If you saw people fighting with fists in the apartment building where you live, your first instinct would probably be to call the Burnaby RCMP.
Right? At least that’s what I would do.
That’s what Ken did recently when people were brawling at the place where he lived.
Only the landlord didn’t think that was such a good idea and now he’s being punished for it.
“Last month, I ran into an incident with my neighbours where I felt police involvement was necessary,” said Ken. “There was screaming, yelling, fighting, and I wasn't sure what was going on. Given that it was a safety concern, I called 911. I do not know what the outcome of things were - only that police did, in fact, come to the building. I had been advised by police in the past that even if I was not certain, to call them, and then they would be able to make a determination from there.”
But not according to Ken’s landlord. If you call the police, according to the landlord it "constitutes as harassment" toward the tenant(s) you're calling the police on.
Wait, what?
It turns out the landlord wanted it all dealt with internally and that the police should not be involved despite a “bloody fist fight” that was unfolding before everyone’s eyes.
Ken smells a rat. So do I.
Perhaps the landlord is worried about insurance issues by making such an incident public with the police involved.
I hear a lot of stories from tenants about landlords and how they deal with issues. There are good ones, but a lot of bad ones too. It’s all about protecting the landlord instead of making sure the tenants are protected.
I think stopping a brawl is the right way to protect tenants.
Ken agrees.
“So, if something like a murder was in the process of being committed, my landlord would have preferred I not call police? What the heck? To me, attempting to prevent someone from calling the police seems problematic in and of itself,” Ken said.
So true.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
