Living Next to a People in Chaos

Sam and Sally live next door to a family in chaos. The neighbors shoot at one another, cook meth, grab joggers off the sidewalk and hold them hostage. These "unruly" neighbors have a large family, many of whom work hard and who want to be law-abiding, but they live in fear.

Lately some of the children of the neighbors have been seeking refuge with Sam and Sally, who have had an "open door" policy for some time. In fact, a few of the kids refuse to return home. At least one, they think, is living in the basement and only comes out to sneak food from the fridge.

Compassionate and concerned, Sam and Sally consider it their Christian duty to help the afflicted refugees, but new events are making them question whether it is time to end the open door policy. Some of the crazies next door have entered Sam and Sally's home without permission, discharged firearms, and tried to sell drugs to their kids. Last night, at dinner, one of the "guests" wore a side-arm and sported an armband which proclaimed "Death to Sam & Sally."

Normally a very patient man, Sam declared that this guest was no longer welcome in his home, and asked him to leave. He also declared that he and Sally would no longer have an "open door" policy (although even as he said it he wondered how he could enforce it).

This morning, as they went to work, they were met with picketers from next door, demanding that they surrender their home and move away, preferably far far away.

Sam and Sally have tried to work through the system. They called police, and were told that they police were busy helping terrorized residents of another town. They called domestic violence services and were told that they simply did not have enough people to go running to investigate every complaint.

They called their city councilman and asked if there was anything the city could do to help them. No, the councilman explained, "your neighbors' house is just outside the city limits. Perhaps if you sat down with them, tried to reason with them, you could come to an understanding."

Tonight, as they walked through their once normal home, they found gang graffiti on the stairwell and spent shell casings. At the top of the stair they found the bloody body of their youngest son. They called 911 but there was no answer. As they glanced fearfully out at the neighbor's yard they saw several people removing the fence between the two properties.

What are Sam and Sally to do?

Indeed.