HELP: Need advice/suggestions/information QUICKLY PLEASE!

[AJ]

I need the assistance of anyone "out there" who has relevant information about how residents of "what used to be very NICE and reasonably priced and maintained manufactured home community" in Georgia, can form, develop or start a community/neighborhood association or watch for our own benefit.

There is entirely TOO much to explain about why I'm requesting anyone's prompt response to this post, but suffice it to say, the over 1,000 long-time residents of our MHC are thoroughly ticked off with the management and the decline of our MHC for numerous legitimate and documented reasons. The major problem is the fact that we adult residents need to have the freedom, without retailation, to form a network of residents who are determined to manage the neighborhood we live in, because it is all too apparent that the existing management is interested only in collecting Lot Rent, extorting additional fees by way of penalties or fines for arbitrary issues, while simulatneously increasing the Lot Rent EVERY year yet continue to provide inadequate or non-existent enforcement or resolution as concerns the QUIET and PEACEFUL ENJOYMENT our own community!

I am prepared to go to court and involve the media if necessary, but I need as much information as I can get in the quickest timeframe possible because I'm sick and tired (as are many others who live here) of what's going on, NOT going on, and the lack of communication/awareness that we as residents and neighbors have concerning the welfare of our families. Many of us feel trapped, or held hostage once we move in and see how things REALLY are! People move out in the middle of the night; concerns/complaints/requests to the OFFICE (on-site management) falls on deaf ears and if deemed to be problematic for them, subsequent incidents of subtle retaliation occur by way of fines to the resident who properly informed management of whatever . . .

In the past month, I've witnesses a speeding car run through a stop sign in my yard and crash into the single wide home across the street before desperately regaining control in order to narrowly miss the utility box near the house! It took the police 45 minutes to arrive and there were a number of witnesses.

A week or so before that, in broad daylight, I was leaving my home to take my son to a friend's house and we, as well as other residents on my street, watched as two law enforcement officers stood in the middle of my street, 2-3 houses up, with guns drawn, and aimed at a person sitting in a car who allegedly had said
"Shoot Me, Shoot Me"!

After taking the alternate street out of our ONE WAY IN/ONE WAY OUT neighborhood (without any speed bumps to enforce the posted 15 MPH speed limit throughout the complex), I came back home by way of the streets I routinely use, but was prevented from passing by because there were now at least 6-8 law enforcement vehicles lined up on either side of my street! A driver's side door was open and the officers clearly saw me, but not one of them bothered to make way for me to pass until they got good and ready, which was several minutes later.

I recently learned from the neighbor across the street that the person who had been held at gunpoint and arrested shortly thereafter, had KILLED his wife around Christmas time by mixing up her medication!

I have a teenage son who sleeps alone in our house just 3 houses away while I'm at work from 10PM-7AM Monday-Friday! I CAN NO LONGER TOLERATE BEING SILENT, AFRAID TO SPEAK UP, OR COMPLACENT WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT'S HAPPENING TO WHERE I LIVE!

I am committed to talking to as many of my neighbors as possible throughout the next few days and inviting them to a Meet & Greet/Get To Know Your Neighbor outing across the street at the school. I'm interesting in soliciting the willingness and participation of any adult who shares the overwhelming thoughts, feelings and sense of hopelessness that management will ever do its job, or refrain from continuing to extort and threaten residents who just want the right to quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their homes, without fear of reprisal or retaliation for making our voices collectively heard.

Please point me (us) in the right direction as to whether we can in fact form such an association, what's involved, and what other steps do we need to take in order to force management to be accountable, perform their documented 'high quality services' and to resolve the countless, long-standing concerns of the residents who are forced to pay increased rents annually for private property that we do not, nor can ever own, and who generally do not have the necessary funds to move our MH elsewhere.

Any information forthcoming is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
AJ

[Chrissy]

What a situation! However, I do have two suggestions. First, contact the owners of your community - not the management (the onsite people whom you have obviously already tried to work with) but the truw owners. Share this missive (very well written, by the way) with them. Get as many of your neighbors to sign it or write their own viewpoint as possible. The ultimate goal of this action is to get the owner to realize that the value of the investment made in your community is declining, and onsite management appears not to be doing anything. Then, secondly, contact the local police department or sheriff's office and get them to help you and your neighbors start a Neighborhood Watch program. This program is based on neighbors watching out for neighbors - being the eyes and ears for the police department. It works because it requires everyone to become more obvious about watching out for everyone else - and to never do it alone. Thousands of these groups across the country have successfully "taken back" their communities, subdivisiions, and developments from crime. That activity does not replace good management however, it only supplements it. You still should contact the owners of the community for resolution of some of the other issues. Should you have trouble finding the ownership, consult the tax records. Good luck to you and your community!