July 4, 2000

My name is Amanda Slatton. I live in Bentree apartments in west Fort Worth. For a month now I have had problems with the people living up above me. I do not know their names so I will have to refer to the girl as X. It started when she first moved in. There was a lot of noise all day and all night. X would leave her radio on full blast and then leave for a few hours. The noise was so loud at times we couldn't hear our television. She would also leave her balcony door open. I saw a white woman coming down the stairs one day and asked her to turn it off. She said she didn't live there but her niece did. She had a key and went upstairs and did turn it off. She informed me that X had left her husband because of violence. I told her that the noise was extremely loud and asked if she would ask X to try to be quieter at night. They were hanging the laundry off the balcony and it fell down on my bushes. I started throwing it away because no one would answer the door if I knocked. Any time I have knocked they would turn their radio up very loud.

I went to the office to tell them about it. They informed me that it was just X and her two children living there and they couldn't be that noisy. I told her that there was a young Hispanic man living there too. They said he wasn't. X soon came and knocked on my door and told me that I don't need to go to the office and complain and that it is her babysitter up there at night. I told her I don't care who is up there I just want to sleep. There was another couple up there before with a small toddler that I could hear sometimes but it didn't bother me. I have had pictures falling off the walls since she moved in. The management told me they don't want to hear about it.

The noise has gotten extremely bad in the past week. I have called the police several times at night. The manager here told me not to call the police anymore, just to call the courtesy officers here. I tried that and nothing happened. Then the manager told me that I never called the courtesy officers. That is not true.

Last week two police officers came to my door demanding to come inside. I asked why. At first they said they wanted to interview me about the noise upstairs. I told them I was on my way out to pick up my son and they could just talk to me outside. My daughter was inside and I didn't feel that she should hear everything or be around things like this. They said they would wait on me. I found that odd and as I started to walk towards my car I noticed they went upstairs. I decided to go into the office and asked what was going on. One of the police officers that came to my door is in the officer here every day. He also spends a lot of time there at night. I believe he is the manager's boyfriend. I told the manager that I'm not comfortable letting people I don't know in my house and that they were extremely rude to me and when they talked to me they kept backing me into the wall. She said she would never send anyone dangerous to my house. She told me that they were just trying to get to the bottom of it and then stressed the fact that I do not need to call the police anymore and to call and leave a message with security here to handle it. Again I told her that I have been calling and they never get quieter. She said she has never had a report of any calls. I walked out and started heading back to my apartment.

Later that same night I ended up calling the police. We have been kept up until 2-4 in the morning every night. My kids were exhausted and so was I. I have had to pick up a lot of trash outside my door lately because someone is throwing it there. The noise coming from upstairs is mainly pounding sounds. There are people that come up and down the stairs all night. I hear drunken people out there talking and I walked out once because someone kept knocking on the wall. I saw a small child running up and down the stairs, it was around 1:30 in the morning. Then I heard some man yelling to get inside and I shut my door. The kids upstairs were crying and people had been knocking on the door all night.

At this point I had called the office several times and the police and the security officers. It was obvious the people were not going to stop. I told the manager that the guy was living there and was not just the babysitter. X is a stripper and is not there at night.

Saturday evening a friend of mine named Tina came over to show me her autographed picture of some country singer named George Straight. We were outside looking at the plants on my balcony and talking about them. I showed her how my bushes were dented in because someone upstairs had jumped off the balcony the other night. Then we were just talking and X walked out, we scooted out of the way so she could get by. She approached me immediately and started yelling at me, telling me I better quit calling the police and that it is her boyfriend up there and she works at night. I told her I don't care who is up there but we haven't sleep for a week and I'm tired of it. The night before some woman was stumbling down the stairs and her boyfriend was outside yelling and the kids were crying and we could hear every bit of it.

X started shoving her hand in my face telling me that she is a 20-year-old dancer with kids and pays her own bills and that I must be trying to destroy her. I told her to get her hand out of my face because her finger was almost in my eye. She said no that she could do whatever she wanted and that I can't prove anything. I asked her if she wanted me to do it back. By the way, at this point we were screaming. I put my hand up and she knocked it out of the way and said she was going to kill me. I said "Fuck it, I'm calling the cops and putting and end to this now." I didn't want my kids around this. I went inside to use the phone and told Tina to stay with my kids. I called 911 and could still hear her outside saying she would kill me. Now, I am not scared of her physically but I did not touch her. I have always told my children that they shouldn't physically fight unless there are no other alternatives.

