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How I can make a difference, some progress, not what I expected [1]

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Date: 2023-08-07

My last post was to cryptic. I guess I’m guilty of this. Either this or I lapse to mansplaining. Must be an old guy disease or something.(this is a joke) Conclusion, brief doesn’t work. Hope I don’t revert to the mansplaining. I am trying to be as vague as possible about any identifying details.

I live in a small southern rural community. I will use A, B, C to distinguish the homeowners(HO).

A neighbor of mine, Home Owner A. Bought a home in our community, a rural property owners association. They purchased the property 15 years ago as a vacation home and used it at times for Short-term rentals. Their neighbors, home owner B and C has caused issues for them by complaining and using their position as President(HO B) of the board to cite them, manipulate the realtor to change the listing on their house sale, making it harder to sell, force them to clean up issues that were the result of the neighbor’s(HO C) negligence. Generally a sad experience for the person.

I’m am guessing they may be a minority, as I haven’t met them. (Their name is the only indicator). I moved into the community four years ago and ended up serving on the board. About four years ago when I was inexperienced as a board member, I saw the board(HO B) cite the owner for violations. I later learned thru more experience, It was outside their authority. They did not afford the owners the rights of a property owner(HO A) by state law. The didn’t even follow any standard practice. The one homeowner as president(HO B), unilaterally cited the home owner, giving the home owner no chance to correct the issues. At the time Home Owner A chose to drop the issue rather than fight. I thought it was somehow wrong at the time, but took 3-4 years to learn how it was wrong legally. I did not reach out at the time. That was my mistake.

I became aware recently that a similar issues was again occurring. This time I wrote the person(HO A), detailing how their rights may have been violated and details I knew of the from the previous issue. I thought it would help them fight back at what was occurring. I got a very unexpected response. They were grateful I wrote them. They are choosing to move on and were saddened by their experience. A very humane, kind response. They described, how the treatment they received by neighbors impacted them. I briefly responded in a return of kindness.

I learned several thing. Be more informed. Reach out. Don’t sit back. Sometimes advocacy is not the response needed. People chose their own path. Fighting back is not what may be needed. I felt like I learned from this, and received kindness.

I’m trying to live my politics. Not just consume it. SO much more productive.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/7/2185773/-How-I-can-make-a-difference-some-progress-not-what-I-expected

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