Every week, our phones here at the office of the Town and Country ring with people on the other end filling us in on a range of neighbor complaints and stories of neighborhood injustices.

            What is interesting is that the calls come from all over our readership area.  From Quakertown to Pottstown; Harleysville to Macungie; and all points in between.  No community is immune.

            They are the frustrated voices of people seeking solutions to problems on their own streets and in their own backyards.    

            For building, property violations or similar civic-type issues they are advised to notify their municipal officials, in writing or by appearing in person at a public meeting. 

            For more serious issues, we advise them to notify the police department.

            In either suggestion, it is important to get your concerns on the record.

            One thing many of the callers have in common is that they're afraid to come forward, fearing payback from the same neighbors they're complaining about or even relatives or friends of the perpetrators who happen to be (you guessed it) a municipal official.

            Nobody should ever have to fear that – but, sadly, it does happen.

            How can you address a problem properly when properly addressing it could end up penalizing or even hurting you?

            People in large and small communities become victims of living in fear.  Their quality of life reduced by neighborhood bullies and those who just don't care about anybody's rights but their own. 

            Courtesy and compassion are the first victims of neighborhood thugs who decide that what's yours is theirs, too.  They're too full of themselves, or just too insecure, to realize that courtesy and compassion often lead to sharing. 

            Older folks tend to suffer the fear of living in their own homes more often.  When wronged, many are afraid to report it to the proper authorities.  If the problem is bad now, reporting it could make it worse or expose them to new, more serious problems from neighborhood bullies.

            We work hard at helping people live longer, but not so much at helping them live better.

            When disrespect turns into breaking the law, a line must be drawn and something done about it.

            Never fear reporting a wrong but remember three basic rules: document, document and document.

            Document the problem and record all pertinent information. Document your contact with authorities and pass on all of that pertinent information.  Then, ask that authority to share their documentation of your problem with you.  Their documentation could be the minutes of a public meeting or a copy of a police report.

            It's one way to ensure that the problem they are trying to solve is actually the one you reported.

            Talking with someone on the telephone may help you relieve stress, but phone calls rarely get the job done.  A paper trail is always more reliable.