The Olejniczak family moved into the building on Polna Street in May 2007. However, they did not expect to end up living in a house where alcohol-fueled parties regularly take place. “They claim they have been drinking for 20 years and that nobody will do anything to them,” complains Mrs. Joanna. Brawls, fights and nighttime arguments are everyday life for the residents of Polna 18.
The neighborhood conflict had been escalating for many months. In the spring of this year, a man began regularly visiting the neighbors of the Olejniczak family. “He came with a very aggressive dog—without a leash and without a muzzle. He frightened the children,” says Mrs. Joanna. He threatened that the dog would maul her family.
The woman began calling the police. From that moment on, the neighbors’ attacks intensified. “We hear almost every day that they will kill us and burn down our apartment,” says Mrs. Joanna. – “When we want to leave the house, we have to check whether anyone is in the stairwell.”
Their apartment door has been spat on repeatedly. People have relieved themselves on it. “Everything is done out of spite,” says Mrs. Joanna. She tried to intervene almost everywhere. She went to the mayor, to the Municipal Housing Management Authority, and also notified the media. She learned that there was no chance of having the troublesome neighbors relocated. “At the Municipal Housing Management Authority, I was told that as long as they pay, nothing can be done to them,” the woman complains. “It looks as though we are supposed to keep quiet and suffer,” she adds.
“I am afraid for myself and my family,” admits Mrs. Joanna. She is expecting her second child. At the end of November, a drunk man attacked her—the same man who had been coming with the dog. First, he and Mrs. Joanna’s husband almost got into a fight. Then, when the woman went downstairs to collect the mail, the attacker blocked her path. He threatened to kill her and her family. He threw a bottle of vodka at her. It smashed against the wall. He then pushed Mrs. Joanna onto the stairs. The woman managed to push the attacker away. She called her husband. The man then fled. The victim notified the police about the incident.
Some of the premises in the building on Polna Street are administered by TBS. The remaining ones are managed by the Municipal Housing Management Authority. “We have to suffer because of one family. One manager sends us to the other. It is a vicious circle,” says Mrs. Joanna. Police patrols achieve little. Officers would have to catch the troublesome neighbors in the act. And that is not easy at all. “They station one person as a lookout. No one can do anything to them,” the woman says. – “To be honest, I do not really believe that anything can be resolved.”
(information ii)