What a rough evening last night. I had a neighbor whom I've never met before pounding on my door, angry about a light that had been installed on a city power pole by the Department of Water and Power to illuminate the front sidewalk and walkway of our apartment building. I became a marked man after another neighbor informed him I was responsible for the installation of the new light, despite it being a communal decision made by all of us living on the street facing side our building. [continued]
One Bright Light + One Angry Neighbor = One Big Headache
As noted before, we've had people trying to break into one of the downstairs units, have sex in our stairway multiple times, found drunken strangers follow neighbors into their homes, drug dealers working their trade across the street and possibly most disturbing, found a comical and seemingly inhuman amount of human feces piled in front of a back door. By law, our landlord has no responsibility to add safer lighting, and he's of the cheapest variety who believes things like safe lighting is a luxury. So after hearing about a city light's program, I signed us up and had them install an external pole mounted outdoor light to improve visibility from sidewalk to our stairway. I was excited to see the put it up yesterday afternoon, but then dismayed our first night to discover that: A) the light is way too bright; it's brighter than any light within a 5 mile radius and may change the migrational patterns of wildlife, and B) the radius of light is partially directed into the rooms of my neighbors, turning their once private abodes into a shadow show of embarrassing proportions. It wasn't evident until they turned it on, but as one of my nicer neighbors showed me from his room, the light cast a glow that reminded me a lot of the "Chicken Roaster" episode of Seinfeld where Kramer had to endure the blinding light of a Kenny Rogers Roasters sign. It definitely had to go.
I feel nervously horrible for having a direct hand in such an eyesore as the point person, and sent out emails and talked to everyone about correcting the mistake. Everyone, although not pleased, were understanding and conveyed that it was a good attempt at improving our community's safety. But one particular neighbor was frankly just a...ahem...difficult [edited]. He lives on the other side of the building where it's already safely illuminated and his entrance is tucked into the corner, so he responded to the crime worries with an indifferent shrug. He resides in his unit only for a fraction of the year, mostly traveling to work on films and holding onto the unit not because he needs it, but because I was told he has an ongoing feud with our landlord (it's a highly desirable rent controlled unit and he's been in there for ages). Unfortunately, because of his extended travels, I had never had the chance to meet or discuss with him about the lighting plans, and he returned just recently to find the bright light outside his window. My angry neighbor's main concern was that his "view was ruined" because he could see "the power lines clear as day". I apologized and explained that the lights were installed because of the reasons noted above, and I had already contacted DWP to come back out to adjust or remove them. I reiterated several times I could see why the lights were not working for any of us, and assured him I'd take responsibility to have them removed. He'll have to endure one more evening with the light, for the soonest DWP can come to remove it is tomorrow (I had seven days to have it removed at no cost, no questions asked, and it was as easy as a phone call).
Hopefully in the meantime, our apartment isn't mistaken for the Eye of Sauron, and my neighbors and I will be all pitching in to have an electrician install wall mounted lighting on our stairways and walkways as solution. The sad thing learned from this all is that there is always one neighbor whose primary interests are limited to his own. Take away my neighbor's view and I finally meet my neighbor of three years whom I had never once seen before. But ask him about how to improve our neighborhood and he mostly implied it was for us to deal with. I guess the light outside illuminated not only the street but the character of everyone it affected. But at least my other neighbors have all banded together to work toward a solution, and that's no small feat.
Comments (19)
AT Daily Email
Top House Tours
Top Posts
Links
design
friends
more friends
- craftster.org
- idealbite.com
- kfreshdesigns
- designboner
- fototiller
- design-milk
- allthatanda
- decor8
- miapartamento
- silkfeltsoil
- home rejuvenation
- clothes-pin
- sfgirlbybay
- tyson williams
- Happy mundane
- fabulously green
- charles and hudson
- grass roots modern
- ikeahacker
- eatdrinknbmerry
- covetable
- uberreview
- crunch22
- modernflat
- modcottage
- shelterrific
- this old house
- modern-roost
- pallapalla
- anticssoblonde
- elaine vigneault
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
Comic tragedy
view LaDonnaNichole's profile
A classic lose-lose. Sorry, Gregory!
But I say leave the light. The contrast to what came before is probably the biggest issue right now. People are adaptable. But I'd recommend against taking responsibility for it in conversation with irate neighbors.
Plus, I like to see what I'm doing when I have stairway sex! ;)
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
The International Dark Sky Association (www.darksky.org) offers some guidelines about night lighting that does not create light pollution (blocking star viewing) or cause problems with wildlife. You can also find research that suggests that nighttime safety problems are more common in places which are lit in such a way as to provide high light/dark contrasts - creating deep shadows for lurking, but blinding those in the strongly lit areas. The worst possible situation is a brightly lit area in a hidden spot, providing would-be burglars with a strong light to work with. In other words, low lighting levels can be safer. Worth talking to your power department about their lighting choices.
view pyewacket's profile
No good deed goes unpunished.
view Michael W.'s profile
Well, at least now you know whose doorstep to shovel the sh*t onto. I mean, since he doesn't care about the neighborhood or anything . . .
view sunspot42's profile
Ugh, sorry to hear about your situation. It does sound as if this guy is just the kind of entitled a--hole who has to make a scene whenever he's "inconvenienced." Despite the light not working out, you should be commended for at least making an effort to improve your building's safety. I can understand why some of your neighbors were upset by the light, but I wonder if these same neighbors WEREN'T bothered by drunken strangers and human feces on their building's doorstep.
view brunswickian's profile
Would motion-triggered lighting be possible in this location? The sudden appearance of light (it doesn't even have to be super-bright) will often surprise people enough to move on.
view Michelle of Montreal's profile
I'm not suggesting you keep the lights, but I've noticed with neighbors that anything changing can flip a switch. After a while, they get used to the change and tend to be a little less irate.
