I have mentioned our neighbor Eric in the past (never w/his actual name, though). I remember talking about the Memorial Day parking job fiasco last year (when he called the cops at 3 or 4 in the morning to complain that Patrick was parked too close to his car). Well, last week (while I was at my parent's house for doctor's appointments) he had words w/Faith AND Belle, including accusing us of training Buttercup to hate him (and for all that dog's faults, hating ANYONE is not one of them. I don't think she is smart enough to hate anyone). All that falls under "guy who lives under the bridge and squeegees car windows for spare change" level paranoia to me. But when he came out brandishing a handgun while Belle and Buttercup were outside minding his own business (and in fact he was outside, saw Belle and Buttercup, went inside, then came BACK out with a gun in his hand, still mumbling under his breath), it is no longer just annoying guy doing petty things that I can ignore.
I do need to take a moment to thank the Baltimore City Police Department for responding last week when the craziness got big. A LOT of officers showed up, and from all accounts they were very professional and thorough in handling the situation and ensuring Belle and Faith's safety and making sure they were satisfied with their level of response. Too often police (especially in Baltimore) get grief for all the things that go wrong, even if it is not any fault of their own. All I can say about this is they did everything they could do.
Belle and Faith are going to request a peace order from the city. There is no guarantee that we will get one, but it is well worth the attempt. Other than that, I am at a loss as to what we CAN do. Except pray. And trust in Him. So I will.
