Sleep is a precious commodity, one that for many people is hard to come by.
Millions of Americans take sleeping pills and other drugs on a nightly basis in a hope of getting their rest. Many spend thousands on doctor visits and other therapies. And there are few things more certain to get you on someone's bad side than when you disturb their dreams with an early phone call or knock on the door.
That's why I'm so upset and mystified at the behavior of a group of people who, on each of the last two Saturdays, have driven through my neighborhood between 6:30 and 7 a.m. all honking their horns furiously, with no regard to the fact that the vast majority of their fellow Napervillians were trying to get some rest.
And this isn't a group of teenagers out acting like idiots; that would be frustrating, but at least I could chalk it up to stupid kids who don't know any better. No, I have been informed this is a local swim team heading to a competition. So this group of parents and their kids apparently decided that since they are up early no one else deserves to sleep either.
What's sad about this is under other circumstances, the success of the swim team would be something for the neighborhood to rally around and all be happy about. But because they have been so obnoxious, this is one resident at least who hopes they finish dead last in every contest as long as they keep up this horn-blowing routine.
How can so many adults be so ignorant about what they are doing? I'm sure someone came up with this brilliant idea as a way to pump up the kids and the residents, and that would be fine if they were heading out in the afternoon. But they're not doing it in the afternoon; they're doing it in the early morning.
Many people like myself work second shift, and for me, 6:30 a.m. is literally the middle of the night. I'm guessing if I came through honking at 11 p.m. on my way home from work, I wouldn't make too many friends and would probably get the cops called on me.
This is just the latest example of the self-centered nature of much of our society. We have abortion protesters camped out at major intersections with no warning to the community, exposing little children to grotesque images of aborted fetuses and alienating people who would otherwise support them with their confrontational tactics.
When I go to the post office, there's always the person who has 73 packages, or the one who gets up to the clerk with their box still unsealed and unaddressed. At the grocery store, there's the person with 25 items going in the 10 or fewer lane. Recently there was a 20-something man standing on the sidewalk beneath my bedroom window carrying on a shouted conversation at 2:30 a.m. with another resident a few buildings down, totally oblivious to the situation.
What type of behavior do you see in your life that demonstrates a blatant disregard for others? Is it the neighbor who has to mow his lawn at 7:30 every Saturday morning, or the person who makes you miss the stoplight by sitting there for 10 seconds after it turns green?
good points covered james.adrian
Many bloggers started accusing me of hijacking this thread when I mentioned that to many police officers on that infamous intersection is bothersome behavior to at least ME.
I left to the dead Open Topic Thread to accomodate the bloggers who were complaining. If they wanted this thread why did they not continue blogging.
Ironically, they all followed ME to open topic to debate me while they complain I hijack threads.
Does anyone see a bit of immaturity or at least irony here?
Now we have a dead thread again.
But certainly Open Topic Thread is no longer a dead thread with nearly 150 posts since I was asked to go there.
On the topic of the Chris Cobb property. I wish the city would force him to haul off the pile of rubble he left on the infamous lot. He certainly was in a hurry to demolish that house. Now FINISH the job!!!
I agree with Ken. If you are going to make such a strong accusation against a specific REAL PERSON that has not been proven in a court of law, you need to use your real name and allow the person you are allegedly accusing to easily have the opportunity to sue you if you are wrong.
It drives me nuts when people anonymously libel local real estate agents on a blog site.
It drives me crazy to see and hear about people taking advantage of the elderly or those with disabilities. We are all destined to be either dead or really old some day. Can't we give them a break? It especially bothers me when I read stories about professionals who overcharge the elderly, convince them to sign up for expensive insurance policies they don't need, or trick them in real estate deals like the local realtor Chris Cobb and his wife were accused of last year by the family of their elderly neighbor in the old victorian mansion the Cobbs later tore down. We should look out for the elderly in our community instead of taking advantage of them.
Fed Up with His Own Noise and Anonymous,
I answered your questions and concerns on the OPEN TOPIC FORUM.
I blog there under the heading of Citizen Investigative Journalist.
If anyone else is driven nuts by over a dozen police officers on one intersection in Naperville, it appears the majority want this issue discussed there.
So let us keep peace on this blog site.
Also, by blogging on a formerly dead thread we can avoid allegations of HIJACKING a live thread.
Thank you!
There are not even 17 officers working on most nights, so I guess the Allow my Kid to smoke Pot mom may be lying, oh my... Take it to the archieves where she belongs.
So - Sybil, BHO, CIJ, etc - you continually harp on the 17 police officers at one intersection. How many times did you view this gathering? Once? Twice? You make it sound like they are posted there every night. Please save the exaggerations.
John Q. Public, One Who Values You and Other Bloggers,
I am following John's lead and taking this debate to the Open Topic Thread. I already responded to John there and will respond to others there.
On that thread I blog under Citizen Investigative Journalist and to keep my promise of one handle per thread, I will be blogging under that moniker.
I guess being irked with the behavior of the NPD because they put 17 police officers and a canine unit dog on one intersection while I want them to be chasing heroin drug dealers that are killing our youth out of subdivisions does not qualify as "Behavior That Drives You Nuts" even though it honestly drives me more than NUTS. It actually drives me CRAZY.
As you have seen we or I are being accused of hijacking a thread because we dare to criticize the Naperville Police Dept. or be annoyed with their inefficient behavior.
Let us go to a dead thread that had no posts recently and see if we can blog without these accusations of HIJACKING.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS. My next response there will be to "One Who Values You."
MHB,
I am posting a response to you over on the Open topic board.
-JQP
Sybil says: "So let us please not make a big deal over nothing. No one is hijacking a plane here. And there is plenty of room for everyone to blog as often as they like."
Perhaps you don't understand what hijacking a thread actually is, or perhaps you just pretend not to. The problem is, Sybil, or whoever, when you continually post and post and post long screeds on the same exact subject, without adding anything new to the conversation. Is there a rule about doing so? No, there probably isn't. But the way that you post is not neighborly, and clearly isn't appreciated by at least the majority of those who are outspoken on this site. It has been mentioned to you over and over and over again, that it's not what you have to say, it is how you say it and how often you say the same things, over and over and over.
Just to play it safe, that is the sort of behavior that drives ME nuts. Just because you play within the letter of the rules doesn't mean that you're playing within the spirit of the rules, and the glee with which you annoy the majority of the readers and posters here also drives me nuts. It doesn't keep me from coming here, it doesn't keep me from posting here (and I am fully aware that this post of annoyance isn't going to change things at all, though I keep hoping someday, someone will get through to you).
Drives me nuts. Make your point. If someone comments on your point, you don't have to rewrite your original point, just answer the comment... see? Easy, and we don't have to see you posting, reposting and all of that, all the time.
That, Sybil, is hijacking. And it drives me nuts.
Best Place To Raise Children...
Correct I don't live in Naperville, much smaller town with less cops yet...
"My subdivision is substatially above average in size and we have zero cops. We may have a cop drive by once or twice a year. Seriously."
Hmmm so you either have watched all day long at your front window (24 hours) for say a week or so to know this? Have you looked at the officers zones to know how many officers are in your particular zone for each shift?
