Friday, November 19, 2010

My Neighborhood

I posted this on my FaceBook page a few days ago:

" Last night my neighbors packed up their kids and all of their belongings and walked away from their home. They bought at the height of the real estate market and were terribly upside down on the property. After more than a year of struggling they had enough. They left in the middle of the night because they were embarrassed. They shouldn't have been..."


You hear about the foreclosures and people loosing their homes but when it hits so close to you, the affects are sobering. Our neighbors purchased their home around 2006 or 2007. The previous owner was asking $550,000.00 but the price was eventually lowered to $535,000.00. At the time, that was considered a bargain for a 1600sq.ft, 3Brm., 2.5Bth home. Within 24 months of them moving in the homes dropped to a low of $400,000.00. Could you imagine paying $2,700.00 each month knowing that you're upside down by $135,000.00? So, what choice did they have? They couldn't refinance the property. I guess they could have continued paying the outrageous interest on the loan and hope that the home would eventually appreciate to their original purchase price...in ten or twenty years, perhaps. It's sad, there really was no easy way out, short of a rich benefactor, relative or friend. So, they walked away from their investment, taking with them a tab for over a half million dollars.


San Jose, CA.
A couple of months ago, my neighbor across the street also moved out suddenly and without warning, though the circumstances were quite different. The neighbor across the street moved here about 2 years ago. I'll call her "Jane".


I met Jane and her husband when they were moving in. They were standing out front of the house and I waved at them as I past by; it was the neighborly thing to do. This started a daily ritual of obligatory waves which eventually led to a few brief but pleasant conversations. One day, Jane came over to my house and wanted to talk about a problem she was having. I invited her into my house and she began to tell me about the neighbor that lived next door to her. Jane told me that her neighbor had two large dogs and their backyard was in serious need of  cleaning. The neighbors didn't clean up the after the dogs and this caused an infestation of flies. When she went to talk to the neighbor about the fly problem, an argument ensued. Since the neighbors were renters, Jane thought it would be best to talk with the homeowner instead. When the neighbor found about that Jane spoke to their landlord, the neighbor began threatening her. According to Jane, the neighbor told her that she planned to burglarize her home at the first opportunity. The neighbor then began making harassing phone calls and trying to look over her fence and into her backyard to intimidate her.


This all seemed a bit strange. I don't actually know Jane's neighbor but I do know the owner of the home that they're renting. The homeowner is a Lt. with the San Jose Police Department and the renters are his niece and her fiancĂ©e. I couldn't imagine that type of thing going on with them but then you never really know people, do you? Jane asked me to keep an eye out for anything suspicious and of course, keep this between the two of us. 


A couple of days later, I noticed a police car in front of Jane's house. A short while later, a police officer walked out of her home and over to the neighbor's house. I saw the officer enter the neighbor's house and saw the door close behind him. I didn't hear from Jane for a couple of weeks so I assumed things were all worked out.

About three or four weeks later, I came home to find two police cars in front of Jane's house. The officers came out of her home and stood outside for a long time talking. Soon, a district supervisor drove up and joined the conversation. They talked for a long time and eventually, each officer got in their cars and drove off.

A day or two past and there came a knock at my door, it was Jane. She appeared to be really on edge and wanted my help. Jane needed to go to the grocery store but she was afraid to leave her house. She said her last run in with the neighbors really had her scared. She was sure that her neighbor was going to vandalize or break into her home if she left. I asked her where her husband was and she told me he was at work. At this point, I felt it was time for some straight talk. I told her that she had to find some way to make peace with the neighbors or she should consider moving elsewhere. This ongoing feud was clearly unhealthy and disruptive to their lives, something had to change. Jane agreed but her immediate problem was that she needed some basic household items and was afraid to leave home. So, I did what any good neighbor would do, I agreed to house sit while she went shopping.

When I arrived at her home, I was completely stunned. Her home was absolutely immaculate. It was like a semiconductor cleanroom. It was as if someone sterilized the home and sealed it shut, never allowing anyone to sit on the furniture or walk on the carpet. Even the fresh fruit on the counter was perfect; not a bruise or blemish! Contrast that with our home; Danielle's graffiti on our walls, the juice and ink and "who knows what else" stains on our carpet. I was almost afraid to touch anything. Jane told me to make my self at home (yeah, right). She told me that I could use her computer or watch TV until she came back. Before leaving for the store, Jane warned me that her neighbors had a habit of listening through her walls.

 "Listening through the walls?" That comment struck me like a Mac truck. "Listening through the walls?" Could this be what I think it is? How could I have not seen this? I sat there in stunned disbelief for the next 45 minutes.

