I'm in complete and utter shock about this accusation

[chichi2026]

I don't want to bore everyone with the background (or out myself). Basically, I have been on the receiving end of a long campaign of harassment by my immediate neighbour. I was finally able to give a statement to police at the end of last year - then a few weeks later, her behaviour escalated to racism in January this year and after more waiting, she was charged with racially aggravated harassment. I have no choice but to continue living opposite her and it's been a few months of hell, but at least the Court date is finally approaching later this month. We live in social housing and the landlord has recently (after much lobbying on my part) decided to start legal proceedings against her. It's good news, but too little too late as the impact on me has been horrendous - and I'll probably lose my job as a result of it.

This tenant is younger than me and not the brightest - but she is extremely manipulative and has involved a couple of her friends (also neighbours) to increase the pressure of the harassment on me. It's taken me such a long time to get anyone to believe me about the ongoing situation and I personally feel that I have been disbelieved due to unconscious bias by the housing association. I try to see the best in people and I don't want to think this but I have so many examples of when I have been treated differently in very comparable situations.

My neighbour's friend was out in the garden at just after 3am today and was making a lot of noise. I opened my bedroom window and said (not shouted as I didn't want to wake everyone up) that she was being loud and could she please stop. This neighbour is very aware that her friend is due in Court this month for Racially Aggravated Harassment.

She responded by shouting "what?" and then got her phone out and started filiming (I wasn't, I was just speaking out the window). She started walking towards the area under my window. She then suddenly shouted, "what did you say, did you just call me a white bitch?"

I was totally confused and said no, what was she on about, then she started raising her voice, repeating the accusation loudly whilst still filming. She started fake crying and then looked at me and smirked. I then called 999 to report what had happened.

I can't believe it would be that easy to accuse someone of that and there is unlikely to be any meaningful police response to that. How do I trust the police as a woman of colour, knowing that we are statistically likely to be mistreated, yet the far right have now made out that the police don't care about white people because mistakes were made around one recent situation?

There is a two tier issue and it definitely isn't in the favour of ethnic minority people. If the dickheads protesting didn't attack the police they would have a much easier life.

Nobody wants to hear the reality. Brown or black people who report a crime are not going to get a blue light response. I rang 999 an hour and a half ago and have had nothing from them, even though I said that this person is likely to leave the area. That means that they can leave and I get no justice.

Have you read all of my comments and come to that conclusion? I think that is a 'you' problem. Ali G - a zionist fuckwit cosplaying as a black man. Yes that's obviously a great way of summing up my situation 🙄thanks for your input.

Your posts are very confusing, as is your Behavuour. The Issue seems to be the neighbours behaviour, and it doesn’t appear you’ve been treated differently due to your skin colour, these things always take time to build evidence, but much of your posting is about police treatment of ethnic minorities, rather than your issue in itself, you appear to think it would be different if your skin was a different colour, but that’s not the case.

i think it’s really important to focus on the issues, not general statistics. And not to look for confirmation bias in those stats. But deal with the issues you face. She’s been charge, it’s going to court. It’s been taken seriously.

the issue last night I understand you panicked, but there is no skin colour that would mean that incident required a 999 call or a blue light response

i think you should really not interact with them again. It is not ever going to be positive for you. So leaning out the window and complaining, wasn’t ever going to have a good outcome. As much as yes it should be fine to do so, but your relationship has broken down irreparably, and this means things normally fine are no longer fine.

I didn't feel it was wasting resources in the moment, as I was trying to protect myself from a false allegation which could have had me arrested. My window was closed and I was fast asleep when I was woken up at 3am. I can't keep repeating myself, I've responded to the comments about my using the emergency number.

Is the confusion because you can't identify with my situation? I can see how that would be the case.

My world has been made smaller and smaller by these people and although I'm supposed to be protected by bail conditions, they only cover the perpetrator and not her friends.

It's frightening watching someone make something up about you in that way - and I felt it was heading in an inevitable direction. It's unfortunate that I felt the need to call 999 in that moment but this is based on what I have been advised to do by the police, if I feel unsafe. At the moment, the risk of retaliation is very high and I am probably on high alert to the point where I might catasrophise - so I'll reflect on that. I cant say fairer than that, can I?

you’re welcome. It sounds like you’ve got a pretty strong case. I really hope it goes your way.
You’re totally right, some get it and some never do, some don’t want to.

Please never apologise for calling 999. I would never tell anyone they “shouldn’t have” called 999 unless it was a clear waste of time, I was just explaining why you didn’t get the response you thought you should have got at the time.

Anonymous people on an internet forum can easily say you “shouldn’t” have, but the fact is, there’s no accounting for how frightened it can make you feel to have something happening outside your home, in the middle of the night, and you feeling at risk.
If you feel at risk, you ring 999. Don’t let people make you overthink it.

Will people RTFT and stop making the same comment to OP. She's responded several times now. @chichi2026 I'm sorry for what you're going through. I despair that people have so little empathy that they can't see how frightened and anxious you were in the heat of the moment. There is a whole history here that people need to take into account, it's not just a one-off event.