I would not also say because I don't live there I do not know anything. I have plenty of family who do live there and well I know some other things also so...but first how did you get to frisk a kid? What did you say? Under what circumstances? Have you reported the park situation? They do intelligence work at NPD. How do you know they are not still conducting it & they are going to surprise them next week or month? You have no idea what they are currently doing. Again as I mentioned in my list, people who make assumptions without asking first. Have you talked to NPD and they said they are not doing anything about it? I thought you were all upset about Heroin & not pot? Ok, so you say DARE should be gone but then you don't know info about pot? This can be the information part DARE or a drugs class can provide! Actually DARE is being dropped I believe because the data just is not finding it has an effect. Parents usually want something though. I suggest taking a psychoactive drugs class. I found it soooo fascinating when I took it. Didn't make me take drugs! Heck, haven't you seen all the commercials? Kids are just doing lovely cocktails of prescription drugs from home or add some aerosol stuff to things. I agree no dancing for the child if she needs it. What professional dancers are seriously using Pot. If she has aches and pains then you should take her to a doc to find out why. Muscles get sore for a reason! They are telling your body something.
Next "But keeping our kids extremely busy until the rebellious years are over has been our goal. The busier they are, the less trouble they can get in. When she is at dance, we know where she is at." psychological research shows there are not "rebellous years" that are on avg for all children. If they behave this way usually there were problems prior. If there are no problems prior you have very little rebellion when they hit the teens. If you want some research citations on this just let me know & I'll provide you with some. You can also push your child too much & that pressure is what leads them to escape with drugs. Next, ok so you don't think some parent whose child died in a DUI or they are injured would not be upset at first with the NPD? But they can't be everwhere & catch everyone. What is your data on the heroin in Naperville? So then is DUIs a main problem in NPD? What about other crimes? They have to work on many problems.
Oh good lord! First nightclubs in Oak Brook or downtown in Chicago etc are not like in a downtown area like Naperville. Big difference in type of location where you have other people strolling for cookie dough with kids etc. Yes, I did frequent them myself as well. And I'll tell you there were cops in the parking lot waiting also when I came & went. We are also trying to be much safer now these days, and bouncers can't take care of many guys fighting at a time, do not have tasers and can't arrest. You assault me I want you arrested! NEXT, you are going to take a survey of teenagers and use that as a solid defense of getting rid of NPD in downtown? Oh ya...lets ask how many also do not like taking test in school...sure, I'm sure they'd strike that down also & we should just not have test then right? OMG! Lets let the teenagers tell you what to do as a parent also...oh wait yours is.
You certainly don't want to be giving asprin if someone is bleeding!!! Going through Chemo or the pain of Cancer as you are dying is not like dancing pain. If she is in that much pain, she needs to see her doc and/or quit! And if she has Scoliosis what is she dancing for anyways. Did her doc approve this?
By John Q. Public on August 3, 2009 4:51 PM
MHB,
And, while I was trying to be diplomatic in my previous post, it looks like I'm going to have to be blunt this time: the reason you should go easy on the Naperville Police Department is that, in accepting (and possibly even facilitating) your daughter's use of illegal substances, you are part of the problem rather than part of the solution. How can you expect the NPD to enforce Zero Tolerance with teen drug use when you, as a Naperville parent, are so tolerant?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where did I ever say I accept my daughter's use of an ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE. I never said that and I would never tolerate it. I have confiscated marijuana from her and disposed of it. Just like I did from the kid who made a deal on my property.
I am all for Ibuprofen. I came out of the ocean after a riptide knocked my head on the bottom causing me to bleed and Ipupofren did the job. I have had many sports injuries and used aspirin. I prefer aspirin over Ibuprofen as I believe it does less damage to your liver and kidneys.
Many states are legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Doctors at Edward's prescribe it for some patients. What I said is that if a doctor prescribes marijuana to my daughter legally and she feels it helps her more than Ibuprofen, I will accept that. I would rather she try to bear the pain a little better. But I am not in her body and I don't know what kinds of pains she has. Some chiropractor diagnosed her with scoliosis which makes her pain more severe. She does visit the chiropractor on a regular basis to try to get rid of this pain. I understand many cancer patients feel marijuana helps them.
While I am against illegal marijuana, it is not like cocaine and heroin. What I hate about cigs and marijuana is that they seem like they are stepping stones to hard drugs. I just hate the slippery slope that these teenagers are on. That is why I am calling for ZERO TOLERANCE from both our kids and our POLICE DEPT.
Be as blunt as you like John Q. Public. That does not make you right. But please read what I say before stating I have any tolerance for anything illegal....especially drugs that kill. Nothing is worth spending one day in jail for let alone dying at the very young age of 19.
By GJC on August 3, 2009 3:19 PM
How perfectly Sybil -
an exemplar of one of the kinds of things that drives me nuts!
The moderator indicates a displeasure at those who hijack threads.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Moderator is a human being like the rest of us. He can be wrong and he can be right. He is allowed to have a differing opinion on his own blog site.
This thread is about "What Sort of Behavior Drives You Crazy."
I have indicated that the behavior of the Naperville Police Dept. drives me nuts. I can not stand seeing 17 police officers and a canine police dog on one intersection while the rest of the town is not policed properly...while heroin is flowing into our town and young boys are overdozing and dying.
While the Moderator is disturbed by horns waking him up once a year and I agree with him since I am a nite owl who also sleeps in the morning, I personally think that is a little petty. I am against it but it is not the end of the world. It will not kill the Moderator or me.
However the behavior of the police dept. in focusing its energy on the downtown while allowing heroin to flow freely in our town is something that drives me crazy. No one is demanding perfection out of the NPD. But is anyone here saying they can not do much better?
Before I was married I spent much time at nightclubs in the Oak Brook, Lombard and Downers Grove area which was the former nightclub district of Dupage County before Naperville took over. None of these towns provided police service to these nightclubs districts. They were required to have adequate security both inside and outside. If a fight developed, they were suppose to have the manpower to break it up. And in almost every case they had the manpower to break it up. These fist fights over girls are very common. Bouncers who are on premise and nearby are much more equipped to break them up very early on when little damage is done.
Even 67% of the teenagers interviewed by the Naperville Sun stated the worse thing about downtown was the excessive police presence. I am not sure if the other 33% said it was the second or third worse thing about downtown. The Sun had a picture of each person they interviewed. So it is not only me who is irked by the behavior of the NPD.
And this is all relevant to this subject thread. If the Moderator disagrees, all he has to do is ask us to move it to the Open Topic Thread and I am sure none of us who are debating this issue would have a problem....and he can also demand it if he so chooses and we would not even have a choice in the matter.
So let us please not make a big deal over nothing. No one is hijacking a plane here. And there is plenty of room for everyone to blog as often as they like. So if you want to blog, just blog. Don't worry if someone blogs more than you. If 5 people respond to a post of mine and I have time to answer all 5, I will answer them. That is what happened after my posts of last night were read. People blog because they expect a response...so I gave almost everyone a response. I know I missed one or two but I will try to get back to them later.
MHB,
You need to take away your daughter's excuse for indulging in marijuana. There are plenty of other activities she could participate in that would fill up her time without leaving her hurting so much that even ibuprofen offers her no relief. And, while I was trying to be diplomatic in my previous post, it looks like I'm going to have to be blunt this time: the reason you should go easy on the Naperville Police Department is that, in accepting (and possibly even facilitating) your daughter's use of illegal substances, you are part of the problem rather than part of the solution. How can you expect the NPD to enforce Zero Tolerance with teen drug use when you, as a Naperville parent, are so tolerant?
-JQP
JQP,
Yes, it has been a challenge keeping some of our kids in line with all the peer pressure and drugs readily available on the streets and in the parks of the City of Naperville.
But keeping our kids extremely busy until the rebellious years are over has been our goal. The busier they are, the less trouble they can get in. When she is at dance, we know where she is at.
