Crazy Situtation

[alamo]

If you call the cops, do it when you're away from your apartment & have been away for awhile, preferably when you're not coming back for a bit like overnight. Stay with your folks or a friend.

That way, when the cops arrive the crackheads will hopefully assume it was someone else and not you since you're gone. Take an overnight bag with you when go back to your apartment - "Who me? I was in Dallas over the weekend, what are you talking about?"

 

[buy guns]

If you call the cops, do it when you're away from your apartment & have been away for awhile, preferably when you're not coming back for a bit like overnight. Stay with your folks or a friend.

i dont know about anyone else but if i was dealing and knew someone from my complex called the cops i would be more suspicious of someone who was gone.

 

[Waffen]

I would assume that if you were dealing crack, your mentalitaty would be extremly paranoid at best. The reason I belive this is because they generally tend to be outside "surveying" the entire lot. They always give me a pretty mean looking stare down whenever I get out of my truck.

Just getting out of my car makes mefeel like a Giraffe in one of thoes nature films where the Giraffe is bending down to drink from the lake and 2 lions come up behind it and tear its back off.

 

[BigBlueEyedDevil]

I have resorted to loading my Win 1200 with 5+1 04 Buckshot and carrying in every room I am in just incase something crazy ever happens. I am also brining my Mini-14 from the parrents place over aswell.

You live in Austin. Have you considered getting your CWP? Obviously, the optimal situation would be to move out, but for the time being, Mr. Colt .45 might give you a LITTLE bit more piece of mind. Just a thought, Tyler

 

[drannor]

You live in Austin. Have you considered getting your CWP? Obviously, the optimal situation would be to move out, but for the time being, Mr. Colt .45 might give you a LITTLE bit more piece of mind. Just a thought, Tyler

Unfortunately he's 19, minimum age is 21 for the CHL in TX.

 

[HankB]

I have grown up in a upper class neibhorhood my entire life. I reacently moved out of the neibhorhood and into the ghetto of Austin, TX (East Oltorf).

Sorry to hear about your situation, but, well, you've learned a lesson about slumming. (As a homeowner I'm not totally "up" on Austin apartments, but there seem to be LOTS of vacancies around the Austin area - I see all kinds of "deals" being advertised. What in the world possessed you to rent there anyway? )

If you complain to the landlord, the bad guys WILL find out. Calling the police from a pay phone may be worthwhile, but don't identify yourself as a resident of that apartment building.

Hmmm . . . I wonder if spreading some "skunk screen" around the areas where the bad guys congregate would encourage them to move on?

Otherwise, you've already gotten good advice, so watch yourself and GET OUT as soon as you're able.

 

[bukijin]

I would suggest you move out of there as soon as possible. Whatever money it costs you is money very well spent I think. It's not a matter of can you afford to, but more a matter of can you afford not to. When I lived overseas, I learned to keep aside enough money to be able to quit my job and relocate and survive until I was working again if I needed to. Money in the bank = freedom

 

[CJ]

After playing around on Austin's police website, I found a feature that lets you view crime statistics by zip code. I plugged in the 78704 area, which sounds like is close to you, and wow, that area's HOT. Not QUITE the worst, and fortunately only one murder (reported) in 2003, but theft is through the roof.

(http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/police/zipcode/searchzipcode.cfm?year=2003)

Lock up your shotgun really well when you're not around, and I'd suggest getting out of there as soon as you can.

A trick my girlfriend uses when she's apartment shopping is to just call the local police and ask. Avoids the circumstance of a friend who gets occasional visits from rather aggressive police trying to serve a warrant on someone who listed that apartment as their last known address...

 

[Waffen]

You live in Austin. Have you considered getting your CWP? Obviously, the optimal situation would be to move out, but for the time being, Mr. Colt .45 might give you a LITTLE bit more piece of mind. Just a thought, Tyler

As mentioned above I am only 19, I sooooooo wish I could get a CWP. A 1911 would take my worries away.

Sorry to hear about your situation, but, well, you've learned a lesson about slumming. (As a homeowner I'm not totally "up" on Austin apartments, but there seem to be LOTS of vacancies around the Austin area - I see all kinds of "deals" being advertised. What in the world possessed you to rent there anyway?

Breaking the lease will cost me $750 plus I don't have the funds to put a deposit on another place. The reason I rented there in the first place was because it was dirt cheap $475 for 760SQ FT and when we toured the complex it accually looked pretty nice, it looked like the ghetto dropped off there, I was verrrry wrong.

The problem is I work in Westlake, and my parrents live in North Austin, there are no cheap places around that area that would give me any sort of deacent commute to work.

After playing around on Austin's police website, I found a feature that lets you view crime statistics by zip code. I plugged in the 78704 area, which sounds like is close to you, and wow, that area's HOT. Not QUITE the worst, and fortunately only one murder (reported) in 2003, but theft is through the roof.

I don't even know the zip code out there or the address for that matter, I have all my mail delivered to my parrents place, and I haven't changed addresses with the state either. I do know however that there have been more than 1 murder out there, and I have heard definate gunshots a few times. I saw 2 dead guys a month or two ago outside a bingo parlor about a block away from my place on riverside (Hit and run).

 

[Oscar Orum]

Your situation

Waffen,
I understand your situation. I have sent pm.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Breaking the lease will cost me $750 plus I don't have the funds to put a deposit on another place.

I don't know about yours, friend, but my life is worth considerably more than $750—and anyway, if the landlord refuses to return your deposit, take him to court and explain to the jury that you needed to move because of the crack cocaine business downstairs.