At least the obnoxious neighbor isn't around that much.
Good luck!
view SFGail's profile
Can I ask what neighborhood you live in?
view chusmabilly's profile
Oh, Gregory. Sorry. I can only offer sympathy and a similar story. Our infernal light was installed a few feet beneath our third floor apt. Normally wouldn't have been a problem, but we lived nextdoor to a church with enormous and incredibly reflective stained glass windows. Suddenly our normally dark and wonderful bedroom shone like the surfaceof the sun. Too broke at the time to do anything more than drape more and more blankets over our windows, we finally reached a point of complete sleep depravation breakdown on the third night. At about 2 am, I began saying "can't take this anymore" over and over as I gathered the materials I needed to bring back the sweet darkness.
First effort simply involved leaning out the window and hitting the light repeatedly with a mop. Those lights are really well made. Then I spied the light sensor on the side of the light and inspiration struck. I grabbed a roll of paper towels from the kitchen, a mini-flashlight and a piece of string. Tied the string to the flashlight and had my husband hold my feet as I dropped as far out the window as I could and placed the roll of paper towels over the sensor, then I dropped the lit flashlight down into the tube and within seconds the light went out. There was much celebrating. In the morning we pulled in the flashlight, recharged the batteries and repeated for many nights after, until we realized that the light was to keep drunken undergrads from peeing on the church after they left the bars across the street. So we dismantled our system. By then, though, we could afford a set of thick, thick red velvet curtains that brought back the blessed darkness. Looked a bit brothel-like, but it was dark.
Later we found out the brightness of the light violated city codes, and we could have fixed it with a phone call. Perhaps something similar in LA?
Best wishes to you as you deal with your own light difficulties.
view shelby's profile
chusmabilly: we live in Silver Lake...I was just born a couple miles away. I grew up a Valley boy, but despite all the shady business in our every gentrifying hood, we still love it here.
view gregory's profile
Wow, gregory. I think you are being a good sport about it all. Kudos to you for being the better person about the situation. I suppose it's not worth pointing out to your angry neighbor that in the light of day, he can see the power lines... so really what view is he talking about that was ruined? Unless he's of the nocturnal sort and doesn't ever look out at his view during daylight hours. Jeez.
view jamjaree's profile
this is truly unfortunate, but one of your most entertaining posts gregory! this site can use more kramer and sauron.
view brookejoy's profile
That sucks. We're dealing with the same problem -- human feces and all -- in our 'hood. Sadly, we already have one of those ultra-bright lights installed in the alley where most of the action takes place, but apparently some people just don't care who sees their, er, "antics".
And yes, people can be assholes about their sense of entitlement to a view. In North Vancouver, near where I live, a woman had a bunch of semi-old-growth trees cut down so that she could enjoy an unobstructed ocean view. Too bad the trees were in a park below her property. The city sued her and won, but it won't bring those 100-year-old trees back. And now the kids have fewer trees in their park.
view Doppelganger's profile
So you're the a-hole... KIDDING, kidding.
(I don't even live in Silverlake.)
I say leave the light for safety. If grouchy neighbor wants it removed, tell him to Google the phone number and take care of it himself, as you were just concerned for the publics well-being. And he is a grouch. Mention that.
view gretchen's profile
having lived in one of the shady-est parts of oakland, the light will likely not help the crime as much as a lucid citizen might think... those down and out enough to defecate on a sidewalk will do so -- light or no light. regardless of the neighbor's tone, the right thing to do, methinks, would be to have the light removed and to chase down alternate solutions: security cams (or just signs stating that the area is under watch), a more robust neighborhood watch program... lighting will do little without other efforts to back it up and will be more of an annoyance neighborhood-wide. you'd also be surprised what a camera will do. keep a cheap digital or disposable camera close at hand and routinely take pictures of folks who "do not belong" in the area (i.e.: no one living or visiting the complex). let them see you snapping a picture. when asked, say that you are documenting your neighborhood and that photography in a public space is perfectly legal -- however trespassing is not (and install no trespassing signs to back you up). when folks know they're being watched and recorded (to presumably pass on to the LAPD), you'd be amazed at how behavior falls in line with social norms.
view sfposter's profile
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2004-04-30-chicago-police-cams_x.htm?POE=TECISVA
These flashing blue cameras have had a big impact on loitering and crime. But then your neighborhood is branded "high-crime" if you have one.
view art's profile
"But ask him about how to improve our neighborhood and he mostly implied it was for us to deal with."
It kind of is, since he doesn't spend much time there.
view Monkeyme's profile
This happened to Al Bundy too. He was taxed extra money for a streetlight that kept his bedroom lit up like studio. I think your neighbor is obviously in the minority, and if he wants it removed, he should try to take on that job. LOve the comment about where to leave the shoveled feces! Funny!
view becky's profile