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“[Am I The Jerk] For Refusing To Let A Woman Take From My Greenhouse And Pressing Charges”
According to the biblical version, the entire history of humanity began with plucked fruit in a garden, and since then, apparently, this has become a common theme for many conflicts between people. Especially if these people live next door to each other and are still not very familiar.
We’ve told you many stories about neighbors fighting over all sorts of green spaces on their territories – and it’s time for another plot. It first appeared in the narrative of the user u/AITAGreenHouse and, as you probably already understood from the author’s username, we’ll talk about a greenhouse in their garden. However, let’s talk about everything in more detail.
More info: Reddit
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The author lives in a house in a small, nice neighborhood with kind neighbors with whom he’s always ready to share some vegetables from his greenhouse
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Recently a woman moved into the neighboring house – but the man ended up getting acquainted with her under strange circumstances
Image credits: AITAGreenHouse
Image credits: standret / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author saw on CCTV camera that someone was in his greenhouse, went there – and caught the neighbor and some teen there, stealing his vegetables
Image credits: AITAGreenHouse
Image generated by Bored Panda using chatGPT
The woman first told him that “she had the owner’s permission” but when the author told her he was the owner, she just got dramatic
Image credits: AITAGreenHouse
The woman refused to drop the vegetables and leave, so the man simply called the police on her – despite all her rants
So, the Original Poster (OP) tells us that he’s 30 years old and he lives in a small, nice neighborhood, where everyone has known everyone well for a long time. Recently, a woman moved into the neighboring house, but the author met her under very unusual and rather unpleasant circumstances.
Our hero has a greenhouse in which he grows vegetables. Being quite a kind person, he’s ready to share part of the harvest with his neighbors – if he is asked, of course. But when he saw some movement in his greenhouse through the CCTV camera, he met a new neighbor and some teen there, picking his tomatoes and peppers.
When our hero kindly asked what she was doing there, the woman calmly stated that everything was fine and she was friends with the owner of the garden. Then the OP, not so friendly this time, told her that he was actually the owner and that he demanded that she immediately drop all the collected vegetables – or he would call the police.
Then the neighbor threw a real tantrum, saying that she needed to feed her kid, and the toxic OP wasn’t letting her do it. Our hero didn’t succumb to this provocation, but simply waited for the police, who took the offender away. Most of the neighbors sided with the author in this conflict, but the neighbor’s friends found his Facebook profile and started badmouthing him there.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
In the comments to his post, the author says that he lives in New England, and if simply trespassing according to state laws is a civil matter, not a criminal one, then stealing vegetables from a neighbor’s garden could cause problems for this woman. Especially if she has also been caught doing something similar in the past. Judging by her behavior, by the way, it’s quite possible.
Our hero also noted in the comments that he gave the neighbor the opportunity to simply leave, leaving the stolen goods on the ground, but she chose audacity, causing a scandal and even breaking a pot that had some chives growing. Moreover, the behavior of this woman’s friends is also inappropriate, as they found the author’s name on his mailbox, found him on social media and criticized and insulted him.
People in the comments unanimously supported our hero, claiming that he did everything correctly, and that technically it was indeed theft. She could’ve contacted the original poster beforehand, asked if she could take some vegetables from him – and, quite likely, would’ve received an affirmative answer. But she chose conflict – and got what she deserved.
Moreover, responders are sure that the initial attempt to lie, that she allegedly knew the owner and had permission to do so, is also an aggravating circumstance in this case. “Get a trespassing charge on her too. If you catch her again, the charges will be worse for her. She deserves it,” someone wrote reasonably. So do you, our dear readers, also agree with this?
Most commenters sided with the man, even urging him to get a trespassing charge on her as well
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What do you think ?
Betsy S 3 months ago (edited)
Weird thing happened. I have a pear tree and take small bags of pears around to my neighbours. I'd do this even if I had spare of anything. What happens then is the neighbours show up every so often with apples for me. Blackberries they've picked in the park, the too many extra zucchini that their other neighbours gave them, bags of plums, etc. If you show a generous spirit, many people will be generous back. That woman could have shown up with a plate of homemade (or not) cookies to introduce herself and asked if it would be possible to take a couple of tomatoes for their dinner that night. The phrase is "GIVE and take" not "TAKE then give". Always give before taking or ASKING to take.
Lauren Wilder 3 months ago
A lot of time and money goes into having a successful garden. If the neighbor had only asked first before helping themselves the owners of the greenhouse would have freely given the vegetables away. I cant stand thieves.
Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
Bought a house which had some fruit trees in back. Heard a noise one day and went out to find several people picking. Asked who they were and why they were in my yard. Said Maggie told them they could pick the fruit. A - Who the f**k is Maggie? and B - get out of my yard.
Jonathan Setter 3 months ago
when i was a kid we went out for a day trip. Got home late afternoon... both plumb trees in the backyard totally stripped, hundreds of plumbs stolen. Never knew who did it, the trees were not even visible from the street, and were on the side fence where my uncle lived. Only people who could have known they were there were the houses behind.
Load More Replies...
