[grellis]

I'll try to keep it short: I share my driveway with the house next door. A drug dealer used to live there, huge guy, 6'3, 300 easy. I'm 5' even and weigh 95 pounds. Two summers ago, I told some of Thug's "clients" to go roll their doobs someplace else, since my kids were watching them from the window. As they were leaving, Thug came over to me--a foot away--leaned right in my face and said "Get back in your house, b!tch, or I'm gonna pop your @ss." It was like movie dialogue.

I went in, called the police, told them what had happened. Thug took off before the cop came to take a report. A neighbor from across the steet saw everything that had happened but didn't hear what was said. Between my neighbor and I the cop had a clear picture of what was going on. Cop advised me "to stay inside for a few weeks, give the guy a chance to cool down." When I asked her if he could be charged with menacing, she laughed at me. "Just stay out of his way." Fortunately, I know a couple of detectives from our Tri-County drug squad, and the house was raided and boarded two weeks later.

Long story short (!): There is no such crime as menacing, at least not in Lansing.

[cmsgop]

Wow, thats scary, I applaud you for even confronting the guy.

[jdm]

Thanks very much for your post!

[lowbridge]

I share my driveway with the house next door. A drug dealer used to live there, huge guy, 6'3, 300 easy. I'm 5' even and weigh 95 pounds. Two summers ago, I told some of Thug's "clients" to go roll their doobs someplace else, since my kids were watching them from the window. As they were leaving, Thug came over to me--a foot away--leaned right in my face and said "Get back in your house, b!tch, or I'm gonna pop your @ss." It was like movie dialogue.

Boston gangster Whitey Bulger had a way of dealing with guys like that. One day some old lady from the neighborhood came into his hangout, and complained to him about this house that served as a drug den. It wasnt unusual for people like her, and little kids on the block to find drug paraphernalia littering the outside of the house. Bulger went right over to the house, found the guy who ran the place, stuck a gun into the guys mouth and told him that he had a couple of days to leave the neghborhood. The drug dealer didnt stick around that long. He left that very day. (Though Bulger was involved in the drug trade himself, and probably got rid of competition)