Managing Stress Levels

[professional]

Our story..
My husband and I were awakened all hours of the night and in the wee-hours before daybreaks, for weeks at a time with no resolve. The apartment was clearly vacant and should have been secured or some
other measure taken to prevent these intolerable loud noises. Most recently we have seen the previous occupants, entering and exiting the apartment and watched them remove damaged drywall, bathroom tiles and other damage building debris from the apartments’ interior, below us. We moved in our apartment, expecting to live in a peaceful and quiet community, promised during the lease signing.

It is not our duty to report these incidents to the police any longer, as we have already reported our concerns, with no resolve, for weeks at a time. We were intentionally subjected to continuous taunting, intolerable and obnoxious behaviors, by these troubling occupants, which have interfered with our sleep patterns. After speaking with the property manager about our sleep deprivation, because of this, she says ,she is sorry, but cannot get a third party to validate our complaints. The same noised esculated to the apartment adjacent to our apartment. These occupants were associates of the occupants who lived under use.

The property manager knew the noise would increase and did nothing about it. She made a point in ignoring our concerns. However, we continued to document the incidents with the property manager, corporate office and police. Sometimes the noise was so unbearable, with the screeching sounds. Sometimes, when walking to the kitchen or bathrooms (which were tiled), I can feel vibration from the floor where they was dragging something with my foot steps. (a very ery feeling and rolling something heavy on th walls when using the bathroom to intimidate and frustrate us. They would continue with loud partries in the wee hours of the night,and here them yelling, laughing and pounding the walls when we sitting down at the kitchen table for our meals.

During these loud noise incidents, we would sleep mostly in the daytime and prepared for the disturbed noise at night, because moving to another location, was not a financial option for us at this time. We were awakened one night approximately 10:30 pm by the occupants below us, beginning the night with the same episodes-the dragging of heavy furniture, back and forth and extremely loud screeching sounds echoing throughout our apartment complex and including the sounds of golf balls being constantly dropping, bouncing, and rolling up against our apartment floor & walls. The occupants intentionally did this in retaliation, because we reported them to the property management and the police, when they blocked the side walk toward the entrance of our apartment, coming from shopping.

Their were several of them, dressed in all black, with black shoes with white shoe laces. Many were gathered outside our apartment, and some sat in a circle around the lake with their back packs, gathering for another loud party night. As we made our way closer to the door of our apartment, they insulted us using the "Nig*** word.,with a couple of them suddenly running behind our son (black) and is wife (caucasian) who were our guests, causing an atmosphere of fear and anxiety.

The property manager's office was closed as it was late in the evening. The police was called and we reported the incident to the property manager by email. It took (3) months before something was finally done. The occupants, who lived below us, spearheaded this incident, and eventually had to move. Ironically, the occupants adjacent to us, that was associated with the occupants below us, were not asked to move and continued the loud noises and late night parties.

We reiterate that when calling the non-emergency police number for disturbances, they don’t arrive until 45-minutes to an hour later. After calling the police again on the occupants adjacent to us one night, they saw the police coming, and they ran and took cover dispursing, running into the apartment, turning the loud music off and being very quiet as the officers knocked.

It has been three (3) months since these gangs were forced to move.The constant extreme loud noises and late parties finally came to a stop. However, we are still traumatized by the events that have taken place and hoping to get stress management treatment through a professional Therapist, where we can began the healing process and deal emotionally with the aftermaths.

These recent incident has taken a toll on my sleep habits and other related issues. I have nightmares that I am being held hostage by gang members. I cannot sleep peacefully most nights and find myself jumping up out of sleep, often, from hostage dreams involving my husband and I trying to get away from a street gang, who were after us. These dreams occur several times during the month. Sometimes, I am startled by a normal noise, and have to catch myself, realizing its just someone taking their garbage out or my husband is in the kitchen getting a glass of water.I have never experienced such a thing. I also find myself awaken at night experiencing insomnia and feel irrtable during the day, due to the lack of sleep.

Although both occupants (gnga) are gone, we are cautious and on alert when we leave our apartment to go shopping, as a safety measure, as both occupants were not happy to move on the account of us in the first
place. Sometimes I wake up with headaches. I am not certain if, what I am experiencing is post traumatic stress or what and how to get this condition treated. I am hoping that this forum will give us some
direction.

Although the noises left with the previous occupants, and have new quiet neighbors now, we continue our efforts in looking for a better place to live. We do not want to get caught up in another situation similar to this one, as the property manager seemed to enjoy and encourage the behaviors of these gang groups by giving them permission to have these parties in the first place. Its been 3 months since these ordeals ended, but I am still suffering from the trauma and aftermath.

I would appreciate any feedback. Thank you.