The people at X-Treme dance are master disciplinarians. They push them so hard they come home to sleep instead of hitting the street corners of Naperville where drugs including heroin appear to be flowing.
I disagree with you about going a little easier on the NPD. I think we need to push them harder and demand they excel and lick this heroin problem. If you told the parents of the latest heroin overdoze victims we need to go easier on the police dept., they would be outraged. Through reliable sources, I am aware that one family is extremely upset with the police dept. and leaving town as soon as they sell their home.
The police dept. has the power to charge and jail. I do not have that power. At least my daughter finally understand that marijuana whether good or bad is ILLEGAL. I think that is a step in the right direction. I have heard it does have some medicinal powers so maybe my daughter knows something I don't know. I have heard it is used at Edward's Hospital again from reliable sources.
The NPD should be aware that the heroin teenager who ran the lady over in dt Naperville is going to be released from jail I believe in December. Have they tried to get him help while he was in jail where he can be controlled? To the best of my knowledge they have not. It is time they pressure Dupage County to rehabilitate these heroin users while they are in jail. Once they are out of jail, most refuse to go for rehabilitation. The addicition and craving for more is just so strong. It lasts years. This was told to me by police officers who have worked with heroin addicts.
At least I am on record here warning the NPD about the next overdoze case. I hope I don't have to come back here and annouce he overdozed and died.....or that he ran a child over. Let us try to save the lives of our teenagers while we can. There is no time for slacking off by the authorities, parents, or the local newspaper. It is a very serious problem that is taking many lives in Naperville.
I would like to suggest a thread about drug trafficing in Naperville and the use of heroin since many cases suddenly came to light. Let us put it on the Front Burner. I can not imagine Napervillians not wanting to save their teenagers before it is too late. We need new ideas. DARE has unfortunately failed our children and teens.
And let us not forget about that Naperville Teenager who was murdered by his drug suppliers not to long ago....right in his home in Naperville. I almost forget about that one. If I can think of 5 cases, I am sure there are dozens and dozens of others I do not know about and that are never reported by the police or the Naperville Sun.
How perfectly Sybil -
an exemplar of one of the kinds of things that drives me nuts!
The moderator indicates a displeasure at those who hijack threads, and CIJ/Sybil/MHB/whoever it is today posts 3 out of the next 5 posts, each longer than the last, each equally off topic, about his/her latest hobby horse. How delightful an example of how and why hijacking threads drives me slightly mad.
Sybil - Stay carefully on topic, please.
MHB wrote:
By Conscientious Observer on August 3, 2009 10:48 AM
In my opinion, eliminating that program from our schools is a disservice to the community. If we get to our kids at a young age and educate them on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and then reinforce it throughout their school years - both at home and at school - then hopefully they will grow up with a strong attitude against drugs and alcohol.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The schools that my kids attended also finally elminated the DARE program. I think they made the proper decision.
DARE introduces our kids to drugs that they may never heard about. It arouses curiosity. Kids and especially teenagers like taking risks and think they are invincible. Taking the drugs that were introduced to them is like a challenge.
As we have discussed on other threads, kids are rebellious and will always be rebellious with an occasional exception such as Former WV Mom's kids.
One of our kids, the one that is a National Champion Dancer, does marijuana occasionally. The more pressure we put on her, the more she goes the other way. We tell her it is illegal and people can spike it with a harmful substances.
Now she wants legal marijuana from California or Michigan and wants to take a trip to get some. She claims it helps with her aches and pains from dancing and relaxes her.
I am against all drugs, including marijuana, but if my daughter insists on it, I would rather she get it legally with a doctor's prescription. I was reading somewhere there are more legal medicinal marijuana shops in Los Angeles than Starbucks coffee shops. So maybe my daughter knows something I don't know.
Does anyone know if marijuana also contains nicotine and tar like cigs? Can it induce lung cancer?
By One Who Values You on August 3, 2009 3:44 AM
Hell I have two officers in my subdivision alone patroling and that is on a nice summer day and not crowds of drunken people. They sit there and just their presence makes an impact on what the teens do. It does the same thing for drunks who get stupid!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor,
If I recall correctly, you told us you do not live in Naperville. So I have no doubt in your city, you have 2 police officers patroling your subdivision.
Most residents in Naperville would be happy to have one police officer patroling each subdivision even on a part-time basis.
My subdivision is substatially above average in size and we have zero cops. We may have a cop drive by once or twice a year. Seriously.
On the other hand if we call them, they do come as quickly as possible. Many kids go to the parks to get and do their drugs. When you walk by the park you can smell the heavy aroma of marijuana.
I busted a kid buying marijuana near my home. He told me his friend just dropped off a key to his car. I asked him if I could frisk him. He said yes. I found a 20 dollar bag of marijuana. I told him I was either going to flush it in the toilet, call the police or take it to his Dad. He chose the Dad option and his Dad disposed of it and took care of the appropriate discipline.
Yes, it would be nice if we had a few less cops patrolling dt Naperville and a few more patrolling our subdiviions. It is so bad in Naperville, I would settle for one cop for each 2 subdivisions.
Again, when you don't live in Naperville, as I believe you don't, you really do not know what is going on as Naperville residents do.
We simply want what you already have....cops in our subdivisions....do you get it Professor?
By Chris Magee, moderator on August 3, 2009 11:32 AM
On the original topic of this blog, something else that drives me nuts is when someone hijacks the topic of a blog and starts talking about something totally different.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moderator Chris,
There is no hijacking here.
I can't tell you how badly it drives me nuts to see over a dozen police officers on one intersection in downtown late in the evenings. It is a behavior that annoys me to death. A lot worse than a bunch of idiots blowing their horns on the way to a swim meet which only happens once a year. It is a waste of taxpayer money. It deprives other areas of having adequate police protection. Stores are being robbed, burglarized as Trader Joe's recently, residents are being stabbed(Olive Trees recently) and heroin is flowing to our kids who are overdozing.
While it is your opinion that I am hijacking a thread, it is my opinion that I brought a disturbing behavior to the thread that generated interest from many bloggers.
If I did not feel it had any relevance, I would have went to the Open Topic thread where I usually go. It really makes no difference where I blog.
If you would like to transfer the last 15 posts to the Open Topic Thread we can continue our debate there. It is just nice to see so many Napervillians interested in a good debate. It is nice to see everyone but one Kindergarten Child truly debating.
This post is for publication.
Thanks.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BTW, when I was reading the Naperville Sun, I noticed out of 6 children interviewed about downtown Naperville, 4 said the worse thing about downtown Naperville is the excessive police. I could not agree more. No one wants there city looking like a police state. I am fine with 2 police officers on that infamous intersection. I am not fine with 17 police officers and a canine police dog. That behavior irks me like you can not imagine. Seriously!
I always loved the DARE program since it reinforced what our kids learned at home. But research has not proven its effectiveness.
http://www.csdp.org/news/news/darerevised.htm
http://www.druglibrary.org/Schaffer/Library/daremenu.htm
The program has undergone some changes in recent years, but I could not find any research since the changes. It may be happening, just not complete. To really test whether it works or not you need a long term study of at least 8 years.
I believe the lack of research proving its effectiveness is part of the reason some schools have eliminated it.
The other issue is that it takes quite a bit of time out of the instruction time in the classroom. With the increased reliance on test scores, teachers and districts are reluctant to reduce instruction time in order to accommodate the DARE program. I know this was frustrating for the teachers in the schools that I worked in.