When I came outside she was telling her boyfriend to get the kids and go. He locked the door and left on foot with the two kids. He didn't even bother to put a shirt on. I waited on the police. X took off on foot and went in the opposite direction of her boyfriend. Tina followed her and tried to convince her to stay so we could get it all worked out. X told Tina that she was on probation and would go to jail if she got in anymore trouble. Tina came back and informed me that while I was inside calling the police that X had told her boyfriend to go hit me and stop me from calling the police. He came down the stairs with one of the kids in his arms and started towards my door. Tina grabbed a bottle and told him she would break it on the wall and cut him if he laid a hand on me. I heard a noise on the door and that's when I walked back outside. That is when I was walking back outside and saw them leave.

The police came shortly after. One of them drove around looking for them but found nothing. There was an officer I will call officer A that took the report. He said he lives here and hasn't heard anything at all about problems with them. I told him I called security the night before and he said I did not because it was his night to answer calls. I did too call and no one ever called back. He said he would talk to the answering service to see if something was wrong. Tina told him what had happened and they didn't seem to take it very seriously. By the way, I'm sitting here listening to them fight and bang around right now but I'm too scared to call for help. It's 11:20 at night. Anyway he said he could give her a ticket for assault by threat and I told him I would appreciate that. Officer Mills that lives here came up and said he had been called up before over loud music. They asked what her name was and I said I didn't know. I still don't know. They all went in the office and said they would pull the files.

Later that night Officer A did come by and check on me.

Officer A had given me a report number and I called Monday and found out that a detective named Pate was in charge of it. He asked what X's name was and I said I didn't know. He asked for the manager's number and I gave it to him. He said he could give her a ticket and I told him I would appreciate that.

Yesterday Tina and I went into the office together to see what was going to happen. We are both scared someone will come after us because X had told her she knew where Tina lived. The two police officers that harassed me were sitting in the office with the manager as usual. They didn't say a word. The manager wouldn't even look at me but told Tina that X would be transferred to another apartment as soon as one came available. She said the case was closed and that Officer A was handling it and had gone and talked to X that day.

That seemed odd because Officer Pate is supposed to be the one doing it. I called Pate and he said he had not gotten to it yet.

Something is not right about any of this. The police officers that came to my door would not tell me their names but I got the numbers off the cars they were driving yesterday when we saw them at the office. 882W and 883W. I called the police department and they told me not to let anyone in and to call 911 if they came back and tried to get in again. I have been told by the manager and the police officers living here not to call the police department ever and to call the security here and leave a message. The manager got very upset and started yelling at me when I told her I was going to call the police from now on so it would be on record. I told her I would send my complaints certified and she told me I better not. She said not to send any certified mail to her office at all and not to call the police department. I find this very strange. The police department told me to call them and that it doesn't seem right for these police officers to tell me not to call.

I do not like living underneath people that threatened my life. I was outside cooking on my grill tonight and the boyfriend up there kept walking down the stairs and around the building staring at me. He did this several times. They are still pounding on the floor and making a lot of noise. I even called my doctor to ask for sleeping pills and yet I still wake up because of the pounding. My children spent the night with my father and my son slept 14 hours and my daughter slept 16 hours. They were tired. I'm still tired. They sleep with their clothes on now and my son runs in the bathroom every time someone knocks at the door. They are having nightmares. I mentioned this to the manager Monday morning when Tina and I were in the office, she ignored it and the police officers smirked. They seem to find it amusing. It is hard for me when my children ask why the people upstairs aren't' being forced to move. I would like an answer too. At this very moment my kids are complaining about being awake. It is very loud. They just turned up the TV to try to block them out. It is 11:36 right now and there is no use in trying to sleep. I'm scared to call the police because I don't want those other officers coming and doing something to me. Officer A told me there are only six officers on this side and three of them live here.

We live in fear now and have no one to turn to for help. The more I call the police and ask for help the worse it gets. I was also told by Officer A that X's probation officer would not be notified. I don't believe that is right. I don't know what she is on probation for and am scared it could be for violence. They both took off when I called 911 and must have some reason to avoid the police. This worries my kids and me. My kids are scared of the police now and have told me that someone should do something about it because they are bad. That's the truth.

