Homeless people not welcome on Nextdoor

boing
21

Almost makes it worth joining. But not quite.

8 Likes
22

Hard pass; I already know which of my neighbors are assholes.

Hey, if you’re willing to own it unprompted, then who is anyone else here to try to argue with you?

12 Likes
23

It’s only a matter of time before Nextdoor puts in separate tiers for owners and renters.

9 Likes
24

I guess one positive thing about NextDoor is that when the class-warfare guillotines are wheeled out, there’s also a handy database of which homes deserve a lit match. :fire_extinguisher:

6 Likes
25

I’ve been on ND for a few years, and yep, it does indeed seem to be the place where neighbors can really show their true selves.

What I tend to do is provide snarky replies to all the hate that shows up there. Like the often posted ‘suspicious car’. I reply with a “What makes a car suspicious? Is it wearing a long trenchcoat and dark glasses?” Or others who like to act macho and talk about how if an intruder is found in their backyard, they’ll blow them away with one of their guns. I reply, ok, good! Now the burglars in our midst know which homes have the guns in them, so they can go steal them.

My favorite is when people get all upset when others mess with their cats when they’re prowling around the neighborhoods. I always remind them that our state laws require pets, including cats, to be on a six foot leash when outdoors. And that domesticated cats contribute to millions of songbird deaths a year. And that their cats are shitting in my garden, and my little kids get to find it along with the disease that cat poop carries. Some folks get all pissy back at me (very neighborly), but I also get a lot of “likes”.

I agree with the general sentiment here, that Nextdoor kinda sucks.

Edit: Remove the reference to the former CEO; it wasn’t a DUI, it was a hit and run he was involved in.

6 Likes
26

Nextdoor is run by a group who posed as investors first, then backed out, seized the domain name, and launched the product with the software written by the people who conceived the idea. The inventors briefly launched a parallel neighborhood platform with the same software called (ugh) Fatdoor. It seems to be down but you can still Google Fatdoor, Inc.

4 Likes
27

these are not early adopters

3 Likes
28

We rent (sigh…we’re in our mid-50s and we’ve always rented), but we’ve been asked to join by our neighbors. I think maybe it’s because it’s a stand alone house and we have a friendly group of neighbors. But I won’t join anything online other than Boing Boing.

I do know that one really sweet neighbor is really freaked out by what she sees on this site. (Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.) I figure if my neighbors need anything important they’ll text (they do it for unimportant stuff ALL the time. :slightly_smiling_face: )

There was also a report in the city newspaper that a rash of burglaries was actually committed by the boyfriend of a homeowner who was getting all his intel from her Nextdoor account, so there’s that?

15 Likes
29

I’ve found that a good way to respond to dogwhistles, coded language and people labeled as ‘suspicious’ is to say “I don’t understand. Can you explain that to me?”

Some people are quite willing to cast what they think are vague aspersions, but when you ask them to spell out their racism/sexism/classism, etc they get pretty quiet.

14 Likes
30

I read Nextdoor exclusively for neighborhood drama. Wading through boring daily digests is worth it for the few times a year epic blowups.

I actually find it significantly less anti-homeless than the local subreddit, which doesn’t require location verification. People (online) are just shitty.

1 Like
31

I’d be really interested to hear more of your story, I hope @xeni or someone at BoingBoing does get in touch - it’s very timely what with all the discussion of governance of Facebook, Twitter, etc - but I haven’t heard about this angle of Nextdoor as a platform which structurally empowers authorities over communities. Seems very relevant!

2 Likes
32

Homeless persons are indeed transients but that is not a bad label. What is a discriminatory label, in our opinion, (and one that you use) is calling people “THE Homeless”. This label effectively marks them as “us versus you”, or as a group that will never change their status and be lepers forever. Get the distinction? They need to be referred to as a homeless person or transitional homeless person or group instead. Using the term THE HOMELESS indicates a subtle prejudice. Think about it. It is a diverse and dynamic population that moves in and out of their situation and should not be stigmatized or characterized as all being like the severe alcoholic or babbling mental patient that is seen on the street.

1 Like
33

“…the severe alcoholic”?

Pot, meet kettle.

3 Likes
34

Not to mention the demonizing of people who have addictions and mental illness.

Such compassion there.

6 Likes
35

So what do you do about the cats? I’ve at one point or another tried just about everything short of causing them actual injury, and I’ve never had any luck keeping them out of my yard.

36

No way in hell would I give them my home address.

2 Likes
37

They already have your home address. They’re across the street, watching you.

Neighbors have told us that our local group shares recommendations for contractors, dogwalkers, etc.

1 Like
38

The renter stigma.
Renting or buying is an economic question. One buys if things that will stay a long time, more than the mortgage in the same house, because likes it and is almost sure that will work in the same place in the foreseeable future.

About the quality of renters versus buyer I have seen a lot of condos where older people blocked all renovations in the HOA for the building, like getting FTTH conduits or even repaint the stairs, due the costs.

3 Likes
40

You missed the obvious opportunity for suggesting nimby.com, which would be… appropriate.

2 Likes
41

I find that unlikely.

(No, really.)