It seems that the research points to some impact on kids attitudes for the first year after the program, but not for the long term. Maybe it's just too early to have the impact needed on them? I'm wondering how it would do if it were incorporated into the required health class in middle school instead. And then some of the concepts revisited in the Health class in high school. I know it's covered in both cases, but maybe the involvement of the police DARE instructor at that time would have more impact.
Research does show that parents have the most impact on this issue.
http://www.mapinc.org/newscsdp/v01/n337/a02.html
The local school districts often offer classes, seminars, etc to parents covering these issues. Unfortunately, the attendance is not great.
On the original topic of this blog, something else that drives me nuts is when someone hijacks the topic of a blog and starts talking about something totally different.
I think everyone is in agreement that names should not be divulged out of respect for the families. Acknowledging that there is a drug problem in our community is what is important, and knowing that the NPD are agressively working to catch the dealers is what we want. As far as suicide, just getting the information out there as far as crisis center numbers, statistics, and any other helpful resources may help someine who is considering taking their own life.
One thing I want to mention that really bothers me is the fact that elementary schools are no longer using the DARE program. Patterson Elementary School in the southwest end of town eliminated this program and I never got a straight answer from the administration. Everyone passed the buck, saying they were unaware of the reason and who was ultimately responsible for the decision.
In my opinion, eliminating that program from our schools is a disservice to the community. If we get to our kids at a young age and educate them on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and then reinforce it throughout their school years - both at home and at school - then hopefully they will grow up with a strong attitude against drugs and alcohol.
I would be interested to know why this program was discontinued at our elementary school and if it was eliminated at other schools as well.
Anyone who serves in any sort of medical capacity and transfers medical information from one entity to another is required to follow HIPAA laws. That would include paramedics, police officers, and any other first responder as well as anyone in a hospital or doctor's office (medical staff as well as clerical staff.) That includes any staff members at Edward who are talking about these issues outside of the confines of their jobs.
Personally I feel these (suicides and overdoses)are private family issues and the family should decide how forthcoming to be in the future. Some will choose to come forward in the hopes of preventing the same tragedy from happening to another family by bringing the issues out in the open. Other families do not have the capacity for that as long as they are struggling with coping with the tragedy. It's very much a personal decision as to how open they feel they can be with these issues. Both still carry pretty large stigmas that can be difficult for some people to cope with. But it needs to be decided on a case by case basis instead by the individual families instead of all over the media.
Let's face it, if you read about these things in the newspaper, then see an obit for someone young, you are going to make the assumption that the article was about that young person. If the family is not ready to deal with that in a public way, then that would compound their tragedy.
MHB wrote:
I am asking the NPD to concentrate their efforts on busting the drug dealers and their elaborate rings instead of spending so much time on Chicago and Washington where they are really not needed. It is time for the bars to step up security and let the Naperville Police chase the drug dealers out of town and into jail cells. I don't think I am being unreasonable.
You're not being unreasonable, except that you don't seem to know what kind of efforts the NPD is already making along these lines. They apparently caught one of the dealers, so it doesn't sound like they're ignoring the problem, such as it is. But "Zero Tolererance" is one of those meaningless phrases politicians like to bandy about to get headlines. We can have zero tolerance for something, but that doesn't mean we can or should dedicate unlimited resources to it. Maybe the problem is limited to a small group of individuals that the NPD and, perhaps, the DEA are already aware of. But if you have evidence of something bigger, of elaborate rings of drug dealers, maybe you should turn that over to the NPD.
-JQP
Best Place to Raise Children???
I found out about the double death from grapevine coming out of employees at Edward Hospital. I was able to verify the heroin overdoze case but not the suicide as of yet.
_________________________________________________
Here's a story for you Mr. self appointed "Investigative Journalist" (Hardy boys wannabe). Why don't you investigate the illegal disclosure of medical information by staff at Edward Hospital? I suppose you just happened to meet these employees of Edward while you were drinking non alcoholic beer at a local bar?
As for the moderator rejecting postings, maybe you can point out to me any postings that I have had rejected? You, however, have had many rejections and scoldings regarding your postings content.
If the best argument you can make is to call me a Kindergartner awaiting first grade (what's with the Caps? - does it make your argument more effective?), it says more about your ability to debate than anything else. I'll play along "Ameena, big fat, MHB" - if I am a kindergartner then it means that you are regularly and routinely sliced into pieces by a little kid. (I used 3 of your other names because you seem to do better when posting and responding as a group).
I'll restate my comment about what drives me nuts. It's people like you who seem to think that everything is a conspiracy, and that a suicide should be news that is being covered up by the Sun in a misguided attempt at maintaining a facade. You want answers? Here's an easy question - how about if we ask Chris to ask the newsbureau if they are intentionally covering up this story in order to keep Naperville in a good light - after all, this is your claim isn't it "Best Place"?
Things were so nice last week. No body doing anything personal. Everyone was on topic. Decent amount of traffic on the blog. Discussion amongst verying viewpoints remained civil.
Ok, no names. Now how can you say the NPD is NOT doing anything about it? You don't know what they are doing or not doing? Do you work with their intelligence/investigative units? How do you know that if they didn't do what they were doing there would be 5 or more? It may be do to their wonderful work there were only 2.
As for the amount of police downtown we discussed that last summer on here & I'm thrilled there are so many. You think 2 officers can cover all those people? Hmmm and lets see then if something happens & they have to go to the station with them then what...wait for others to come? Right sure! And then hmm who is looking for the drugs being sold there? You don't think so of the dealers/selling goes on there? I suppose lets see 1 officer by one bar, one by the other and then ? Nothing? Thank God you don't make the decisions! Just wait until there is a huge fight and there are not enough, you'd be the first complaining there were not enough. Hell I have two officers in my subdivision alone patroling and that is on a nice summer day and not crowds of drunken people. They sit there and just their presence makes an impact on what the teens do. It does the same thing for drunks who get stupid! I drive through there to go to dinner, amazing how many drunks are jaywalking & crossing even at the light like complete idiots. They should have WUI.
$1M bond set in drug-induced homicide
Comments
July 31, 2009
By BILL BIRD wbird@scn1.com
A 32-year-old disabled woman remained Thursday night in Will County Jail in Joliet on $1 million bail, accused of supplying a dose of heroin that killed a young Naperville man last winter....
Neisha L. Sawyer, of Chicago's West Side, was indicted Thursday by a Will County grand jury on a felony charge of drug-induced homicide.
Deputy police Chief Tom Ross said Sawyer surrendered Wednesday — her birthday — at the police station....
"Her delivery of heroin caused the death" of Michael Woods, a 19-year-old Naperville resident, Ross said Thursday night. Ross did not know Woods' address.
Police and firefighter-paramedics were called about 1:30 p.m. March 7 to a home at 101 Somerset Lane, Ross said. A 911 call indicated help was needed to treat an unconscious teenager there, he said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some bloggers wrongfully accused me of wanting to publicize the name of the latest Naperville teen heroin victim. That was never my intention and even though I know his name, I have not publicized it and will not.
In the above article, the Naperville Sun does release the name of the other heroin victim of a couple of months ago.
I have no opinion whether it is proper to release the name of a heroin overdoze victim or not.
For those who may be very highly opinionated, please don't condemn me for something I did not do or have any intention of doing.
If you are against the releasing of names of heroin victims, your battle is with the Naperville Sun and not with me. Again, I have no intention of releasing the heroin overdoze victim's name of July 24 at 3:30pm. I will leave it for the true journalists to make that sensitive decision. I am only an inexperienced Citizen Investigative Journalist trying to uncover what the City of Naperville is trying to keep hidden from its residents. That is it. I am not concerned about names and feel extreme sorrow for the victim's family. I am concerned about the problem and preventing more teenagers from overdozing on drugs especially heroin which is extremely potent.