I am very scared of the officers in the cars 882W and 883W. They were very intimidating and I don't like being accused of doing drugs or selling them either. I am not the kind of person that would do that. I had back surgery in February and still have problems. I have to take medication now and am tired of it; I am not a drug dealer and find it very insulting to be accused of that. I was stuck in bed for months because of pain and could not walk. If I was selling drugs I would have had something to take for the pain. I went through hell with my health and someone even offered to buy me pain pills off the Internet and I wouldn't do it. I eventually found a good doctor and soon after had my surgery and medicine to help control the pain. I just finished physical therapy. I'm completely broke and my dad is paying my bills and has been for months now. I have one more trip to the doctor and then I can start looking for a job and finally go back to work. I also find the fact that they refused to tell me their names or talk to me outside odd. When I called the manager after they left she said she was on the other line with them and that they never said those things to me. I am telling the truth and do not understand why the people above me are not being evicted, why no one is getting arrested, why I'm told not to send my complaints or reports certified and why I'm told to not call the police.

I do not like being scared all the time. I am planning on moving as soon as I can find a house. I am contacting the tenant association in Fort Worth and am sending a letter to the owners of the property. The manager here would not give me the name or address but I found it through the Appraisal Office. The manager here also told me I better not contact them.

All I have done is asked for it to be quiet at night. People have been in my apartment and heard the noise. I am asking friends now to spend the night here so I will have witnesses in case those bad cops come back or the people upstairs bother me. X has come to my door in the past. I have never tried to start a fight with anyone and when she told me that her boyfriend had been beating her and she left him I even told her that if she needed anything she could come knock on my door or if she needed any help with the kids I am home all the time and don't mind. Her aunt had told me once that I should be careful and watch if her boyfriend comes around because he is violent and that she keeps going back to him and they fight a lot. She even told me to call the police if I hear it. X told me how hard it was for her leaving her boyfriend and trying to make it and I told her I understood because I've been through the same situation and just to let me know if she needed any help. It wasn't really that bad until her boyfriend moved in with her. I hear him hitting her and screaming at the kids all the time. There are times I'm on the phone and have to go outside to talk so I can hear. People on the phone with me can hear it sometimes. They are the ones on probation; the guy takes off if cops are around. I simply do not understand why no one is doing anything and why I'm told the things I am.

July 5, 2000

I had to call the police again this evening. I was walking inside my apartment and the boyfriend upstairs was watching me from his balcony. Every time I go outside he watches me now. I get scared because he is the one that tried to come in my house to hurt me. Every single time he sees me go inside he will crank up his stereo and jump around. He told the police that he was in the bathroom and the little boy up there turned it up. He was lying because he was standing on the balcony. I didn't give my name when I called because the manager here told me not to call anymore and the two cops that harassed me told me not to call. I'm scared something will happen to me. Luckily Officer A was the one to respond and he came to my door. He knew I was the one that called. I didn't mind him coming at all. He explained some things to me about the citations being issued and the fact that they have to hear the noise to do anything. They always turn it down right before the cops get here. I know they are friends with the people in the building across from me and I am starting to think that they must call the boyfriend and X when they see the police cars pull up. The people in the building across from me have been harassing another woman here, she has called the manager here several times and nothing has been done. I do feel safer knowing he is around. There is also another officer here that he says is really good and I know he lives close by. I know they are tired of me calling but it's like living in hell here. The people above me never sleep. I hear things crashing all the time, there's no need to list everything, living in hell is the only way I can describe it. I've always gotten along with everyone and now I'm scared every time I walk out the door.

I have also found out that the office has things in my file that are not true. They claim I have cursed at them. I have never cursed at them. In the beginning they told me to call when something happened and they would take care of it. I did call security several times and nothing happened. The people started throwing all their trash on my doorstep and I called. They were hanging clothes off the balcony and it was all falling on my bushes. I tried to return but like I said earlier, every time I knock on their door they won't answer and they start stomping around and turning up the radio. I starting throwing the clothes away and the manager said that was fine and that she would too. I have never called anyone in that office names. I went in there on the July 1st to pay the rent. My son was with me and gave the girl the check. The manager wasn't even there, she called on the phone while I was there and the girl in the office said to her "Amanda is here, yes, she's about to leave, I'll do it in a minute." She then put the manager on hold and looked at me and smiled and told me "Don't worry Amanda, I have everything documented that you have told us and we are doing our best to get her out."

