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‘Some people are just jerks’

Dear Annie: My mother has been dealing with her jerk of a neighbor for too long, and I’m fed up. Every year, the leaves fall from his trees, and rather than mulch them like the rest of the homeowners in the neighborhood, he gets out his leaf blower and blows them into the road and beyond, to my mother’s yard. Leaves cover the road lines. It’s slippery and dangerous. My sister called Highway Patrol and reported this ignorant neighbor, but the person who answered simply replied, “Some people are just jerks.” He’s going to cause an accident, and I’m ready to give him a piece of my mind. — Annoyed Daughter

Dear Annoyed: I assume you’ve already tried talking to this man and he refuses to stop, leaving you with no other choice than to contact authorities.

Record videos of him blowing leaves onto public property and your mother’s lawn so you have some proof. Depending on where you live, he could be fined up to $450. Call your department of sanitation for more information.

Sure, “some people are just jerks” — but it’s fair for this one to get some blowback.

Dear Annie: The letter from “Heartbroken Again,” whose son has Asperger’s syndrome, could be about my son, except he received a traumatic brain injury nine years ago, when he was 16. He was a star athlete and one of the most popular kids in school until his injury. He lost a lot of his people skills. He, too, has had women at the college he is attending report him as a stalker. What my son sees as harmless flirting comes across as creepy and inappropriate.

It culminated in his being charged with attempted kidnapping. He saw a girl crying while walking down the street and asked her what the matter was. She said her boyfriend had dumped her and she was homeless. He asked whether she needed a ride, and she declined. They talked for a few minutes, and then he gave her a shoulder-to-shoulder hug and left. She called the boyfriend afterward, looking for some sympathy, and told him she had been accosted. He told her to call the police. She said my son had tried to pull her into his car. My son was arrested at gunpoint. The alleged “victim” posted on social media about how excited she was to be interviewed on TV.

Fortunately, a nearby pedestrian thought it was unusual for a guy to stop and talk to a crying girl, so he videoed the entire encounter. Once the state attorney’s office saw the video, all charges were dropped. No crime had been committed. It was just a guy trying to console a crying girl. It took about a week for the video to surface, and in the meantime, the rush to judgment on social media was unbelievable. He was called a rapist and worse, and his picture was plastered all over the evening news. He was afraid to go outside, and when he did, he was punched in the face by a guy who had seen the TV report.

I agree with “Heartbroken Again” about how society treats people who are different. Thank goodness for the man who took the video. — William C.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

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