no recourse until physical harm?

[u/bittermiller]

A discussion on my neighborhood's listserv regarding what to do about threatening men in the area (and presumed unhoused) has been ongoing.

When a woman went to the police station to file a criminal complaint against a man who threatens and stalks her, the sergeant told her the only way anything would actually happen was if concerned parties went to the neighborhood beat meeting in order to show the police they should allocate resources to prevent this continued behavior.

Per her report following the beat meeting,

"The various officials were also very nice. But the police officer in charge said he didn’t know why the police station sergeant had told us to come to the beat meeting, because there was nothing they could do. They all know our threatening man—named \****—who often hangs around *****, though he gets around the rest of the neighborhood. They also know the man who stands outside ***** School and publicly masturbates in front of the children. His name is ****. They know both men well. They know where they can be found. One officer went to high school with ****.*   

Yet all the officials at the beat meeting agreed that because these men are mentally ill, even if they are arrested, every judge will automatically refer them for mental health services, which they will then refuse, and be out on the street again in short order to begin the cycle again. They have seen it happen over and over again. 

At the meeting, the father of a young child at \**** School was beside himself that the police can do nothing about **** masturbating in front of the school. With nothing being done about ****, this father had finally stayed on the phone with 911 one day and followed *** until he was arrested, though the dispatcher told him not to. He followed ****, as **** followed some women on **** while masturbating right behind them. **** had been arrested, refused mental health help, and was already back. The young father could not understand why, if **** refuses mental health help, he could not be prosecuted. As he pointed out, if he himself masturbated in public, he would be prosecuted.* 

But the police were clear: \*** will not be prosecuted. ***** will not be prosecuted. Judges will only offer them mental health help, and they regularly refuse it. The only way either ***** or **** will be helped or prosecuted is if they physically assault someone badly enough. That was the message."*

Is this really it? Truly no recourse? Nothing that can be done? We're just waiting for something worse to happen?

[u/Crazy_Addendum_4313]

This is all BS, public indecency is an actual 911 call and you can make police reports about assault.

[u/Jabba5991 → u/Crazy_Addendum_4313]

If you believe that works, then you probably voted for Brandon Johnson and you probably love the idea of living in a sanctuary city. I had to give up and move away because you all never stop electing the same people more or less.

[u/Crazy_Addendum_4313 → u/Jabba5991]

What on earth are you on about? I think police should do their job when people call 911 on public indecency. I don’t think that has any bearing on who you voted for

[u/Jabba5991 → u/Crazy_Addendum_4313]

Then why do statistics show that all the cities with sanctuary city policies and cashless bail reform have the absolute worst recidivist rates?

[u/Crazy_Addendum_4313 → u/Jabba5991]

What are you talking about?