Neighbors contemplate solutions to ‘Nazi’ house problem
INDIANAPOLIS — Since May, neighbors of the “Nazi” house on South Emerson Avenue have tracked 109 instances of the homeowner doing things they say constitute harassment of the community.
Neighbors told I-Team 8 that they began logging entries because of an increase in the activities listed below.
- May 10, 2022, 2:55 a.m., metal on metal banging.
- May 30, 2022, 2:11 a.m., compressed air horn.
- July 22, 2022, 2:15 a.m., fire crackers.
The Indianapolis Business and Neighborhood Services Department told I-Team 8 they couldn’t do anything to prevent the homeowner from doing things like that.
I-Team 8 took the list to a lawyer with experience in civil law.
Lawyer Arie Lipinksi said, “I would consider those activities to fall within the purview of nuisance laws.”
Lipinski said if neighbors file a civil lawsuit, they could win an injunction from a judge. That would legally prevent the person who lives here from doing things described on this list.
If the homeowner doesn’t comply with the injunction, neighbors could take the matter back to a courtroom.
“Try to enforce the order of the judgment against them, and then the court could, if they continue to violate a court order, the court could hold that person in contempt,” Lipinksi said.
Without somebody filing a lawsuit seeking an injunction he can just continually do this, or anybody really in any neighborhood could just do this as much as they want?
“Yes, if the city is not prosecuting it and he’s not causing any damages to their property, or their person, yes,” Lipinksi said.
IMPD told I-Team 8 neighbors could also reach out to a community resource officer who could attempt to broker peace between the neighborhood and this homeowner to stop the activities described on the list.
Neighbors in the area told I-Team 8 they’re not sure which option they’ll choose, either through IMPD or through a civil lawsuit, but they’re just hoping that one of those options does help with what they said is harassment of their neighborhood.