This makes me angry

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I live in a Brookdale care home. Brookdale are one of the biggest organisations in the UK who specialise in autism and AS (for those who don't know). The site in the village of Wyboston consists of three large buildings (the hospital and day centre) and at the moment two houses, one for low functioning autistics and one for high functioning (that's the one I am in).

The thing that has angered me is that some idiot in the village has put signs up outside his house which say 'you had 75 warnings, now Milton Park (the hospital) is getting bigger.' and basically the rest (which I can't word perfectly) is basically bashing autistic people. I am really annoyed and I want the signs to be removed, but so far I cannot think of a way to do this without me getting in trouble! I think it should be considered a hate crime of some sort. Any ideas?

P.S I have considered stealing the signs, chainsawing them, stamping all over them and burning them on Friday's BBQ but that's kind of illegal so I won't!

Egg his house!

(I'm just kidding, BTW )

Vandalism is a poor solution; encouraging it, moreso.

Register a complaint if it is targeting a specific group of people; if they are expressing displeasure at the construction, upheaval and change... then it is a greater challenge as that is not a hate crime.


M.

You can't do anything about this. I'm sorry. The signs are on his property and he is entitled to his opinion in this case.

Perhaps, if you could be moved to provide more detail (i.e. being absolutely verbatim and without emotional colouration (UK spelling intentional)) about the "basically bashing autistic people" part, we could help you more.

More perspective: http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/bed-news? ... id=3113767 and http://www.biggleswadetoday.co.uk/bigg? ... ID=3080872 - I'm slightly more sceptical about the report and the veracity behind the complaints seeing as the "sex offenders" saw has been brought up. I note there have been comments about the quality of care as well.

Oh! That casts things in a whole new light. Thanks for those links. Let me revise my statement: I wouldn't be upset at this neighbor guy; I'd be upset with the media. He's just following the herd and is probably the least important concern right now.

Why on earth would people be against (essentially) an autistic hospital? What are the patients going to do? Go out on the town and NOT look at you? I'd much rather be indoors, on a computer, and away from the masses. Even on weekends.

And what's with that "sex offender" garbage? People are really grasping at straws if they want that place closed down so much. What's wrong with them? There's clearly much more to this situation and story. The administration of the hospital clearly states they do not accept anyone on the S.O. Registry and can back that up, I'm sure. Sounds like a bunch of village people (village idiots? ) with NIMBY syndrome want it closed down.

Let me get this straight. These people are pissed off because autistic people are permitted to leave the hospital whenever they want?

It's a hospital, not a lunatic asylum, for God's sakes.

Now I'm angry too.

Firstly I apologize that I can't be more specific about the sign's content, I have only driven past it 3 times, not enough to memorise it word for word. As for the whole on his property thing, I believe he is actually violating a law because he's put them on the kerb outside his house on the outside of his boundry wall. Don't worry. I'm not going to vandalise anything, I was just very angry yesterday! I'll have to read those reports, I don't know what it was that they said about this place...

Also, I have yet to meet any sex offenders and no one is allowed off site (from the hospital) without a carer or two depending on their need so it's not like they're wandering the village.

Okay, I've had a read and I see now what the problem is. Mass hysteria. Basically some loony (probably the one I have been told about) has been spreading lies about sex offenders (always a good way to get a place shut down) to incite fear and anger into the other villagers. Thank god that they didn't shut the hospital down. I know many people who have come from that hospital and they are nice, friendly people. Obviously these bigots don't understand the problems that people with autism face. The hospital helps them to overcome that. The other units which are 'spreading' across wyboston are actually semi-independant living units, so they shouldn't be seen as a problem.

Of course, high-risk patients, who are thought to be a threat if they are not supervised, should not be able to get out as they please. It is a balancing act: as a principle, people have hte right of free movement, but people in the community have the right ot be protected from mentally ill potential offenders. If it is true that sex offenders are in the hospital, that by itself is not a problem (sex offenders have a right to receive treatment, and if these sex offenders are autistic, it's best if they receive treatment in a place that knows autism), but it would be a problem if they were allowed in the community unsupervised (unless the staff are sufficiently convinced that they arenot at major risk anymore, after all, they have the right to go back into community once they're not a threat). The fact that patients are allowed to leave and come back as they please is not by itself a problem - that happens in the hospital where I reside, too -, and that they "cause trouble" may be a prejudice. After all, there are plenty of "healthy" people who would consider someone "troubled" just because they don't look normal, and not lookign normal is not a threat. But if it is true that offenders, who are still at risk of committing crimes, are let out unsupervised, I can see why the community protests.

They're not allowed unsupervised now, only the residential people are allowed out alone. Maybe they think that us residential are the hospital patients? They need to get their facts straight.

THAT's the spirit! Now that you've went from anger to understanding and still have that fire, try to contact one of your local papers (small magazine, big paper, or both) and see if they have any interest in an interview "from the inside" (inside the head of a residential person, not a hospital patient). You're in a rare position to help create a bridge here. Grab it!

I can only sympathise Jellybean, if there is one group of people I truly despise it's NIMBYs (not-in-my-back-yard). Unfortunately rural England is full of them. Noise, litter, traffic and rumours of sex offenders are just excuses. I can almost guarantee that the one and only reason some villagers want the facility closed is because of the percieved negative effect having a 'nutters home' on their doorstep will have on their house prices.

I agree with ViperaAspis, write to the local newspaper and set the record strait.