Multa Nocte 3 months ago
I hate these new AI generated pix that come with the article. Shame on you, BP.
SheamusFanFrom1987 3 months ago (edited)
Good that OP made the lying and pilfering neigh-b*u*m produce the produce before producing her to the 5-0. A newbie on the block and already getting on the wrong side of the neighbourhood??? OP did well to ensure she did not get to continue pilfering produce the legal way. As for her b*u*m-a*s*s bunch of fiends, they ought to be told to chip in and feed their "fiend-in-need" since they are so stupid kind of self-righteous and willing to defend a thief!!! They ought to shut their mouths if a "needy parent" pilfers their gardens as well!!! >:-(
Corrina Byers 2 months ago
i had neighbours like that,, the year we bought this house i bought and planted over 200 cultivated raspberry plants,,,,2 years later i caught my rotten ignorant neighbour stealing my raspberries,,,i confronted him... told him to give me the berries he took,, he had a 5 gallon bucket full,,,hes screaming at me,, calling me filthy names,, claiming the people we bought the house from let him take the berries,,,to make it short i had him arrested,,,he got a huge fine,, and was told to never set foot on our property,,,see there were no berries to pick when the other people lived here,,, then he went and tore up all my blackberry bushes ,,,,,,rotten pri**
Bergman Oswell 2 months ago
NTA. This is basically the difference between voluntarily giving to charity and a shoplifter. In one case, you choose to give your property, in the other someone takes without asking. When you mix in the vandalism and a***e, you even have a case for it to be a mugging. Trespassing might or might not be just a civil offense, but trespassing + theft is burglary, which is a felony pretty much everywhere in the USA.
Vinnie 3 months ago
He's helping her learn not to steal after she helped herself to his crops.
Load More Replies...
John Ambrose-Hemmingway 3 months ago
Don't let the exit button hit you on the way out.
Load More Replies... Betsy S 3 months ago (edited)
Weird thing happened. I have a pear tree and take small bags of pears around to my neighbours. I'd do this even if I had spare of anything. What happens then is the neighbours show up every so often with apples for me. Blackberries they've picked in the park, the too many extra zucchini that their other neighbours gave them, bags of plums, etc. If you show a generous spirit, many people will be generous back. That woman could have shown up with a plate of homemade (or not) cookies to introduce herself and asked if it would be possible to take a couple of tomatoes for their dinner that night. The phrase is "GIVE and take" not "TAKE then give". Always give before taking or ASKING to take.
Lauren Wilder 3 months ago
A lot of time and money goes into having a successful garden. If the neighbor had only asked first before helping themselves the owners of the greenhouse would have freely given the vegetables away. I cant stand thieves.
Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
Bought a house which had some fruit trees in back. Heard a noise one day and went out to find several people picking. Asked who they were and why they were in my yard. Said Maggie told them they could pick the fruit. A - Who the f**k is Maggie? and B - get out of my yard.
Jonathan Setter 3 months ago
when i was a kid we went out for a day trip. Got home late afternoon... both plumb trees in the backyard totally stripped, hundreds of plumbs stolen. Never knew who did it, the trees were not even visible from the street, and were on the side fence where my uncle lived. Only people who could have known they were there were the houses behind.
Load More Replies... Multa Nocte 3 months ago
I hate these new AI generated pix that come with the article. Shame on you, BP.
SheamusFanFrom1987 3 months ago (edited)
Good that OP made the lying and pilfering neigh-b*u*m produce the produce before producing her to the 5-0. A newbie on the block and already getting on the wrong side of the neighbourhood??? OP did well to ensure she did not get to continue pilfering produce the legal way. As for her b*u*m-a*s*s bunch of fiends, they ought to be told to chip in and feed their "fiend-in-need" since they are so stupid kind of self-righteous and willing to defend a thief!!! They ought to shut their mouths if a "needy parent" pilfers their gardens as well!!! >:-(
Corrina Byers 2 months ago
i had neighbours like that,, the year we bought this house i bought and planted over 200 cultivated raspberry plants,,,,2 years later i caught my rotten ignorant neighbour stealing my raspberries,,,i confronted him... told him to give me the berries he took,, he had a 5 gallon bucket full,,,hes screaming at me,, calling me filthy names,, claiming the people we bought the house from let him take the berries,,,to make it short i had him arrested,,,he got a huge fine,, and was told to never set foot on our property,,,see there were no berries to pick when the other people lived here,,, then he went and tore up all my blackberry bushes ,,,,,,rotten pri**
Bergman Oswell 2 months ago
NTA. This is basically the difference between voluntarily giving to charity and a shoplifter. In one case, you choose to give your property, in the other someone takes without asking. When you mix in the vandalism and a***e, you even have a case for it to be a mugging. Trespassing might or might not be just a civil offense, but trespassing + theft is burglary, which is a felony pretty much everywhere in the USA.
Vinnie 3 months ago
He's helping her learn not to steal after she helped herself to his crops.
Load More Replies... John Ambrose-Hemmingway 3 months ago
Don't let the exit button hit you on the way out.
Load More Replies...
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