No one can be 100% sure that their teens are not experimenting with drugs. Thus it is a problem for all of us to tackle together. The Naperville Police Dept. and the Naperville Sun have a responsibility to release the news in a sensitive matter rather than cover it up. No one is asking for names.
Another heroin user ran over the lady on her bike in downtown Naperville last year and seriously injured her. Thankfully he is in jail. He will be out soon and since heroin addiciton is very long lasting let us hope he does not kill himself or others upon his release. Unfortunately, Dupage County locks these heroin victims up but does not rehabilitate them.
It appears that all the heroin and suicide victims I am familiar with are teenage boys and not girls. I guess boys take more risks and are paying a very high price for the risks they are taking. I hope this community and its police dept. can help the next batch of boys who are exposed to heroin. That is my only motive. I am well-intentioned.
Anonymous One,
While the rest of us are discussing serious issues in town, you continue to act like a Kindergarten Child. Did not the Moderator point this out to you? Don't you think it is high time you graduated from Kindergarten and stopped your nonsense. You are contributing nothing to this site. No one wants to hear about our personal battles of last year over and over again. You do sound like a broken record....try to get into the First Grade and make some sense.
If there are any posts the Moderator should not publish, they are yours since they contain NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE. The Moderator should have a rule that you must be in FIRST GRADE to be able to blog on this site. Please try to graduate from Kindergarten as soon as possible.
As a dutiful Citizen Investigative Journalist I uncovered 2 teenage deaths that took place in Naperville on one day on July 24, 2009. I think this is news worthy of printing in our local newspaper. I have never advocated publishing any names. I know one name and have refused to publish it on this blog site. Your comments make absolutely no sense. They are NONSENSE!
By John Q. Public on August 2, 2009 9:39 PM
MHB,
What do you propose that the City and the NPD do about this? According to you, they've caught one of the heroin dealers already. Perhaps this is the same one that supplied the kid involved in the second overdose.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The NPD preaches ZERO TOLERANCE. I am demanding the same from our police dept. I have ZERO TOERANCE for drugs on our streets. I have ZERO TOLERANCE for heroin dealers selling heroin to our youth. Heroin is a very dangerous drug. It can easily stop the heart from beating for long enough to kill. Two of the 3 recent case we are talking about are not suicides but accidental overdozes of a powerful drug. I believe Michael Jackson also had an accidental overdoze of a drug under the supervision of an incompetent doctor.
I am asking the NPD to concentrate their efforts on busting the drug dealers and their elaborate rings instead of spending so much time on Chicago and Washington where they are really not needed. It is time for the bars to step up security and let the Naperville Police chase the drug dealers out of town and into jail cells. I don't think I am being unreasonable.
By One Who Values You on August 3, 2009 12:19 AM
I don't see the point of reporting a family members name etc as a suicide. You could state in general "a death" or have yearly or more often stats on it reported like other crimes are reported. I would ask this poster why they want the name reported? What do you intend to do with that information?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't want the name reported. I know the name of the accidental overdoze heroin victim. I want the heroin and drug problem in this town dealt with by the NPD before it becomes worse.
========================================================================================================================================
Are you stating they are not recording the suicides that are known in the stats and reporting this ethically?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, I am stating they are not reporting the accidental overdozes and suicides. The case I verified was an accidental overdoze. The case I did not verify is alleged to be a suicide and I have no details on it. Again, I have no interest in names. If the family wants the name or cause to be known, they can publish it in the Sun Obituaries. It should be their choice.
By Conscientious Observer on August 2, 2009 7:59 PM
In the past two years there have been numerous teen suicides and deaths in our community.
If the media aknowledged the loss of a teen member of the community due to drug overdose or suicide, then maybe it would shed light on the fact that there are problems with our youth, causing them to turn to these dangerous alternatives. Maybe acknowledging these incidents would alert parents, coaches, teachers, friends, city officials, police, etc to tune in more to potentially troubled kids.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlike others, I think you understand my point. I found out about the double death from grapevine coming out of employees at Edward Hospital. I was able to verify the heroin overdoze case but not the suicide as of yet.
If we have a dozen or 2 dozen teens overdozing on heroin and it is kept secret, the community can not unite and take action. If the community at large knows, I suspect they can pressure the NPD to reallocate their resources and save the lives of our precious teenagers.
I always felt there were to many police officers in downtown Naperville that were unnecessary.....as many as 17 and a canine dog on one specific night. The bars need to provide better security to handle a fist fight if it develops. A fist fight is suppose to be stopped by responsible bouncers working both the inside and outside of these clubs as in most cities across the nation. Two police officers to help on Chicago Ave and Washington is fine. 17 is ridiculous and shows the NPD is out of control and in disarray. Using police canine dogs during simple fist fights borders on insanity with 17 police officers on site.
The other 15 police officers need to be working hard to break the heroin rings and cut the supply lines that penetrated our town. The Naperville Sun reported one case I was not aware of 2 days ago and I reported one case the Sun was not aware of. You seem aware of a few more cases.
I hope the Naperville Sun sees it the way you and I see it. I don't care to know the names and expose the poor families. I know the name of the recent heroin victim and have not disclosed it and would never disclose it out of the sensitivity of his family. But the community needs to know we are losing teens to heroin. That teens are committing suicide for reasons unknown to me....for all I know they could be on drugs while committing suicide...or using drugs to committ suicide. Hopefully, something can be done to protect our teens while being sensitive to their families.
I don't see the point of reporting a family members name etc as a suicide. You could state in general "a death" or have yearly or more often stats on it reported like other crimes are reported. I would ask this poster why they want the name reported? What do you intend to do with that information?
Also at times it can be difficult to determine a suicide. Yes, some leave notes but an accidental overdoze may not be a suicide. Hitting a tree driving? Some you may not be sure of. I agree I think they would know ever city has suicides. Are you stating they are not recording the suicides that are known in the stats and reporting this ethically?
By Anonymous on August 2, 2009 6:39 PM
How about calling the Naperville Fire Dept. to verify this information? After all they picked up the body. You know the time and date.
Are they also restricted by HIPAA regulations?
***************
Yes. Since the ambulances provide healthcare services thru the emt's, they are covered by the act.
MHB,
What do you propose that the City and the NPD do about this? According to you, they've caught one of the heroin dealers already. Perhaps this is the same one that supplied the kid involved in the second overdose.
In regard to teen suicides, well, unfortunately, these things happen everywhere, and I think the folks at Money Magazine are aware of that. It wouldn't hurt to have some sort of awareness campaign to remind friends and family members of the signs to look out for that a loved one is suffering from depression and/or might be contemplating suicide. But when someone really is committed to taking his or her own life, there's not much anyone can really do about it.
-JQP
Talk about driving you crazy. The posting by Anonymous at 3:21 is a perfect example of something that drives me crazy. Have you no shame "Anonymous" (Yeah, like we don't know who you are - (overdozed? (sic))
It's bad enough that someone commits suicide, but that's not enough for you huh "Anonymous". You want the details, I suppose a reporter should knock on the door and want to know the particulars: Was this person depressed, a drug user, did they have any other issues? Perhaps they could interview the neighbors, teachers and really highlight this tragedy? Maybe you want the city to send a separate bill to the family for the police and ambulance time? Your such a citizen journalist why don't you investigate this yourself and report back to us?
The Sun gave it as much coverage as this poor family deserves - none.
