The man downstairs is chanting again

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

Usually he chants. Sometimes he sings. Often he just hollers "Hallelujah!" and other words over and over again.

He chants at 6:30 in the morning. He chants around 11 a.m., and again in mid-afternoon, and again in mid-evening.

He's very loud. He puts a lot of oomph into it. He seldom misses a day, but on Sundays I guess he chants at church because it's quiet around here.

His wife didn't use to chant, but now she chants too, before and after her work day. When they're not chanting they play recordings of other people chanting to pounding music which goes on long into the night. Sometimes they leave it on even when they're not home.

At least I live above him. The people who live below him are at their wits' end. They're expecting a baby, and keep changing which bedroom they sleep in, trying to escape the noise.

They've spoken to him about it repeatedly. We've all spoken to him. Everyone in the building can hear him. He can even be heard outside, with his windows closed. He's very, very loud.

Ah...he's stopped. For now.

[Phillycat]

1. Call the police.

They can come and use a decibal-measuring device to see if he is officially disturbing the peace. If so, they will give him a warning. If he persists, they will arrest him.

[Iris]

2. In my state, there are laws about playing loud music (or even a tv)

past 11:00 p.m. at night.

If I were the pregnant lady, I'd definately be calling the police.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

13. janesez and Iris, this is a good suggestion

The expectant couple are both women, which may have impacted the dynamics a bit....I don't know if he would continue if a large, muscular man told him to stop.

If I'm listening to music or have the TV on, I usually can't hear him. But if I'm trying to concentrate it can be very annoying. It's terrible for the ladies downstairs, though. I'm going to share your suggestion with them. Thanks!

[Iris]

39. I hope it helps.

Our police are here in a minute even for stuff like that, but I'm sure it's not like that everywhere.

[Iris]

40. Another thing,

are you in a condo or apartment? Our lease states you cannot have a tv or radio on after 11:00 p.m. (obviously not necessary to enforce the tv part - usually!). You should check your lease and see what it says.

And if it's a condo, well, that's what condo associations are for! There'd probably be something in the bylaws about this kind of situation.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

42. I should know that

I'm the secretary of the association, and I have to go through the decs about once a month for one reason or another. We're a very small building and can work out most problems between ourselves.

...Well I just looked through them and there's nothing that addresses noise. Coincidentally, we have been preparing to amend our bylaws, so I'm going to talk with our attorney about what we can add or should do in order to control the situation. Maybe fines will persuade him to tone it down, and that way we can avoid bringing in the cops. Thanks for that thought!

[Iris]

3. dupe

[YellowRubberDuckie]

4. Is he mentally ill?

What does he chant?
Duckie

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

19. He might be mentally ill - he wasn't always like this

He chants religious stuff. I can't understand all the words, it's muffled - though I can hear "JEEsus" pretty clearly. I just get the rythmic noise.

We have all been neighbors for years, and his behavior didn't change until his sister died far too young, of cancer. Then he lost his job. That was about two or three years ago.

We feel bad for him - he's a nice person otherwise - but man. It's not just annoying, it's creepy.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

38. Maybe he's posessed?

:shrug:

[sui generis]

5. rude and crude

call the police. He's disturbing the peace. Tell the landlord that one of the things you expected from your lease was a quiet place to live, within reason, and that this guy is aurally polluting your home. Tell him you are within your rights to cancel the lease if he doesn't take care of the problem, and that the next person to lease your apartment will probably hear that crap too.

[TXlib]

6. Move heavy furniture around at 3am

Seriously, just call the police on him every day.
Complain to the management every day.

Suggest the family below him do it, as well.

Maybe the police will get sick of it and rain some beat-down on him, or management will, and not renew his lease.

[Wilber_Stool]

7. Sounds like a

new age Muslim.

[lynx rufus]

14. Sounds like a

new age zionist.

[TXlib]

18. Sounds like a

generic pain-in-the-ass.

[lynx rufus]

28. Ich Hob Zol in Bod!

[livinbella]

33. Your point is well taken lynx rufus

While they could be Muslims, they could just as easily
be likud. Love your quote.

[lynx rufus]

36. We ain't talking Gehakteh Leber here!

Where there is tit,
there must be tat!

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

37. Nonetheless, he is a Christian. /eom

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

21. No, he's Christian.

Extremely Christian. Misguided, God-will-reward-you-on-this-earth Christian.

[underpants]

8. HEZBOLLLLLLLLLLLLLAH!

:bounce:

[flamingyouth]

9. Do you own or rent?

I'd definitely call your landlord if you rent, or your condo association if you own.

And I'd probably end up calling the cops too, but I don't know how far you'd get with that. In Seattle, they don't seem to do much with noise complaints.

I feel for you. :(

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

27. We're all owners, and I *am* the association :(

One of the board members, anyway. We're a very small building and we all get along. Our current president avoids confrontation like the plague - he's very mild-mannered - and his "official" addressing of the problem lacked any teeth.