I called the office the other day and talked to one of the women there, she said she was by herself and having a busy day. I told her that I had to call security the night before because I could hear those kids screaming and they had been running up and down the stairs and people were slamming doors in the middle of the night. I told her that I haven't slept in days and I need something done. She told me "Believe me, we are trying, I know it's been a problem." I asked "I'm not the only one that has complained am I?" She responded "You didn't hear it from me." This woman's name is Mary and she is usually nice. She was there Monday when Tina and I went in to ask what was going to be done about it. Mary was acting odd and barely said a word, which is unusual for her. She is usually very chatty with us and friendly. She walked off for a minute and Tina looked at me and said "I wonder what's wrong with her today." Mary then came out and told us we could go speak to the manager. The two police officers that had been harassing me were there and they had a lot of files on the desk. The manager seemed to be busy writing in them and separating things. Like I said earlier, the manager wouldn't even look at me or speak to me. It bothered me when I told her that my son runs to the bathroom when someone knocks on the door and that my kids are sleeping with me now and she totally ignored me and the cops laughed.

My kids saw the woman threaten to kill me and saw the boyfriend try to get in my house. They are scared something is going to happen in the middle of the night. They are scared someone will shoot us through the windows. Some of the neighbors that X and the boyfriend lived next to in a few buildings over warned us to be careful because the boyfriend has a lot of guns and is very violent. According to them they had the same problems I'm having. One woman told me that she could hear the baby crying all the time and wondered why no one would pick it up.

I'm really pissed about all this. I have not done anything wrong at all. I have been harassed by cops that deny even being here and refused to tell me their names. The manager said she sent them and then later that day she told me I must be confused because they weren't here. Now I find out they put a bunch of lies about me in my file. What am I supposed to do? I'm gathering the money to get the hell out of here. So are my friends. I have had people here come and tell me to be careful because they have heard my name in the office and the door always gets closed if anyone looks at the person talking about me. I have been warned that they are going to set me up because I told the manager that I found the owners address, she refused to give it to me and according to the law she has to give it to me. I asked in person. The Texas Apartment Association said that I should send a request certified and that they have to respond and give me the information within 5 days or I can take them to court and they have to pay me $100 plus one months rent and pay court fees and that I can get out of my lease. I just asked for it in person because I didn't feel like driving to the post office and standing in line. She refused to give it to me and now she has gone and lied about everything I have said. I told her I would just write everything down and that way there will be no confusion and no misunderstandings. She said she didn't want it and I better not send it certified. I have had people in the office with me and they know I haven't cursed at anyone or said any of the things I have been accused of. The only time I have ever used any bad language was when I called in about a black man at the pool playing really nasty music outloud, the song had the words fuck, nigger, white nigger, kill motherfucking cops and stuff like that. There was a woman at the pool once that went in and complained. The manager came out and made them turn it off. The same man was calling my daughter and her friends fucking bitches and white niggers one time. Everyone here has complained about him. He called me a white nigger one time because a young woman forgot her baby float and came back and asked me to hand it to her. The man started yelling that I was a white nigger and he wanted that for his baby. Three of us went in the office once because there was a woman there that had on a g-string and took off her top. I've never cursed at any of the women in the office, I've only told them what was yelled at all of us and I told them my kids don't need to see naked women at the pool or listen to music with nigger and motherfucker in the lyrics. Every time this man comes out everyone leaves. It's obvious he hates white people. Both times someone went in the office to complain about the problems at the pool the manager went out there and stopped it all. I've had people with me and I wasn't even the main one complaining. I don't like to go in the office because the manager is always rude. No one likes going in there. I will call when someone calls my children names.