And by the way, Chris already explained why Naperville isn't in the top 100 this year - it was only done for small cities of which we are not.
The posting is a perfect example of why the Sun should adopt a policy and be able to edit or delete / deny a post. Instead of taking on this poor family, why don't you take on someone like me or Experienced, or OWVY, Joe, Ken, Keyboard Rambo, T.B.,John Q. Public, or a number of others (I apologize for not remembering off the top of my head). We routinely sliced you into pieces and expose you for what you are - which in this case is a shameful example of someone posting on this blog.
Like I said, I had not heard about either death and I'm sorry this happened to these kids and their families and friends. In the past two years there have been numerous teen suicides and deaths in our community.
I don't think it's an infringement on privacy to report the death of a teen in our town as long as any identifiable information isn't released. I'm not saying the media should publish names and in the case of suicides, the exact cause of death. If the media aknowledged the loss of a teen member of the community due to drug overdose or suicide, then maybe it would shed light on the fact that there are problems with our youth, causing them to turn to these dangerous alternatives. Maybe acknowledging these incidents would alert parents, coaches, teachers, friends, city officials, police, etc to tune in more to potentially troubled kids. At least it would let these kids, especially those who are suicidal, know they are not alone and it may give them resources they would otherwise not know is avialable to them.
How about calling the Naperville Fire Dept. to verify this information? After all they picked up the body. You know the time and date.
Are they also restricted by HIPAA regulations?
In my honest opinion the Naperville Sun is just being a little lazy and wants news to fall in its lap. Maybe that is one of many reasons why the Sun has declined in popularity and readership over the years besides, of course, the internet.
I hope you pass this post to your superiors. Maybe they care and maybe they don't care. Let us find out.
Thanks!
Hospitals won't tell newspapers anything because of HIPAA regulations. It's like pulling teeth to get anything out of them.
The Naperville Teen overdozed on heroin Friday at about 330 pm on July 24, 2009. He was declared officially dead at Edward's Hospital upon arrival. An ambulance owned by the City of Naperville Fire Dept. drove his live or dead body there. He was a boy who was a gifted college student.
If the Naperville Police and the City of Naperville want to cover up these overdoze cases of 19 year olders in town, could not the Naperville Sun develop a relationship with Edward Hospital and expose the cover up by the city. Is that not the duty of a reputable newspaper who strives to report the news in town in an unbiased and honest manner?
We are being misled by our City Officials who are covering up these tragedies in order to maintain Naperville's pristine image in the United States. Sadly, this pristine image we want is costing us more and more overdoze and suicide deaths of our precious young. I would rather we deal with this serious issue plaguing our teenagers head-on and not worry about our fraudulent pristine city image or trying to win the title of "Best Place to Rasie Kids" when really it rings hollow since it is based on pure fiction....based on constant embellishment by our police and public relations departments.
Just imagine the uproar that will take place at both CNN and Money Magazine when someone tips them off that the City of Naperville has numerous teen deaths and they are covering them up.....in this case 2 in one day. I believe they will eventually find out and the City of Naperville will have an asterick next to its name on all its former undeserved national rankings. The city may even be removed from all the former rankings if the truth is to be known.
Newspapers only report on suicides if it is a public suicide, like someone jumping in front of a train. I believe we don't report on private suicides because it is considered a private matter, but I'm not sure, I just know that we don't and I think most newspapers are the same way. I'm not sure on the policy on an overdose death, but we may just not have heard about it.
In response to Best Place to Raise Children??? on August 1, 2009 11:53 PM:
No, I have not read nor heard anything about two teens dying last Friday in Naperville. My condolences to their families. If the causes were as you stated, then I too wonder why it would not be reported in our local newspaper. I can understand withholding the child's name if they were under 18 or in sympathy with their families, but it IS newsworthy. If the deaths were drug-related, then I hope the NPD has a task force that is seriously attempting to deal with the issue. I would hate to think that revenue would trump the safety of our community. It seems I have heard of quite a few suicide deaths in Naperville over the last year or two. I don't recall reading about any of them in the Naperville Sun. Teen suicide is a serious issue and I would hate to think it isn't being reported to 'cover up' a problem in our town. The right thing to do would be to report it, shed light on the issue, give statistics, and show the resources available to anyone who is contemplating suicide. A PSA is much more constructive than ignoring a problem. If it saves only one life it is worth it.
Were these incidents reported in other newspapers?
Danny mentioned not keeping track of kids where they do not know what they are doing. I'd have to agree.
Here is my list on those:
* Those child leashes! UGH!!!!! ok, so now they are tethered to you but you do not watch them & they are on the other side getting into trouble & you have this leash almost tripping me! No excuse for not watching.
* Parents who have their little ones straggling behind them like baby geese in the parking lot crossing the main lane in front of stores or having no idea if a parked car is coming out after you have passed it & perhaps can't see your 3 yr old! Especially SUVs having such huge blind areas below. Do you know how many times I've actually saved someone else's child from potential danger. They should be holding hands and in your view or if little in the cart/stroller etc. We are suppose to be protecting these children, they rely on us!
* Of course then there is the extreme of leaving kids in the car while you shop! Yes, I'm talking about little ones! To me the child should be taken away from you on that one. If you care that little for them then there are plenty in this world who would care much more.
I would tend to agree on the noise other than it possibly qualifying as a town's ordinance on noise. I mean what are we talking about here...if it was Music you hear for blocks which is extreme or noise after 11pm than yes but just kids playing outside in a pool during the day, no I don't think that qualifies. I work at home quite a bit & really I don't hear much. In fact, it is pathetic but I can't even hear our town's sirens when we have a tornado unless I have my windows open & that is with no tv or radio on. One time I did ask the kids to move a bit from my bedroom window as they were hitting the wall with the ball & loud and I had a migraine...no problem they were wonderful. Ended up saving my windshield also & unfortunately hurting another's. HA!
While I don't let my kids throw anything more than a 30 second tantrum, my kids and their friends do enjoy our above ground pool, sometimes quite loudly. It is your choice to save on office rent so you will have to put up with the noise of a residential area. I had to do the same when I had second and third shift jobs. You can't expect the neighbors to quiet down because you choose to work from home or work an off shift.
Last Friday, a Naperville teen overdozed on heroin and killed himself. Anonther Naperville teen hung himself.
Now we learn from the Naperville Sun another teen overdozed on heroin a few months ago and his supplier was arrested and bond was set at a million.
The Naperville Police Dept. it appears to me is attemtping to cover up the Friday overdoze and suicide of teenagers. It seems to me our city and police dept. are cheating in order to win the title of "Best Place to Raise Kids in America" that is issued by CNN/Mony.
Maybe I missed it but did anyone read about these 2 teen deaths that took place a week ago Friday in any newspaper? Were they reported in the Naperville Sun? What is our police dept. going to do to stop heroin drug trafficing in Naperville? Apparently it is not taking place on Chicago Ave and Washington St and maybe it is time for the Police Dept to reallocate its limited manpower and resources to where it is more ugently needed.
Ken, yes screaming pre-teens are okay if it's an in-ground pool! haha. Well, you get my point.
Regarding offices being invented to avoid distractions - I have a home-based business (FYI half of all the businesses in the U.S. are home-based). Since I travel out to see clients, renting an office isn't necessary, nor is it affordable. So, I work at home, with all the windows closed, AC running, and noise-canceling headphones on... Once I asked a neighbor to quiet their child - after a solid 30 minutes of a screaming temper tantrum...in the yard! Man, that's the last time I'll ever do that! You'd have thought I'd suggested she murder the kid.
