What should we do about the obsessive and mentally ill neighbor?

Question

My 84 year old mother in law's neighbor has lost the page and is completely obsessed with driving mom out of her home. She harasses her incessently. We got an injunction against harassment almost a year ago, and it's done no good. The neighbor has been arrested twice, but is home by morning and more angry and aggressive than ever. Last Friday, she literally sat at her kitchen table and told the police through the window of her house that her atty told her not to open the door to avoid another arrest. This would have been her third arrest, the second one within a month.She has made a game out of the system and so far, in spite of about 20 calls to the police has only been arrested twice and never gone to jail. She claims an injury when she's arrested and goes to the hospital instead. We're terrified for mom's safety but she's completely competent and deserves to make her own decisions. She won't give up her home of 30 years because of the crazy neighbor and the police are powerless. They try, but the law isn't on the side of the sane folks- as one officer told me, "it's not a crime to be insane". We don't know what to do- and the situation has escalated beyond what I could have ever imagined possible. We've made mom's house into a fortress, installed a video security system and bought her a cell phone in case the phone lines are down. Anyone have an ideas that don't involve something illegal?

Answer 1

Exactly what is the nature of the harassment?

If you can get tape audio or video of her  threatening your mother or damaging property or crossing over into your mother's property so she's trepassing then you have evidence and the police have to do something! If she's disturbing the neighbourhood screaming abuse get the neighbours to complain as well.

Get evidence then the police or welfare have to act!

Answer 2

File a motion to have her involuntarily committed as someone who is mentally ill and dangerous to others.

Answer 3

Omg... Just move!!

This is dangerous, and scary i understand why you would be afraid and why your mom would not want to leave the home.

But is it really worth it staying at that home and risking someone getting hurt or not being able to live your life because of fear?

No one deserves to live like that!

Best of wishes :(

Answer 4

I don't have a lot of info, i.e., specifics, about what is going on, but I have focused on one thing about what you have said that I think may be key.  You say that this woman has 'sat at her kitchen table through the window of her house' and that 'the police are powerless'.  Right there, I think, is where things can be changed.  The police can indeed take things a step further.  They don't want to bother to force the woman to either open the door or break her door down.  You have a right to expect the police to enforce the law.  A meeting with the police chief would be the next step.  It is totally NOT acceptable that a cop says to you "it's not a crime to be insane' as some kind of an answer to their not forcing the woman to obey when they tell her to open in the name of the law.  They are not doing their job.  She is out of line and she is depending on their hesitance to push her to the limit, which they are supposed to do. YOU are the injured party.  SHE is the lawbreaker.  Whether or not she is insane has nothing to do with it.  They are allowing her to break the law.  Number one, if they tell her to open the door and she doesn't, they are allowing her to violate their orders, and, on a larger scale, they are not enforcing the injunction.  Maybe a visit to the ACLU would help you, but I would start with a conversation with the police chief about the lack of enforcement.  It sounds ridiculous, and now that I think about it, a simple phone call to a local TV news station might make the cops look very foolish, and they probably would want to avoid that.   Does this help?  If I knew anything more specific about what this woman is doing to harrass your mother in law then maybe more advice would be coming don't know...good luck...sounds like an awful situation.  P.S.  Just because her lawyer says something doesn't make it so!  Cops knock on doors all the time and expect them to be opened, and when they are not, they open them up themselves!

Answer 5

I think that you done enough for your mother,and she is well protected from any harassment . I think what you need is really patience , for this person to ceases her activity against your mother, and let her live in peace. This woman have it in for your mother, i think ,she want your mother to move away from there and enter in an old peoples home, so she get the house either for herself or a for a friend of her

Answer 6

I can totally see why your mum doesn't want to move, but at the end of the day id be very concerned about her safety and ask her to consider it. i really wish the person that's harassing her would go away!!!! but i hope all goes well, and everything settles down eventually!