Thank you. It's not ideal that the police have chosen not to give me a call today to follow up but I haven't got the energy to follow up on that at the moment.

As you've said, the police say to always call 999 if something is happening now and you feel at risk. This is the first time I've done that - and nothing was done to make me feel safer, so I suppose it wasn't the right thing to do (but I thought I was going to be arrested, so I think it was justified).

Anyhow, you know what they say about opinions!! I appreciate your comments, thank you again.

Thank you so much. Going to watch the F1 now, take my mind off it all x

I’m not saying it was a polite exchange, and it was clearly designed to provoke and be unpleasant.
But that in itself is not an offence.

This is nonsense. Twice I've reported burglaries in progress (on one occasion I could hear them downstairs while I was in bed) and was scolded for ringing 999 both times. The first, I was told 'what do you expect us to do, send a car with flashing blue lights', the second, I was told off because it wasn't a 'life and death situation'.

While accepting there are some decent people who end up in the police, on an institutional level, you're not on our side.

which have resulted in the police carting me away on two occasions

oh. It’s you . 🤔

Definitely not a troll but definitely an Op who is…. Well, I imagine is very well known to the authorities.

The one thing you haven't addressed in your replies is why you thought it a good idea to lean out of the window and engage with them at all? Surely you can see that that is the worst thing you could have done. Next time, ignore them. Put some earplugs in and go back to sleep. They will soon get bored of trying to get a reaction out of you. And if you do not react, there can be no false allegations, or retaliation, can there?

I’m sorry but given that you are leaning out of the window to shout something to a friend of a neighbour that you already gave a serious conflict with AND that you are “utterly shocked” that a call to 999 about it didn’t result in police attendance tells me that you are quite a dramatic person and I suspect at least partially responsible in stirring issues with your neighbour.

all you needed to do now is NOT to ENGAGE with your neighbour and her friends that evening. Literally. Just not open the window and not say anything. Call ASB hotline or local neighbourhood police number if you must, to complain about the noise. That’s it.

You were at home!!! Your YOURSELF chose to initiate contact!
How were you at risk??
any chance police already know you and it’s not the first 999 call you make about similar issue?

Are you serious?

If they post that online as "evidence" of "reverse racism" it will be inviting hatred and violence against the OP!

And why make the video otherwise?

After Southampton last weekend, that video indicates a desire to invite serious threat against the OP

There are mobs all riled up, poised and ready to throw bricks over "reverse racism" right now. Ask the people in Southampton with their smashed up cars and gardens!

I cannot recommend earplugs too highly.

Where I live there are a series of local events in the autumn that create an enormous amount of noise at the weekend, often well into the night, and earplugs have been an absolute lifesaver. They proved invaluable when a neighbour was having building work done and the scaffolding was shrouded in plastic sheeting for weeks, too. On a windy night, the racket was incredible!

To some of the posters being unmitigated dicks to the OP, knock it off.

Correct in that an emergency response would never be given in these circumstances, but the OP felt sufficiently threatened, panicked and frightened that she felt it necessary to ring 999.
Let’s hope none of you criticising OP are ever in the same position then get a load of people telling you you’ve misused the system.

Sounds like the whole situation is a nightmare to be stuck in. I would be confident that the noisy neighbour was a deliberate set up, in the hope of provoking you into an incautious response. That the racist dipshit was primed to record you rather demonstrates this. And yes, loudly and falsely accusing you of anti white racism on the video was the plan all along, and extra worrying given the rise of right wing online stoked up violence. Please try not to play into any more of their ploys. You have your day in courts soon, and nothing should get in the way of that. I have to agree that there was never going to be a 999 response to this, as you were safe in your own home. That isn’t)t a race thing - I remember calling the police because the neighbours had had their door sledged in, and it took hours for them to respond. I wish you not so much luck as justice and a resolution with the court case.

No it isn't. But I didn't say it was.

How dare you accuse me of lying. You know nothing about me or my experiences.

If it doesn't suit your narrative, the victim must be making it up. Typical.

So it’s fine for 999 time to be wasted while other people try to get through on matters of stabbing, rape or mugging then is it?
The OP even started this exchange by yelling out of the window. There was no need whatsoever for her to feel unsafe if she’d kept her window shut and her opinion to herself

First instance, metropolitan police, around July 2007. I could probably find the emails around the insurance claim if you want proof.

Second instance, Kent police, a couple of years ago. A couple of scrotes going round with a white van. I saw them break into a shed down the back of a. six-foot and remove bikes. They loaded them into the van that was already half-full of bikes.

Just because it's a 111 not 999 issue doesn't mean it's not a serious threat

And if a threat like that was aimed at you you might ring 999 in the moment too

I'm shocked at how many people are totally playing this down and gaslighting the OP. If someone graffitied "Paedo" on your house you would be TERRIFIED of it going online and a pitchfork gang turning up, and whilst that too would be a 111 call technically, it WOULD be a serious threat

So is labelling the OP a "reverse racist" when people are smashing things up over that at the moment

She was threatened because she herself decided to engage with them. She is conveniently ignoring the question why did she need to do that.