A "COPS" Episode in My Neighborhood and My House?

Today we had an interesting experience.  For FHE we were going to a good friend's home.  She had invited us and our childrens' Martial Arts teacher over for dinner.  We helped provide some of the food.  Anyway, Around 4 pm I was preparing the food I was going to bring when I went outside to clean up a little of the court yard and I saw out on the street, a Sheriff's deputy with a riffle.  So I came back in and peaked out the window.  Then I heard a knock on the door and another sheriff was there.  He asked me to stay inside, and asked if he could go into my back yard.  I invited him in.  Christyne was in the back yard, and he said that everyone had to stay in the house.  So I quickly hurried Christyne into the house.  Then I made my children play in my daughter's room, which is the room farthest from where the problems were, brought them snacks, and told them not to come out.  I was nervous, so I started to clean the house.  It makes no sense.  My vain side, kept thinking about how people are in my house, and it is not clean.  So dumb.  I also continued to prepare the food for dinner.  I had just barely started when one of the deputies came in.  I asked what was going on, and he said that they had a felony warrant for arrest for our neighbor.  He would not come out, so they were going to force him out.  He went into the back yard, stood up on our patio table, and watched the back of our neighbors house.  At the same time another officer was standing at our courtyard gate, rifle in hand and ready, pointed at the neighbors house.  They were there for about 30 minutes, just waiting, and calling for our neighbor to come out.  

As a side note.  I live in a very, very quiet, and safe neighborhood.  Many of the homes are vacation homes for professionals in LA and Orange County.  Other people who live in our neighborhood are professionals and retirees who live here.  It is not the getto at all.  My neighbor (who got in trouble) is married to a woman who is a member of an Indian tribe, and she gets $30,000 a month just for being alive.  So they can afford to live in any neighborhood.  Also, He is in trouble with the law a lot.  They are respectful to us, and we treat them with respect, because we have learned that no matter what your neighbor is like, or what you think of them, you have to live with them, and you do not want them to be your enemy.  Especially a gangbanger.  Making friends with Mammon (I learned that from my dad).  They have never ever caused us trouble.  They are very quiet, and keep to themselves.  In fact, they even gave us some birds once (they died, the topic of another blog maybe someday).  I get the feeling that he is one of those people who was deeply involved with drugs and gangs, and keeps trying to get out, but he isn't strong enough.  They have a 2 year old son, so he wants to be a good dad, but the whole 'keeping on the straight path' thing is hard for him.  

So when the police man came in from the back yard and I started talking to him, he asked if our neighbor had ever given us trouble.  I said, "no".  I then told him that we were planning to go somewhere in about an hour, and if it was possible for us to leave.  He said that that was good, and that we should leave now and not come back for a while, and leave the gate open so they could have access to our back yard.  Apparently since our neighbor was refusing to leave, the swat team was being called, and they were going to be there any minute.  (I was afraid I would be blocked into my drive way by all the cop cars etc, so I was glad to leave.)  So I put my ingredients in the pot, and put everything in the car.  I called my friend and asked if I could come over early and cook at her house, and we left.  It was really weird.  I wasn't scared, just full of adrenaline. 

Our neighbor was not leaving his house, and they were all set up with riffles, cars and guns, telling him to get out.  Right as we were leaving the garage, the officers were sending in the dogs.  

I was glad to get out of there.  I was mostly worried because I didn't think my kids could understand, and I knew they could not stay in that bedroom for hours and hours.  I as afraid they might try to go outside and get in the way of the police.  Don't mess with anyone with a gun drawn.  The front and back doors were open so the officers could come in and out as needed.  So I was afraid Ayden would run out to see what was going on etc.  

My friend and her husband were nice enough to let us come over early and cook there.  The dinner was good, and it was a lot of fun.  The kids' Sensei is a really nice lady.  She is 21 years old, but she is great to have a conversation with.  We are so used to seeing her in her gi, but she can dress very nice.  It was a fun evening.  

Then we came home, and everything in our neighborhood and our home was quiet and looked just as if nothing had ever happened.  Maybe it was a dream?  Anyway, I hope justice is served, but I also wish the best for that family, especially the wife and 2yr old son.  I hope the husband learns a lesson, serves his time, and becomes the man his son needs him to be.  I hope for these things, but I don't have a lot of faith that it will happen.  He has been arrested before.  Police have been in our neighborhood 2 previous times with several cop cars and guns to search his home and take him in.  Each time, he did something stupid and deserved it.  He says he will change, but he won't.  I think he needs to move, and not tell any of his old friends (the cause of his downfall) where he has moved to, and just cut all communication with them.  That would be the best thing for him and his family.  He needs to concentrate on being a good dad and husband.  I think that is what he wants, but isn't strong enough to be.  

For my own selfish reasons, I hope he goes to jail for a while.  I am tired of the cops always showing up.  I like cops, I just don't like criminals living next door and needing cops to come over and arrest them.  Also, sometimes I don't like the people he has over.  I am sure he will be back soon.  Hopefully a changed man.  Out of all the houses in our neighborhood, that is the one that gets all the police calls.  Only one other family lived there before them.  And the husband beat the wife, and called the police, and said she was beating him.  Then he hurt himself to make it look like she did.  The police took her away.  She believes that they had to investigate, even if they thought he was lying, and it was keeping her safe at the same time.  Anyway, in court she was cleared of all charges.  It must be the house.  

We moved into this neighborhood to get way from gangs, etc.  I guess every neighborhood can have problems.  Sometimes I feel like our house is a magnet for neighbors with this kind of trouble.  When we lived in our other house, almost all of our neighbors were nice nuclear families (mom, dad, kids).  Nice, hardworking people.  Except our neighbor to the left.  Her adult sons were gangbangers.  They were always partying outside real loud.  Leaving beer bottles on our yard.  One of their enemy gangbangers drove by and shot their house.  And many many other problems.  The mother was such a weak, weak person.  She basically threw up her hands as if she could do nothing.  I guess 'doing nothing' got her sons to be like that.  I thought leaving that neighborhood would fix that.  Oh no,  it follows us.  Maybe now it is finally gone.