Fish Wrap: Neighbors Running Illegal Auto Shop, Worried About Turning Them In

Why wouldn’t they turn them in? This is a letter to the Ethicist, a part of the NY Times I had no idea existed, and something no Fish Wrap writer should be allowed to be involved in

My Neighbors Are Running an Auto Shop in Their Driveway. What Should I Do?

About a year ago, a very nice family moved into the rental home next door. We have shared food and invited them to our pool in the summer, and we always exchange greetings from yard to yard.

About six months ago, the father’s auto-shop location apparently became unavailable. He and his mechanics now work on cars in their yard and driveway. At times, 15 cars line their driveway and fill the front yard, in obvious states of repair — hoods up, engines removed. This “shade tree” business practice is illegal in our city, and the number of cars and the manner in which they are parked violates city codes. We and our neighbors worry it’s driving down the property value of adjacent homes, and we plan to sell within a few years.

I’m uncomfortable raising this with the family because I doubt they can do much without losing income. Moving to a new garage would obviously be costly. And if I talk to them and the outcome is unsatisfactory, I’d be the obvious culprit for any report to the city. Our friendly terms would disappear.

I’m also reluctant to report because the family is from Venezuela. (They mentioned having green cards, though I never asked.) I’m afraid that even a code violation could draw attention from ICE, which has an aggressive, unpleasant presence in my city. Thoughts?

My first thought is that law enforcement or some city worker should have noticed this by now and done something. It’s pretty much illegal to be running an auto shop out of your home, particularly if it is a rental. But, the city might ignore a non-citizen doing this because it might attract the attention of federal authorities. They’d be on your ass if you were an American, you can bet that. Second, this is going to decrease the property values and could attract an unsavory crowd to the neighborhood. If these weren’t, most likely, refugees but US citizens it would have been reported, but, libtards are wackadoodle when it comes to non-citizens.

The “Ethicist” reply

You say that you don’t want to raise the issue with this family and harsh the neighborly vibe you enjoy. But what would really be unneighborly is failing to alert them. As things stand, anyone on your block could blow the whistle — either to the city (as a code violation) or to the landlord/property manager (as a lease violation). Looking out for the family means telling them that what they’re doing could invite scrutiny, so that they have a chance to head this off.

The “Ethicist” is recommending that the letter writer find a way around the law. Nice.