 

[BigBlueEyedDevil]

As mentioned above I am only 19, I sooooooo wish I could get a CWP. A 1911 would take my worries away.

Sorry, I didn't see that you posted your age. How about something like this? It's the Spyderco Civilian. I carry one each day because I live in California and a CWP is pretty much out of the question.

 

[Greg L]

Time to go talk to your parents & admit that you screwed up in chosing a location to live. When my kids are old enough to be on their own, even if I told them that they had to make it by themselves, I would be there that day to help them move (or provide covering fire ) & pay the new security deposit for them. Essentially whatever it took to get them out of that situation immediately.

Do what you need to do but get out of there. Your lease should have something in it about "quality of life" or something that will allow you to break it if the landlord doesn't provide a (relatively) safe place to live. Drug dealing gang members living right below you, like SW mentioned, will win any judge/jury over to your side.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

What Standing Wolf said.

If you are seriously concerned for your safety, why are you worried about potentially losing $750?

Use your school. Legal Aid, or whatever resources you have available to avoid getting stuck losing your deposit.

But losing a deposit is better than losing your life, and preserving your own safety is worth a great deal more than $750.

Unless, of course, you're getting off on the danger.

Naw.

 

[Beav]

I wouldn't report the serious stuff until after I moved away. If these guys are as bad as they sound and you're the only one that lives close to them then they probably won't have any problems confronting you especially if you don't look like you belong there.

 

[Daniel T]

Waffen,

If you break your lease, you do not have to pay the reletting fee immediately. In fact, other apt. complexes will generally not care if you have an active lease and want to sign a new one, especially if you don't have bad credit.

After moving all your stuff out of the old apt., then tell the apt. managment. that you've moved, and why. If they insist that you pay a reletting fee (and they probably will), contact the Texas Apartment Association and see how to contest the fee. If nothing else, you can pay the reletting fee LATER, after getting a new apartment in a safer area.

BTW, the apartment complex that I live in on Metric and Braker has a 3 months free rent deal going right now. Sounds like a renters market to me (and it's about time).

Send me a PM if you need anything or want to go shooting.

Daniel

 

[GigaBuist]

OK, I've got a coke/crack/weed/whatever dealer in my family. Probably more than one really -- but one stands out. Known felon, shot a couple of guys last year over a drug deal gone bad -- just general bad mojo to even be around him. He's in jail for another year I guess so we won't have to worry about him for a bit though.

Drug dealers aren't generally speaking very trust worthy people. Some of them are just downright mean and have no morals. Sounds like that's what you've got living below you. No concern for others at all.

I'd arm yourself while on foot as much as you think is reasonable and worth the risk with whatever you feel is prudent. File an anonymous complain to the PD too -- couldn't hurt.

You didn't -give- the landlord $750 to hold onto, did you? That'd be nuts. Most security deposits are about half of one month's rent. Kiss that goodbye at this point if you're going to break the lease. If you move out because another tenant made the place inhabitable tell them to stuff it and refuse to pay the fine for early termination. If they take you to court over it so be it.

I'd give the PD 24-48 hours to act. If the situation isn't resolved get the heck outta Dodge pronto.

 

[Bravo11]

My office mates and I were just discussing your dilema and decided that your in a bad way. That said here is our two cents. You have to move. Try that get out of the lease thing with campus housing or ask an attorney friend about how binding the agreement would be if in an unsafe situation. As soon as you get out make the anonymous call to the cops. Make sure they don't know who you are. Watch the place and see what happens then report back to THR. We have to know the ending to the story.

 

[strambo]

Just move like the others said. They will keep your deposit, but will have to bill for the $750. Don't pay it, they probably won't want a judge to hear why...I doubt it will get that far. Its not like the place is decent and you're flaking out on your lease which is what the penalty is supposed to prevent.
They failed to provide a safe, quiet place to live.

 

[gogojaye]

i grew up in LA and i agree with Buy guns on this one some 40's and a hello. i wrk in the hood in phx and what i have discovered is if the bad guys think you dont look down on them and are the homie you will have less problems and believe it or not even keep an eye out for you case in pt i have some of the toughest gangsters down in my doctors office but they all need to see the dr at some pt in time and being polite and gracious changes you from the no name stranger to a person they know.

 

[kernal_panic]

Don't call the cops. its pointless. the call will never make it past a desk sargent. Go down to the local substation and ask to speak with a narcotics officer. You cannot run from filth forever. The aprtment was livable till the scum down stairs moved in. let the cops move them out.

Buy Guns your advise to waffen is inexcusable. Make freinds with drug dealers? do you know what happens to freinds of drug dealers? they get killed. I worked for a guy , who before he found the lord, was a dealer. All of his stories from his dealing days started " my freind (fill in name) he's dead now but......). People he knew, people who were on the straight and narrow wound up with their faces removed via shotgun blasts.

 

[morganm01]

I doubt these guys will be looking for the "narc" after having been selling out in the open. You are the least of their worries, think about the dozens of crackheads they deal with daily, and girlfriends, and rivals, then there is you, the guy who walked by them and went upstairs. Makes you no different than anyone else, no reason to suspect. No reason to get paranoid.

 

[buy guns]

im not saying he needs to make them his best friend, just to get on good terms with them like gogo mentioned.


plus he isnt going to be living there forever, just a few months.

 

[TheOtherOne]

Things must have changed alot in the last few years, or else I just didn't notice the bad parts of town. I lived in about the same area you are describing. I was just off of Riverside on Faro Dr. I actually thought it was a nice neighborhood. There was a park and a bunch of baseball diamonds not too far away.

 

[Ant Mod]

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