When Jane came back, I decided it was time to probe a bit deeper into the issue with the neighbor. I told her that the neighbors didn't pose a problem while she was gone but I wanted to know all about what was happening. Jane went into great detail about the battles and threats she has endured with the renters next door. Jane told me that the neighbors were not only listening through the walls but they were climbing on her roof attempting to break in. I asked how they would access the house through the roof since she had no chimney or fireplace. She wasn't sure how they were going to break in but they were determined to try.

I left Jane's house with a heavy heart. Jane wasn't much older than 25 years old. Her husband was slightly older and they had just started their lives together. For most newly wed couples this is a time to pursue your dreams as partners in life. It was really sad to witness the devastation that schizophrenia can have on an individual and on a family. What about her spouse? What was he experiencing? Did he know of her condition before they were married? What about the collateral damage; the neighbors who were falsely accused and had the police called on them repeatedly?

As the former Executive Director of The National Alliance on Mental Illness in Santa Clara County, you'd think that I would have seen the signs well in advance.The obsession with the neighbors, the wild accusations and irrational complaints should have been indicators of a deep seeded problem. I should have seen it but I didn't. She was such a nice and sympathetic young lady that I wanted to help, I wanted to believe her.

So, my neighbor across the street also moved out suddenly and without warning, though the circumstances were quite different.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Are You Due A Refund?

Hawkin' Books on
Larry King Live
A few weeks ago, I saw Jenny McCarthy on the Larry King Show. Oddly enough, she wasn’t talking about her son’s autism or his miraculous “cure”, she wasn’t selling a book on autism, she wasn’t talking about the medical community, diets or the CDC. She was talking about the break up of her relationship with Jim Carrey. Of course, she was selling a book about their relationship and break-up. (As if that is interesting to anyone but them…) After a moment or two of listening to the discussion, I turned the channel to something more interesting; Women’s International Curling or something like that...

 The next day, I told my wife about Jenny McCarthy being on Larry King’s Show and she said that Jenny McCarthy had recently appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Once again there was no mention of her son’s autism, his “cure” or anything remotely associated with autism. This has me thinking, what is Jenny McCarthy really known for? Sure, she is often introduced as an actress, comedian and activist but really, what is she known for? The answer, for me at least, is autism advocacy. I couldn’t tell you any movie that would qualify her as an actress, though I know she must have been in a movie(s).  Like many "actresses", I know she posed for PlayBoy Magazine. However, her bread and butter over the past several years has been autism; Autism advocacy and book sales. Her very public crusade against vaccines, and in favor of nontraditional therapies and diets have had an enormous influence on parents and caregivers. Her claims that her son was “cured” of autism sparked both controversy and hope for countless families. So why is it that she has been avoiding the topic that she has adopted as her standard for the past several years?

According to LBRB Autism News Science and Opinion, www.leftbrainrightbrain.com, Jenny McCarthy's son may never have had autism.
Did You Buy This Book?...or any
of her other books?
It is not even certain that her child ever had autism; neurologists have pointed out that her description of the symptoms, and recovery, are more consistent with a rare disorder, Landau-Kleffner Syndrome. Ms. McCarthy may thus be trumpeting a “cure” for a disease of which she has no parental experience.”

If this true, do you think Ms. McCarthy has any responsibility or obligation to address this with the public? Should she have to address this huge gaff with all the "Warrior Moms" out there whom she encouraged to avoid vaccinating their children? How about refunding the money from all of the books and "expert" advice she's been pedaling for the past few years? How about an acknowledgement to the medical community that she was dealing with another disability other than autism so, "never mind" all the things that were said.

If this is true, how about doing us all a favor and going into a self-imposed exile from the spotlight. No more Larry King, no more Oprah, no more books, no tours and hold on to your "expert" advice. Take the millions you've made off of your books and drop out of site.

What a wasted opportunity. To have the pulpit and waste it on speculation, misinformation, finger-pointing and so-called "cures" based upon a mis-diagnosis. It angers me that people who have an opportunity to really help those in need use it as a way to make money and be famous. I guess it is better press to accuse the medical community of conspiring to hurt our children rather than to advocate for special education reform or innovative strategies to assimilate young adults with ASD into our labor force. It's much easier to sell books that tell of "cures" and of ways to "reverse" the affects of autism than to sell books about the need to increase the number of people entering the fields of special education, occupational and speech therapy. A totally squandered opportunity to make strides for countless individuals and families.

Give ME the pulpit for a minute. The focus would be on our family and loved one's future and not on the past. The focus would be on assimilation and education not on blame and conspiracy. The focus would be on helping our loved ones achieve their individual level of self-reliance not on selling miracle cures and books.
Stick With What You Do Best
"Warrior Mom"
Jenny McCarthy ought to be ashamed but obviously none of this is an issue for her. If it were, she wouldn't be showing up on the talk show circuit, again.