I believe that one of the reasons the problem has arisen is because half the couples in our building are gay, whereas once they were all hetero. We suspect he's praying for the gay owners as well as for his own fortune, and this makes everyone uncomfortable about addressing him.

I'm going to talk to the expectant couple about calling the police. They might feel it's too drastic, but they may change their mind once the baby comes.

[flamingyouth]

30. Oh my, that is quite the dilemma

In my old condo, the association had all the subtlety of Genghis Khan. We couldn't even have welcome mats in front of our doors. :eyes:

Definitely someone should call the cops. This person is harassing all of you.

[merh]

10. Let him know that God is omnipotent - he/she can read minds, lips,

hand signals, the written word, he understands all forms of communication. God also has wonderful hearing - he hears us when we are whispering just the same as when we are chanting at the top of our lungs.

Christians have geniune concern for their fellow human beings so this guy is not being very Christian since he has no respect for his neighbors.

Put a copy of this verse under his door and underline secret!
Prayer

5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.<1> ' 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

[skygazer]

11. One of my neighbors hollers

He watches sports or something at odd hours - sometimes I am jerked awake at 2 or 3 in the morning by him just yelling unintelligably - sort of like "Yaaaarrrrggghhhh!"

It's strange and annoying because he has a tendency to call our landlord if we have music playing after ten o'clock at night. So sometimes, I just go out on my deck at odd hours and yell. No words just loud noises.

Or I howl. Actually, he's been better since I started doing that though I don't know if it's cooincidence or what.

[Phillycat]

12. Are you sure he's not a pirate?

[skygazer]

15. I'm not sure

He doesn't have a parrot, or a boat, or a peg leg but that doesn't necessarily rule it out.

I don't know if he drinks rum but that may just be a stereotype.

Do pirates holler a lot? I was leaning more toward lunatic but he could be a lunatic pirate....

[Phillycat]

20. Well, "Yaaaarrrrggghhhh!" sounds like something a pirate would

yell.

You know, "AAR! Shiver me timbers" or some shit.

I know it's annoying but you have to admit that it would be really fucking cool to have a pirate for a neighbor.

[skygazer]

23. Duh!!!

Of course! Written down, it would seem pirate-like but when you hear it, it's not at all like that. I'm afraid my spelling is poor.

It really would be neat it he was a pirate. Maybe I'll ask him one of these days. He thinks I'm certifiable anyway and the feeling is mutual so it's not like it's going to break down a good relationship. As a matter of fact, it's just bizarre enough that it might begin one.

[Phillycat]

25. HAHAHAHA!!!

I just pictured that conversation. "Excuse me, are you a pirate?"

It could only get interesting from there.

[TXlib]

16. Or Howard Dean?

:evilgrin:

[flamingyouth]

17. ROFLMAO

The pirate comment really cracked me up. :D

In college, we had a guy living across the street from our sorority who would crow like a rooster at daybreak every single freaking day. Then at the end of my junior year, he vanished. Months later, we received a letter from him apologizing for crowing and bothering us, and telling us that he'd moved to Arizona and "found the Lord."

[Phillycat]

22. I know, I cracked myself up, too.

My best friend and I really like pirates. We tend to leave each other messages that begin, "AAARRRRR!!" and go on from there.

When she and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean in the theater, we just couldn't stop "AARRR!"ing. We were walking into the theater, and I let out a particularly loud one, and the 15 year old theater employee looked at me and with a completely straight face, said, "No pirates in the theater, please." LOL!

[skygazer]

24. Did you celebrate "Talk Like A Pirate Day"?

It was in September, the 19th I think. A couple of years ago, I was working in the liquor dept at my store for it so I spent the day asking customers, "Harrr, and would ye be wantin' a little rum now, maties?"

Like I've said, I'm a little bit nuts. Just a little.....

[Phillycat]

26. Oh yeah!

We love talk like a pirate day. Although every day is that for us. :)

I would have L'dMAO if I'd come into your store that day.

And she went to the Ren Faire on Pirate's Weekend this year. But, as she put it, "But George Washington was there too, so apparently any old costume will do."

[skygazer]

31. George was a pirate wannabee

That whole thing about crossing the Delaware was a fantasy kick for him. Why do you think they wore such funny hats? Pirates, man, I'm telling you.

[Phillycat]

32. Wow, we really highjacked this thread, didn't we?

Oops! At least I did give a serious answer to the original poster's dilemma.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

34. Hijack away, matey

I would rather think about pirates than chanting Christians.

[Phillycat]

35. AARRR!!! That's the spirit!

:)

[GingerSnaps]

29. When they say God

Say Dammit.

[Insider]

41. michael zager band

let's all chant. ooh ooh.

besides we don't that here on du. move in here. no chant zone.

(yeah, call the cops. stop the nuisance)