My daughter is almost 13 and is developing rapidly. I've heard the guys in the building across from me, that are friends with X and the boyfriend, make sexual remarks to her. We were at the pool one day and she had gone back to the apartment to get a drink and use the bathroom. When she came back she told me the guys in that apartment were yelling at her calling her by my name and asking where she was going. I found it odd that they knew my name. There are two black men that look very young that I have seen going in the apartment upstairs and across from me that always ask me if I need a man or if I have a boyfriend. They know my name too. From everything X was yelling last night it seems as if the office here has told her a lot about me. I can't even find out her name to file for a protective order. I have been told that I do not have the legal right to get her name until the case is closed. Officer Pate told me this.

So basically, I'm pissed off, my feelings are hurt and I'm scared to death. I want X to at least be given a citation ticket, it's been five days since she threatened to kill me and they still haven't given her the ticket. I'm tired of calling the police. X and her boyfriend obviously know more about how all this police stuff works than I do because they seem to slip through every time. X was yelling that she would go to jail if she gets in trouble one more time, which makes me worry and wonder about what she was in trouble for to begin with. The boyfriend took off pretty fast when 911 was called. It really makes me angry and scared that these people can do these things and get away with it. X and her aunt appeared to be pretty close with the manager here. It is obvious they are dealing drugs because of all the traffic in and out at night. Most of that has stopped since I called 911 and the camaro with their friends hasn't been back. The people that pull up in that are strange. One girl has purple hair and walks around in shorts with her bottom hanging out, the guy is always wearing long sleeves no matter how hot it is. They go upstairs with fast food bags and then a few hours later I find the trash from it in front of my door. One time I was walking in my door and someone threw water down the stairs and ran inside. I didn't see who did it. I never looked up when I went in and out of my apartment before but now I do to make sure no one is going to do anything to me.

I have been lied to and lied about. I need help and protection and have nowhere to turn. It seems as if there is some kind of drug ring going on here or something else and the manager is doing everything she can to protect it.

The manager made sure to tell me that her boyfriend is one of the cops here. I don't think all the cops that live here are dirty, I feel pretty safe with two of them. I'm not sure who the third one is because there are two she sent out to harass me. I don't like being backed into a wall by anyone but it's worse when a police officer does it. I get nervous around anyone with a gun. My husband would pull out his shotguns when we fought. Those cops that harassed me are bigger than me. I've never seen any police officers act that way. And yes, I am scared. Something is wrong with this entire situation. I will be moving soon. I'll just give the thirty-day notice and pay for a whole month and get the hell out. The Tenant Association told me today that I can move anytime I want as long as I pay for a full month. They also told me to take pictures of the apartment or use a video camera when I move out so the management can't try to say I left the apartment in bad shape. I was told to have no contact with anyone in the office and to send the notice certified mail. I was told to bring someone with me when I turn the keys in. I have called the Better Business Bureau and found out there have been complaints against this apartment complex before.

I just want to be left alone. All I wanted was to simply work something out about the noise. My ceiling fan had to be replaced and I was tired of my pictures falling off the walls. I was tired of being woken up by loud crashes and then hearing crying. I was tired of being in bed awake in the middle of the night unable to fall asleep. I actually went 48 hours without sleep because of the noise. I was tired of being told not to call the police. The manager told me that it needed to be documented that there was a problem. I informed them I had been calling security. She stood in front of me 6 days ago yelling at me accusing me of lying about calling security because they haven't reported anything at all. That's why I started calling the police last week. I don't know what happened when the police were up there. One night I had to call twice and all the police station told me was that the second time they were there for a long time. That was the night some woman was outside on the doorstep yelling, she sounded drunk. The people that live across from me have told me they hear it too. I hear more than anyone else does because I sleep on my sleeper sofa in the living room. I don't mind hearing the door close and if I'm awake I hear X come in at about 2:30. What bothers me is the crashing sounds and the crying and the people running up and down the stairs in the middle of the night or the people jumping off the balcony. I hear it because I'm trying to sleep right underneath it. I don't like that man watching me every time I go outside. I tried to be nice and go through the proper channels. The apartment association said that I should have sent all the complaints certified mail because they can just lie and make up whatever they want. And that's exactly what they have done. I don't know what they are trying to protect but I just want to have some peace in my home and sleep at night. I'm used to going to bed early and getting up early. Now I stay up late because there is either so much noise we can't sleep or I'm so stressed out I can't sleep. It's 12:23 right now and I just heard thumping on the stairs and the baby was crying. I don't even hear my own kids this much.

If I stop updating my website, I guess that means I'm dead.