Well, it seems that a nosy neighbor of ours has been conducting surveillance on us and disapproves of our unconventional polyamorous lifestyle. My "welcoming gift" from him was an unprovoked assault in the hallway of our condominium building, an injured arm/shoulder, and a visit to the hospital. Oh, and Melissa (tackam) had the pleasant experience of seeing me on a hospital bed, wearing a gown and wristband.

Fortunately, everyone involved in this incident (other than the offending neighbor) has been wonderful to me. That includes that medical staff and social worker at the hospital, the police officers who responded to my call, and other concerned people who live in our building. For the most part, I feel that Seattle is a city of good people. It's too bad that one of the rare exceptions lives across the hall from me.

The matter has been referred by the police to the county prosecutor's office for possible criminal proceedings. Additionally, I'm completing the paperwork to apply for a no-contact court order.

I was discharged from the hospital Saturday night, and I'm still wearing my wristband. I jokingly refer to it as my "Purple Heart." (For those of you outside the U.S., the Purple Heart is a medal given to American soldiers who are wounded in action.)

It's hard for me to express exactly how I feel about all of this, but "violated" is a word that comes to mind. I'm shocked that I was assaulted in my own home because of this, especially in a progressive city such as Seattle. It's fine if people disapprove of my lifestyle, but that is not a license for them to assault me.

that's terrible.

how do you know it has to do with your lifestyle?

Anxiety said:

He made statements indicating: 1) that he has actual knowledge of the type of relationship we have and; 2) that he disapproves of it. I don't want to get into too much detail, but one of the statements is very disturbing because it suggests that he may have been peeping through our windows.

understood.

that sucks. i really don't understand that mentality. i mean, i don't approve of the fact that my neighbor listens to creed, but i don't want to kick his ass over it. why can't people just leave each other the fuck alone?!

i'm sorry to hear about this... feel better soon!

Yikes. That sucks, man. I hope this loser is dealt with appropriately and you are able to regain your sense of safety.

matt said:

holy crap,sorry to hear about this.

does this guy live alone? i mean is he a little bit disturb otherwise if you know what i mean.

Christopher said:

No, he's an old (yet big) man who lives with his wife. He may be affected by some sort of senility, but I'm admittedly unqualified to make that assessment--I'm not a medical doctor. IMHO the more likely explanation is that he's an intolerant busybody. For some reason, older folks often develop a habit of sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. Too much time on their hands, perhaps?

That's awful!

I hope the legal proceedings go well for you!

Anxiety said:

Exactly. We don't bother anyone in the building. We've never even told anyone here about the relationship. While we may exchange greetings with our neighbors in the hall or have friendly conversations in the laundry room, we basically keep to ourselves.

We expressed a thought like yours to one of the officers who responded to the call, and his response was essentially, "It doesn't matter what type of relationship or living arrangements you have. You have a right in the State of Washington to be safe and free from assault." It's nice to know that we've got some good cops in this city.

I guess the only "lucky" part about this is that my injuries were relatively minor. I've been bruised, and my left arm and shoulder are in pain. (Initially, they suspected that my shoulder might have been dislocated, but fortunately that wasn't the case.) I'll heal and make a full recovery. Not all hate crime victims are so fortunate.

Thank you, everyone, for your support. It means a lot to me.

Karma's a bitch....

Matt, that just fucking sucks.

I hope they throw that mother-fucker in jail, and I hope he gets the shit beat out of him for not fitting in with the other shitheads with too much time on their hands.

Sorry to hear that Matt, that's horrible. Hope your injuries heal nicely and you'll be feeling safe again soon.

Ignorance comes in all shapes, sizes and colors....Even in Seattle

Hope you feel better

Smooches;)

sorry to hear that Matt, I hope that you'll be well soon

teller said:

We thought the cops were GOING to throw him in jail, and were happy about that, but the guy lied through his teeth when they confronted him about laying a hand on Matt, so they had to leave it up to the. . .um. . .county prosecuter, I think?. . .to press charges if they see fit.

Hopefully they'll see fit.



This has been just awful. It's so damn creepy, knowing that somebody has been watching you, and so awful to worry about what is going to happen to my partners. Yeah, so Matt's physical injuries are minor, but who's to say that next time he won't pull out the baseball bat, or worse?

At the very least, it's beyond sad to see this happen to Matt after I welcomed him in to my home and he gave up his whole damn life to be here, only to have this happen. . .

matt said:

sweetie, the guy's clearly a nutjob. especially if he's been peeking into your lives like that.

you've done nothing wrong. you just live next to a lunatic is all. press charges. hope you feel better soon
[This message was edited Mon Aug 2 10:48:55 2004 by XxAxX]

tackam said:

U be strong - im sure Matt's told u by now what I told him. Here if u need me babe.

Can he not be done on invasion of privacy laws too?

'nana x
[This message was edited Mon Aug 2 10:49:18 2004 by bananacologne]

you need a hug ! stay strong !

bananacologne said:

Thanks, hon.

I'll ask him about you, he's still in bed. We org on different schedules.

In any case, I will say that the mutherfucker picked on the wrong guy. "Hey asshole, can I have my arm back? Thanks. And guess what, I'm an attourney. . . see you in court." We'll do what we can.

bananacologne said:

From a criminal perspective, I don't know. I'm new to this state and relatively unfamiliar with its criminal laws, so I'd have to do a little research. In any event, any criminal proceedings would be between the State of Washington and the offender. I wouldn't be a party to such a prosecution; rather, I'd just be a witness.

From a civil perspective, if he has in fact been peeping through our windows, that might give rise to an invasion-of-privacy claim--specifically, I would allege the tort of "intrusion."

Just to clarify things, right now there are three different legal matters arising out of the assault that I suffered:

1) A possible criminal prosecution for assault (and any other crime that may have been committed), brought by the State of Washington against my neighbor.

2) A civil "Petition for an Order of Protection--Harassment," brought by me against my neighbor. I'm working on this now and hope to get it filed tomorrow. Basically, I'm asking the Court for what is commonly called a "restraining order."

3) A possible civil lawsuit, brought by me against my neighbor, for assault, battery, intrusion, and any other torts (civil wrongs) that may have been committed.

Not 2 mention emotional distress too...

I as u know am very supportive about this issue with u both - as are many others here.

This is the 21st Century 4 fucks sake!

teller said:

whoa teller, are you serious?? don't you think that's a little extreme??

matt, I'm really sorry this happened... I'm glad your view of Seattle isn't that tainted by this experience...