Dear Prudence,
I was so excited to move into my apartment this past summer—and then I realized that the large house behind me is full of frat boys. They have loud parties every Tuesday and Saturday, and sometimes other days, too. They pee off the back porch, often when I’m sitting on my back deck, and seem to enjoy making direct eye contact and unnerving people when they do so. I mentioned it to another neighbor, who said, “Yeah, they do that all the time. I once saw one of them take a shit outside, too.” They also scream at one another, play loud music, host drinking games that involve breaking bottles at 2 a.m. I’m at my wit’s end. I’m not going to talk to them about it, because I don’t feel comfortable around them after the aggressive public urination. I’ve called the non-emergency police line basically on a weekly basis. I generally don’t call the cops, but I do not worry about the potential harm it might cause wealthy white frat boys (and of course no harm has come to them, because it hasn’t made a difference).
I can’t handle a future of lying in bed at 2 a.m., putting my pillow over my head and calling the police every single week. I’ve referenced my city’s website and they simply say to call the police about noise complaints and offer no long-term solutions. What should I do here? They’ve loudly talked about how many of the guys who live there are on the college’s baseball team, so I’ve considered writing a letter to their coach. I just want these idiots to either be quiet or be gone.
—Nuisance Neighbors