Category Archives: discrimination

Jerry Seinfeld Crushed by the Lemonade Nazis

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Comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his family are the latest victims of the Neighborhood Nazis. He and his family were selling lemonade outside their suburban home to bring attention to their favorite charity, Baby Buggy. It provides clothing and other services to families in need.

But in stomps an angry neighbor saying cars are stopping at the side of the road to buy lemonade and motorists are having the nerve to contribute to the charity. In East Hampton Village that’s a crime tantamount to bank robbery.

Yes, the bullies are gradually taking over in America costing young people a chance to see what times were like in the good old days.

What a shame. What a horrible shame.

(link to East Hampden Press story on Seinfeld getting shut down by cops)

 

What’s The Cause?

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guest blog by Nila Ridings

We’re back in Saint Louis, Missouri where homeowners are in the midst of a very heated battle.

Some are saying it’s over skin color. Others say it’s the barking dogs. A few think it’s the criminal history. Whatever it is, it’s heating up.

These folks live in an HOA. Personally, I do not see where the HOA should even think of getting involved in this battle.

The black lesbian lady with the four barking dogs has the NAACP and experienced Ferguson protesters backing her up. She has served time in prison for a murder-for-hire on her ex-husband. And that plan failed because her cousin was the hired killer and he ratted her out to the police. Somewhere along the way she acquired the barking dogs that are keeping the neighbor awake at night. She is also being accused of punching the neighbor lady in the face and leaving her with a swollen lip and bloody nose.

I see HOA involvement as nothing more than a promise to destroy the bank accounts of the homeowners. Others think they should enforce the CC&Rs of no more than two dogs per household. I still say stay away from this battle.

And for the lady who can’t get any sleep, I suggest a white noise machine with earplugs. You’ll never hear the barking dogs but be sure you have a number of smoke alarms in your house so you would hear them if there’s an emergency.

As the battle rages on, I will be watching from the sidelines.

(link to story in the St. Louis Post Dispatch)
Youtube video of barking dogs:

 

6-Year Old Condo – $8.7 Million Special Assessment

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guest blog by Deborah Goonan

St. Petersburg’s Signature Place condo is in the news again. Condo owners have known for months that there were construction defects with leaky windows. Well, now that portions of stucco have been removed and walls have been opened up to assess the extent of the problem, it turns out that someone forgot to put re-bar in the concrete walls. Oh, and, by the way, the stucco job has allegedly been botched, too. The Condo Board is concerned that residents or pedestrians walking by the tower could be injured by falling stucco. Not a concern to be taken lightly with Florida’s offshore winds and threats of hurricanes.

The owners are looking at major construction noise and disruption through December 2016. Although there is pending litigation between the Association and the Developer Joe Cantor and several construction companies, these are apparently emergency repairs that cannot wait for a painstakingly slow legal process. So condo owners are facing hefty special assessments, spread out over 10 years of monthly assessment increases.

According to the Tampa Bay Times report, those assessments range from about $10,000 to $132,000, depending on the size of the condo unit, with many around $50,000. Sale prices of units have ranged from units auctioned off in the $200-300 thousand range to $1.3 million for the grand penthouse. Owners of the more modestly priced units will be hit hardest, because they are living on relatively modest fixed incomes.

Of course, construction defect litigation can drag on for several years. Who knows if condo owners will recoup any of this money. Quite often, the Association is lucky to end up with about half of what it actually costs to fix shoddy construction, by the time the attorneys are paid.

And what are the chances that all of these condo owners will be able and willing to pay these huge assessments? Even spread out over ten years, will it still be “affordable living” in this proclaimed “monumental piece of art?

Also, note that, once again, the developer gets to hire his own engineer to inspect and sign off on his own project!

(UPDATE: DEVELOPER SAYS “DON’T BLAME ME FOR $8.7 MILLION REPAIR BILL”)

 

Chesney Golf Club Assault in Tennessee

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Hypothetical question: Is it really wrong to beat your Homeowners Association president with a golf club? Wait! Before you get mad, I really raised that question just to amuse you. Some might say, “Nah, that’s never wrong.” But of course it is.

Our latest story of HOA violence involves the father of famed country singer Kenny Chesney. He’s been arrested for beating his HOA president. I’m not sure what his defense will be, but it looks like he’d had enough from this board official and just lost his temper. He’ll probably plead temporary insanity, which is what most suspects in HOA violence do. That’s a pretty good defense for him because about two million HOA homeowners would probably corroborate the fact that HOA bullies really can drive you insane.

(link to Austin 360 and the Chesney arrest)

 

Drones! Drones! Drones!

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I should charge money for psychic readings!  It was four or five years ago that I began predicting the advent of drones and that they would eventually be cheap enough for the boards of Homeowners Associations to start using them to inspect the most private part of your property. Your nude sunbathing or hot tub trysts could be played on the TV set at the HOA clubhouse and you probably wouldn’t win a legal case.

Well, so far I’m batting about 90% so far. The drones are here. They cost as little a four hundred bucks. And they’re popping up in thousands and thousands of places. Realtors are using them to advertise homes and neighborhoods. Terrorists are using them to interfere with commercial aircraft. Voyeurs are using them to videotape you and your lover on the backyard blanket. The FAA only controls drones in airspace over 1000 feet.

Privacy? Fugeddaboutit!

There’ve been a number of cases where homeowners have shot drones out of the air. The shooters usually end up being arrested and jailed. But it’s a whole new area of developing law and will probably take a decade or more to resolve. In the meantime even if a jury finds you not guilty you will have expended hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees.

(link to shoot a drone, go to jail, do not collect $200. It ain’t Monopoly money, folks!)