers and old people that still live in St. Elmo and I will continue to speak out against your bad behavior. 

Scott Medley, Life-long St. Elmo resident 

* * *

Scott, you're the lucky one if you have nothing to worry about other than dog poop (we get this in front of our house all the time, and just pick it up) and cats using your vegetable garden for a litter box (there are feral cats all over St. Elmo, and coyotes often roam freely at night throughout the community).   

I was born in St. Elmo over 60 years ago. My own family history in the community also date back several decades prior to my being born in the community. We have owned a home in the community for nearly 40 years. I can really tell you some very real disturbing stories. Like, neighbors calling police and reporting you or some family member as a "suspicious person" while innocently taking a walk through the community. Or a young neighbor having someone call police and falsely accuse him of planting drugs in another neighbor's doghouse. The police respond, screaming in the young man's face "Where're the drugs?!!  Where're the drugs?!!" Patting the poor, confused young man down in public (more like a public strip search), without bothering to question the neighbor who made the false complaint or charging them for making such a call or their motive in the first place. At the very least giving the young man the benefit of doubt, that the neighbor might be wrong or had bias motives. The truth being, each day after school, the young man would walk down to the neighbors' resident to make sure his dogs had enough water and food because the neighbor worked second shift 'til well after midnight. You know that thing we neighbors once did for one another just out of basic concern and kindness. It's called being neighborly; looking out for one another.  

Or the young man home on short military leave, with his wife also home on leave, wife who would soon be deployed to Iraq, being stopped, patted down, verbally cussed and physically assaulted by police, all because he decided to innocently take a walk after dusk on the very street he was born and grew up. He hadn't been home since he'd left for basic training over a year before and just wanted to take a walk before leaving the city and who knows when he'd have chance to return, being full time active duty and all. The in your face cussing, kicking the chins apart, body search, threats, and screaming like a crazed animal, then came the coverup, lies and threats against the family member who attempted, in his absence, to follow through on what was wrongly believed an internal affairs investigation that never really took place.  

Then there was the neighbor who actually shot another neighbor for taking a shortcut across his yard. Another neighbor who had a habit of shooting at children with a BB gun if they stepped on the neighbors' grass, even if only by mistake.  

Sir, you really don't know just how blessed and lucky you are if you have to worry about nothing other than dog and cat poop. Don't even let me get started on the "other" St. Elmo. 

Brenda Washington 

* * *

Dear Mr. Medley, 

Society has changed dramatically over our lifetime. Agreed? We now live in a much more "it's all about me" climate. Few neighbors talk over the fence [good fences make good neighbors], share recipes, and respect other's property. Responsible pet owners pick up their own animal poops in
public.  Most are too lazy and disrespectful. 

What can you realistically do about the animal problems? It depends on your pocketbook and desire to remedy the problem. You can probably forget talking with your "neighbors", most of whom you really don't know, right? Here are some possible alternatives: 

1.  Extend you fence to cover all of your property. There are always issues with property left open to the public. Invariably it is taken advantage of. 

2.  Saturate the area with chemical animal repellents--try the local Tractor and Farm Supply store for the real thing, not Walmart.  Do the same for your planting areas. Expect mediocre results. 

3.  Another option would be to cover that open property with any one of a variety of ground cover that precludes animals getting into it, something with thorns?

4.  I believe that cats are considered "free range" pets [no leash laws] since they eat what they hunt and kill. However, if they are on your property, you can report it to animal control.  Unfortunately, to have an animal picked up, you have to detain the animal. For cats, you would likely have to get an animal cage or trap [Tractor and Farm Supply again], put an open can of tuna inside. Check the trap each morning and call animal control if you are successful.  Problem?  It is
likely you will catch more than cats. Opossums? Animal control will come out to your house and release the Opossum. Raccoons? Again, animal control will come get the raccoon, check it for rabies, then release. 

You can spend a lot of money and still not be rid of the problems.  Unfortunately, its not a pet problem, its an owner problem. It is a matter of responsibility and respect, or rather, the lack of it. The local animal centers may have other "solutions" if you give them a call. Good luck. 

Teddy Ladd
Ooltewah

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