I could use some advice on how to deal with a problem neighbor. Unfortunately, I have neighbors who have loud and obnoxious parties at least a couple of times a month. The problem isn't really with them being loud and obnoxious, but they have a balcony that overlooks my patio, so I always get cigarette butts tossed onto my patio, which have burned holes in my bike cover and patio furniture, and occasionally I find beer cans and other garbage.

One night a few months ago I came home to six or seven beer cans and plastic bottles in my patio and I yelled up to them to stop. They responded by throwing a barrage of cans and bottles at my house, so I went out there and told the idiots I was calling the cops. I did call the police, but it was 3am on a Friday or Saturday and they never came. I figure the cops have better things to do than check on reports of obnoxious litterers, but I don't know what other leverage I have to make them stop.

I tried talking to them a couple of times a while ago, but whoever is on the balcony is always totally wasted and all I've gotten has been "sorry, I don't live here". I'm really at my breaking point here, with the latest rounds of cigarette burns in my and my girlfriend's bike covers. I see them smoking up outside from time to time, so that might entice the cops to actually respond to my calls, but I don't really want to get them arrested -- I just want to get them to stop throwing their trash over the balcony. Is there anything I can do? Should I try to figure out who their landlord is and report them to him/her (I'm pretty sure they're in the apartments above Abyssinia on South St)? Would the landlord give a crap? Any advice for how to deal with the situation would be helpful.

Definitely report them to the landlord as nuisance neighbors and warn that you'll start filing trash violations if he/she doesn't seem to take you seriously. In the meantime, I would personally toss the trash right back over the fence--this is what I do with the neighbors' kids who like to toss bottles and wrappers into my yard. It may not solve the problem, but it's at least a little satisfying

911 sucks on the weekends, but if you are that close I'd just walk down to the ministation, find a cop, and lead them back to the apartment.

I had some a-holas above my store for awhile. I kept getting a cop everytime they had a loud party, and eventually they realized it wasn't going to be their personal party house and opted to move to no. libs.

Landlords are generally worthless, but if you definitely figure out the address and PM it to me, I'll can probably tell you whether or not the landlord cares.

Whatever you do, don't speak to them. it usually makes it worse. I made the mistake of being reasonable with a bad neighbor and now he throws eggs and even called a fake gas leak to PGW at my property. Just keep documenting and calling the cops. Also, file multiple anon. complaints at www.ppdonline.org.

Being more of an a-hole never works, it normally just allows the situation to escalate.

I would suggest going over there at about 6pm on a Wednesday, before the party starts and TALK TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE.

The cops have more things to deal with like, murderers and rapists.

I would suggest that you talk to them about the issue nicely, I am sure you will get a nice response. If you don't then next time it happens call the cops, which I am sure will only cause bigger problems in the end.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Yeah, and I think monkies just flew out of the butt.

I've tried that approach every single time I've had problems with tenants or people living above my stores. I've even gone as far as to get them gift certs. for restaurants, etc. to break the ice as I'm asking for their consideration.

Each and everytime it has ended in the people having a sense of self-entitlement since "I don't pay their rent", and they became progressively worse.

And the whole "cops are for rapes and murders" excuse is idiotic. Police districts are just that-districts. They have prescribed functions for certain areas. The south street mini-station is set up for quality of life issues, not "rapes and murders" that very, very rarely occur in this area.