Hmmm if we made a list?
I suppose it depends on the day & mood one is in.
First, I would say people who do not realize some of the same things they claim drives them nuts they actually do themselves. For example, we all at some point in our lives get upset with the slow driver, the person who does not use a turn signal, the one on the cell phone while driving etc. Yet, have we done any of these behaviors ourselves? Chances are yes. We may have been the one in pain with a migraine or a parent or child sick in the car so we drove slow etc. I'm not excusing all, stating this is the case for everyone, but we need to have a bit more compassion and empathy. We do not know exactly what may be the case for someone else but of course if someone was flagging us we would have a darn good reason. There are some who may not care and are outright dangerous, but many times do you actually think as kindly for the other person's same behavior we may do ourselves also. I'm sure you have not been tracking the person in front of you all week to tell they have done it everyday this week. They are usually just random people who you may never have seen before and it could be this is an exceptional behavior for them. It is a quick reaction to do this I know but yes, God forbid think a bit first. And usually we are more irritated with this because we are in a hurry, which makes me wonder about our own driving then. Leave earlier and they will not annoy you.
Equally one of my least favorite words is "Whatever". Maybe I'm just getting old & but to me it conveys apathy and like nails on a black board to me (yes that bothers me but hey being a teacher with long nails from time to time have 'mistakenly' done it...thank God I use powerpoint now! Ha!)
One of my least favorite phrases "Learn to pick your battles" This just is someone simply stating the the battle you picked is not one they would pick. That is ok but respect the other person to choose for themselves. What if someone said that to you on the battle you picked? Everyone has different things which are important to them as it should be.
I guess people who make assumptions in general. They do not know a person and assume before asking. It is just so easy to ask and find out one way or the other. It may be on some opinion, or whatever, maybe you just assume someone will say no if you ask them out, or someone who assumes if they live in Naperville or not or what occupation they do or what political or religious belief etc. It seems all day long I see this and it is just so sad on what people miss out on. Again, I'm not saying I'm perfect but man when you see how much others do it you are even more aware not to do it yourself.
Then there are just general rudeness, though yes they may not being having a great day but at least then apologize. People who want to tell you how you should be in life...basically like them & not accept you for your unique self. So what if you laugh loud have fun life is short!
And does all this drive me nuts? Must of the time no but at times. Depends if I'm having a good day myself! HA! Hey, I'm going to see "The Proposal" now...so I'm perhaps I'll see a few others I can mention after being in the mall, line & in the theater! HA! I just thought of Greg Kinear in You Got Mail..."A hot dog is singing, you need quiet while a hot dog is singing!" HAAAAA!
Chris,
Your last post might be misconstrued as "steering"...LOL
That last post really doesn't belong on this thread but I allowed it because some people might be interested in it.
What a great article.
Please share this with the bizymoms Naperville community. http://www.bizymoms.com/naperville/index.php
By Rolling Eyes on July 30, 2009 3:45 PM
Another thing that drives me nuts is Scott Huber's behavior. Living on the sidewalk like a street person, yet expecting to be taken seriously and treated like a viable mayoral candidate!
Hey Rolling Eyes: Why don't you and Big Dick Furstenau stop by my apartment, 75 E. Chicago, and we can discuss the matter over a few beers, like President Obama would do.....Love Scott
People who participate in drunken blogging.
What bugs me the most about our town?
We are an allegedly highly-educated community with a reputation for individual success and community leadership, but our apathy when it comes to voting belies that reputation!
Despite the sacrifices made by those who came before us (and those now representing us across the world), we are so apathetic that we refuse to:
>get off of our fat butts
>get out of our BMWs and Lexi
>miss 10 minutes of work (somehow convinced of our individual imperative affect on the national economy, world order, and the correct spin of the earth on it's axis)
>Do a little research on the candidates and their positions
>Perform some analysis to see where and why our taxes keep rising
>Perform a little more analysis to discover why the spending by our elected officials is increasing at rates that, in some cases, triples that of the economy by 2x to 3x for decades at a time.
As a result, our voting turnout is embarassingly low.
By ignoring our constitutional perogative to vote we disrespect those who earned us that right.
We harm ourselves, our children, and our future by assuming someone else will vote correctly in place of us. It is no wonder the results our usually mediocre at best.
How Arch, doctorwho, and their band of followers criticize every thing the 204 SB does over on the proboards.
Some of you can possibly guess what sort of behavior drives me nuts and it has nothing to do with Dick Furstenau! Some say it's all in the presentation, so maybe my misguided attempt at making a change in Naperville has been in the delivery. Please urge your friendly neighborhood councilman/councilwoman to amend the current International Residential Code to include businesses which are currently not under the City's jurisdiction and are operating in no man's land without oversight. Some of our neighbors in Joliet and Bollingbrook have long ago jumped on the bandwagon of providing safe housing for its citizens. The kind which comes in the form of periodic inspections by code enforcement, not the kind which relies on the good faith policy of a landlord's conscience. Cause let's be honest, well...I won't go into that again. Come on people, I know you can rally behind a cause, I attended Ribfest! OK, so there's no food or drink involved, but your mirror will have better things to say about you. So yes, it drives me nuts when people are passive about supporting causes which benefit the well being of the masses.
Parents who do not keep track of their kids and have no idea what they are doing!
Another thing that drives me nuts is Scott Huber's behavior. Living on the sidewalk like a street person, yet expecting to be taken seriously and treated like a viable mayoral candidate!
There was someone at an office I used to work at who would park in the middle of two parking spaces so no one could park next to them. And they had an old Nissan or something like that, so it wasn't like they were driving a Porsche. People parking over multiple spots, or in a way that if you park next to them, you can't open your door, is my biggest parking lot peeve. One time where I live someone parked next to me so that they were literally no more than six inches from my driver-side door. I had to get in the passenger side and crawl over.
You wanna know what type of behavior drives me nuts.........DICK FURSTENAU'S behavior. The man behaves like a spoiled 6 year old!!! GO AWAY DICK!!!!
Here's a peeve of mine I just experienced yesterday. Foreign drivers who don't follow common sense 'parking lot courtesy' and then don't understand English (or appear not to) when you try to reason with them. Yesterday I waited for a parking spot at Costco while the occupant loaded their car. I was stopped and had my turn signal on. When the occupant backed out, a driver who had come down the aisle and was driving slowly gunned it into the spot I was waiting for. As he got out, I pulled up and told him I was waiting for the spot. He shrugged and acted like he didn't understand English as he continued into the store. He knew what he had done.
Most people don't like confrontations, which is why so many people get away with being rude. You shouldn't have to tell them these things.
JustWantQuiet, are you saying noise from in-ground pools is okay? Maybe the office was invented to get away from the distractions you list...
Chris, have they ever asked the neighborhood DJ to turn it down? I have done that with neighborhood DJ's twice, and both times the problem was solved. Otherwise, as with many other neighbor problems, a call to the police might work if the personal approach does not. Small arms and conventional weapons should always be a last resort...
My parents have a neighbor who lives two houses down (and they have big yards) who will blast his music all afternoon on the weekends so loud that my parents have to go inside and close the windows if they want to get away with it. No one appointed him neighborhood DJ.
I'm not bothered by rude drivers, line-cutters and crowds--when I go out in public...because that's my choice to go there. What does bother me is noisy neighbors who don't respect that a residential neighborhood should afford some measure of peace and tranquility. Dogs left outside to bark for hours on end, shrieking children (for 1-2 hours at a time), loud car and motorcycle engines, firecrackers at all hours, and trashy above-ground pools full of screaming pre-teens. Why do people think this is okay? Forget trying to work out of a home office.
