What would you do? Is my neighbor safe?

This is an oddball situation. I won't post any names - I won't even post the street we live on, just to protect privacy.

I live in an apartment in the Highlands. Last Saturday, I noticed as I was leaving for work that a man I'd never seen before (not particularly telling, I don't take that much notice of the comings-and-goings except in my particular building) was heaving boxes of belongings out onto the sidewalk across the street from me. His body language told me he was angry. The manner in which he was throwing things down said he had no respect for stuff's owner. I figured it was either a divorce or eviction situation.

Now it is Wednesday. The stuff is still there and has been scattered all over the block. When I was walking to the store yesterday, I saw a lot of books and photographs and couldn't help but stop and sift through a few things. There were checkbooks....tax records including social security numbers...WEDDING PHOTOS...novels....much, much sheet music and choral music scores....reams of notebooks with notes from U of L classes, class syllabuses, hundreds and hundreds of photos, etc. Really personal stuff. All the stuff that had signatures or names or account id's had the same woman's name. For some reason, it really bothered me. Later, I walked back across the street and knocked on the door. I had to knock several times. A man answered the door - obviously I'd interrupted his dinner. I asked him if it was okay if I took some of the books. He said "sure, take whatever you want!". Then I told him I lived across the street and asked him if "Greta" (not her real name) was okay - did she get evicted? (even though I've always been pretty sure she was the homeowner). He said "she's fine - I'll tell her you asked about her." He also said "I'm getting a divorce and she's helping me out. We found all that shit in the attic." Then he closed the door in my face.

I "googled" *Greta* when I got home. She is/was the choral director at a local church and a local high school, and I think formerly a music director at U of L. I called a U of L professor I know and he wasn't familiar with her name. I left a voice mail at her church and attempted to send her an e-mail at the high school (which was returned as undeliverable.)

I have a weirdly bad feeling about this. Probably I should mind my own business, yes? What would you do?

Go with your gut, they call it women's intuition for a reason. If you think something is off, odds are, it probably is.

Thanks for replying, Michelle. I think my bf and co-workers think I'm a mite too worked up about it. I would be mortified if I threw a bunch of my pack-rat past away and some chick across the street saw fit to call the police and throw my new beau under suspicion. I'm conflicted! But every day that that stuff stays out there on the street, it makes me more uncomfortable. It's NOT junk week on our block. I will wait until I hear from the pastor at her church where she's the music director, I guess. If they haven't seen her for awhile, I suppose I'll take further action.

I'll be the first to admit I'm overly paranoid about a lot of things. What else can you expect from a cop's daughter and the daughter of a neurotic woman? I would probably be someone that would call the local police precinct and explain the situation to them. Telling them about the belongings on the street and how the woman's name, and bank information, etc. is easily visible and that you saw this man throwing all her stuff out on the street and just see if they are willing to go talk to him, or maybe remove the items. I mean..if nothing else, you should be worried about her information being stolen. Nothing else..he's litering.

[Robin Garr]

Go with your gut, they call it women's intuition for a reason. If you think something is off, odds are, it probably is.

I think that's a good idea. It might also pay for Marsha to call the First District police HQ (I don't know if they still call it that under merger, but the local station at the park end of Douglass, assuming it's still there), and try to chat up a community relations officer, explaining the situation and asking advice. This might get a more measured response than a cold call to 911.

574-7636 is the non emergency business line for information pertaining to LMPD Division 5. They go by Division instead of District now, Robin and the old 1st District is now the new 5th Division. Still located at 2301 Douglas Blvd.

Yes, go with your gut....something is not right, even if the person is OK or left stuff in the attic, this is off. In this day and age you do not leave your tax forms out in the street, most women would not chuck the wedding pictures, even after a divorce, even if you HATE the guy now! The sheet music is also telling, if she is a music person I doubt she was tossing out sheet music. We do not toss out our passions. You may just be protecting her from identity theft, so do what you think is right.

Go with that gut feeling, girl! Even if I had asked someone to throw that stuff out, I would want to know that it was carelessly thrown out instead of shredded (or other proper disposal method) for my security. The worst she could do is to tell you to MYOB. You still will have done the right thing!


MissChele

Marsha, Do you have an update to this story? What did you do? Anything else happen?

Something is off. My original reaction was that it is an eviction. But it sounds like this is not being done according to the eviction laws. The police are required to be present when the belongings are set out. Also, if the evictee doesn't pick up the stuff, the landlord is required to remove it from the curb within a certain number of days.

Something in my gut tells me that Greta & the guy are breaking up. Greta probaby left the house for a few days to clear her head and the guy threw her stuff out while she was gone.

Let us know what you find out.

Report it to the authorities on the double. Way too sketchy. You have nothing to lose.

Anti-climactic, but i guess a happy outcome:

When we left this morning for Newport, the junk pick-up truck was coming down the street. I was SURE they would refuse to clean up that pile - it went all along the block. But when we came home I walked across the street to check, and, sure enough, it was gone. A neighbor was out on the porch and I mentioned that I couldn't believe they took all that stuff away and that I was worried about her due to the personal nature of the stuff that was discarded. He told me that she is disabled and he had seen her and the guy I talked to at her house sitting out on the porch together just last night, surveying the pile.

So, she's still around. And the stuff's gone and no longer out there for just anybody to take or see, although that was quite a delay between throwing it out and it being picked up (5 days). So even though I called the church where she used to work (never did hear back from them either, hmmm...) I never did call the police, so hopefully I haven't cause her any grief.

Sorry - I'm sure it seems I overreacted but it just seemed fishy to me. I'm glad everything's okay, though. Whew.

Louisville is a safer place with people like you- don't ever change.

You didn't overreact and you were right to pursue it. There was enough weirdness to warrant a response.

I worked with a security expert for several years whose range encompassed the south side of Chicago, affluent suburbs and the millionaire Gold Coast. It really opened my eyes to the fact that crime happens everywhere. In a place like the Highlands, which is not heavily patrolled, neighbors must be the first responders. They'll notice what's "off" before a police probably will.

That's not a call to be paranoid, just observant and caring of your community.

Marsha,

What this world needs is more Marsha L's. Go, Girl, Go!

I'm looking forward to seeing you and John on Sunday.

Gayle