Mum of autistic teen receives “despicable” letter from anonymous neighbour
A Queensland mother has been flooded with support after posting a shocking letter she received from a neighbour to Facebook.
Magenta Quinn, who lives in Brisbane with her autistic teenage son, was gobsmacked when she found an anonymous letter complaining about the noise coming from her house.
“I am one of your neighbours and wish to remain anonymous to avoid any conflict,” the neighbour wrote.
“When you moved in we heard these strange moaning and shouting coming from your garden every day and night, for which we were concerned may be illegal activities, so we contacted the police who in turn have visited your premises.
“They informed us of your situation that a person in your family is suffering from a mental illness and that was the source of the noise.”
While the writer of the letter claimed they “sympathise” with the situation, they said the “disturbing” noise coming from the property every day was “not fair on the community”.
“I would kindly request that you consider your neighbours and try to limit the amount of time that is spent in the garden such that we do not have to listen to the disturbing noise daily and sometimes before 6am.
“I am giving you the opportunity to help us live together in this community without it becoming a constant battle. If this continues at the regular intervals it has been, I intend to make formal complaints against your address to council to help resolve this issue. Yours sincerely, Neighbour.”
A flabbergasted Quinn took to Facebook to share the letter, writing that although she understood where the neighbour was coming from, they had no idea what it was like to live with it 24/7 for 17 years.
“Having 3 police turn up at my doorstep at 10:30 at night when I’m new to the area may have made you feel you are avoiding confrontation, but for me it was alarming to say the least,” she wrote.
“Talking with council won’t help, he's not a dog, it’s a person. If you’d like to take him on a holiday so I can get some rest that would be awesome. Otherwise, please feel free to come and chat with me, there’s a lot you do not understand.”
Commenters were firmly on Quinn’s side, describing the note as “despicable” and the neighbour as “cowardly”. What do you think? Tell us in the comments below, was the letter inappropriate? Or was the neighbour justified in sending the note?
Image credit: Magenta Quinn/Facebook.