-First off the kids that come home way late at night (or at any time for that matter) into my neighborhood with their boom box strero's cranked up to 11 just drives me nuts!
-Durring the 4th, people that blow off fireworks until wee hours of the night then leave all their trash on top of houses and all over the street for everyone else to clean up. My disrespectful neighbor actually said he thought that the "WIND" would take care of the mess!?! Idiot.
Parents whom let their kids do whatever they want, and as late as they want in front of MY HOME. The parents actually think that their kids are popular in school and have people over all the time because they are "cool", when the reason is actually because that their happens to be absolutely NO adult supervision at any time. Yea, that's cool! No, not for me or the rest of people on our court.
There are definitely too many people that are rapped up in themselfs here in Naperville.
Diane G: You will appreciate this web site: http://www.peoplewhositinthedisabilityseatswhenimstandingonmycrutches.com/
(Yes, that is a real link.)
Just to name a few things that drive me nuts are RED LIGHT CAMERAS,High taxes and the fact that nothing can be done about them, Electronic signs on the side of the road telling you how fast you are going, someone making three lane changes all at once, people pulling out in front of you, overspending by #204 school board, overpaid administrators in 204, tax payer money being used to support the Carillon and and the list goes on ----------
Have a nice day in Paridise
I have recently become disabled -- hopefully temporarily. The thing that drives me crazy is people that push and shove to get in front of someone that is disabled (walking with a cane). These people are hell-bent on getting on the train before me. Then everyone sits down and buries their head in the newspaper and I end up walking further (and in pain) to get a seat). I used to sit in the last car of the train to avoid all the pushing and shoving, but with limited ability to walk, I am now much closer to the front. Route 59 is absolutely the worst for this behavior.
And on the same vein, drivers need to learn to share the road with bicyclists. I hope Ms. Rehm gets a stiff penalty (if she is found guilty) for hitting the young man on his bike. Ms. Rehm apparently needs to set her clock 5 minutes faster so she isn't is such a big hurry all the time. And, yes, bicyclists/pedestrians also need to share the road politely with cars.
Gosh, guys, it's not worth all this stress!
It's been about two years since my youngest was in a summer swim team. I'm relieved to say we never made a ruckus at the break of dawn or any other time. I think the easiest way to address the a.m. noise is to find out who the offending team is. If you don't already know, you can identify them by the name of the mascot often written on the vans, Go otters, orcas, whatever. Then report the problem to the head coach. The coaches hold parent info meetings at the start of each season, in addition to having group meetings with the swimmers at every practice. They could certainly get the word out that the early morning celebrations are not appreciated by the neighborhood.
The shooters at the trapshooting range that bang away on Thursday evenings until 10:00 p.m. - way past most children's bedtimes. Hard to explain the sound of gunfire to little ones trying to sleep. Their disregard for residents is apalling. There is no need for this "sport" to have such late hours.
This swim team should be more respectful of their neighbors. In our neighborhood the swim team does the same thing (car parade through the neighborhood honking horns) HOWEVER it is done the friday evening prior to the meet around 5pm. It is fun, people come outside to wave and cheer them on. Who would possibly be out cheering at 6:30 in the morning!?
Chris, why don't you try to get the list of the swim team, and then ring their doorbells on the way home from work on Friday night. Politely ask them not to honk their horns in a few hours as you will be sleeping. Continue doing this every weekend until they get the message...
Pedestrians and bicyclists that fail to follow the laws that apply to them are a huge irritant.
People who mess up public restrooms and don't flush fall into the irritant category.
People who spread their snot in library books fall into the irritating idiot category.
I hate being shouted at by self-righteous protesters outside of the Aurora Planned Parenthood. I'm a low-income woman who uses the facility because it offers affordable reproductive health care. I realize that they provide abortions, but I'm not there to do that. I should not be harassed or made to feel ashamed for using the facility. Those folks need to get jobs - real jobs - and get a life, and leave women alone. It's none of their business in any aspect.
On merging, scientific studies have shown that in many circumstances, traffic actually moves faster if cars fill both lanes to the merge point, than go every other one. Coincidentally, this is also the most fair way to merge. So those of you who merge early thinking that you are being polite are actually slowing everyone down and possibly impacting traffic on cross streets as well. (Washington south bound at 75th)
Chris,
I know exactly what you're talking about. Just last week I was at Caputo's, minding my own business, picking out tomatoes. A man walked up and picked up a few tomatoes, and the said, "Well, what do you think?" I looked around and no one was there. I didn't want to appear rude, so I said, "They look good and the price is good, too." Then the guy turned his head and looked at me with a surprised look. That's when I saw the Bluetooth. I felt like a moron and he did nothing to make me feel less foolish.
Several types of behavior that really get to me are:
1. Those who see the 'Merge ahead' sign, yet the continue to drive to the end of the lane past all of the other patient drivers who already merged, to cut-in at the very last moment so they don't have to wait in line like everyone else.
2. People who can't get off their cell phone long enough to get through the checkout lane at the store. The worst are those who don't acknowledge the clerk or stand there making the clerk wait for them to finish their innocuous cell phone conversation.
3. Drivers who don't yield to pedestrians in a cross-walk or exiting a store - especially those who make the pedestrian stand IN THE RAIN while they impatiently drive past in the comfort of their dry car!
4. People who don't respect the views of others. For example, those who name-call or condescend.
The behavior I hate is people so wrapped up in the global warming BS that they think everyone should own a Prius and hate anyone who buys an Escalade or H@. Last time I looked, this was a free country.
I also can't stand the people that think that public transportation should be welcomed with open arms in Naperville, IE; PODS. If I wanted pods, or buses running through the neighborhoods 24/7 I would live in Chicago, which is where I suggest the supporters move as not to waste more taxpayer money on another underused money losing venture.
Your comment about the people on the cell phones in the grocery store reminds me of the people in the store on bluetooth, so I hear them talking and they're standing near me and no one else is around, so I think they're talking to me, but actually they just have an invisible phone and I feel like an idiot for responding to them.
How about the people in the grocery store who can not be alone with their own thoughts long enough to get off their cell phones. If they were talking business, that would be understandable. But the ones I run into never are, and I really don't want to hear about the gossip in their neighborhood while I am doing my shopping. (And I cannot imagine the friends they are gossiping about would be too happy to hear things aired in public like that.)
And while we are at it, the people who are so busy on their cell phones that they don't pay any attention to their children.
For those who conduct business by phone, I understand your need to be connected in that way. But the people who are just chatting need to learn to put their phones down now and then and pay attention to what is going on around them.
People thrusting their religious views and standards onto everyone else. The next time I hear someone talk about "good christian values" etc. when discussing government policy, I am going to throw up.....
The behavior I hate is when I see people purchasing and driving an Escalade. Or an H2.
A type of behavior that demonstrates a blatant disregard for others? Definitely the person in the first car at a red light who is so busy either texting or emailing on their cell phone that they're unaware that the light is eventually going to turn green, and that green doesn't merely mean pause the texting to take one's foot off the brake; it also means put one's foot on the gas to get the car up to the speed limit on the road! These people have a complete disregard for everyone else on the road, and according to the new July, 2009 Car and Driver Magazine report, are many times more dangerous than drunk drivers! My solution is not merely to honk to wake them out of their stupor, but to lay on the horn continuously until they finally change their behavior!
People who disparage others by calling them names or denigrating their intelligence simply because that person disagrees with them.
People who are late and think they can show up whenever.