Ask the Oracle

In this new Ask the Oracle series, we pose a problem situation typical of life in multifamily public and subsidized housing and will present the best answers in the next newsletter. This time, the case of the unwanted tenants.

Thomasina, Dick, and, Hariette are members of the "Guardians," a group of tenants who take pride in the Erehwon community, and are upset by their new neighbors, Jack and Jill, an elderly married couple. Jill lives with disability. Although parking spaces are not allocated to individuals, they resent that Jack and Jill park close to their  own apartment entrance, where Hariette has "always" parked, despite being warned of "consequences" by Dick. Gossip and rumors about Jack and Jill have spread all over the Erehwon community. Jack is said to be a drug dealer and they are believed to be fugitives from another state, and many tenants think that Jill considers herself superior to her neighbors because she dresses like a fashion model.

Thomasina, Dick, and Hariette have each complained to Lucy, the manager of the Erehwon public housing complex about Jack and Jill.  According to the Guardians,

"Jack and Jill are always insisting on trying to join groups of residents sitting in the shade and expecting to join us when we have our cook-outs, even though we didn't invite them. And they keep getting good people in trouble by complaining about all the rules." They question whether Jack and Jill belong there. They say that they are fearful of Jack and Jill and believe they could become violent.

How should the manager, Lucy, respond? What should she do? What should she NOT do?

Please submit your answers AND your new questions to the Oracle.