Man Asks If He’s Wrong For Involving Police After Neighbor’s Outrage Over Washing Underwear

People often forget that a house or apartment isn’t just the location and amenities, so much of the experience can be made or ruined by one’s neighbors. This is so much more true if you are forced to share some area of equipment with them.

A man wondered if he was wrong to call the police on a disturbed old woman who called him a pervert for cleaning his underwear in the building’s washing machines. After he called her out, he returned to discover that she had poured bleach all over his things. We reached out to the man in the story via private message and will update the article when he gets back to us.

While some no doubt held the man in the story responsible for having a clearly mentally ill woman held, it’s worth noting that those present actually have all the facts. Unlike random folks on the internet, the authorities deemed her a big enough risk to intervene. Perhaps it’s not the best outcome, but this woman is clearly a risk to people around her. It can be hard to tell bad intentions from a distance, particularly from a “harmless” looking person, but results speak for themselves.

For example, no rationally thinking person will conclude that a man cleaning his underwear in the communal washing machine is an act of perversion. Indeed, deciding to not clean them and just walk around like a human stink bomb is a lot worse. However, if this old lady wanted to start some drama, she would have found a way, underwear or no. Harassment isn’t always proportional to the degree of dislike someone might have.

After being told to mind her business, she immediately went vigilante-mode and destroyed the man’s laundry. This point is another piece of evidence that she is a risk to those around her. Imagine you encounter an actual pervert in your building, someone you catch in the act. Most folks would contact the authorities or get help. While agency is often a good thing, this does show that this woman is ready and willing to do real damage to people if she feels slighted.

Fortunately, the man in the story seems quite aware that this is not some issue that will magically disappear. The woman’s daughter does not seem to have a way to “move” her. One has to sympathize with her a bit, even if she is not willing to fully take responsibility for the woman. She no doubt has a job and a life and can’t be babysitting her 24/7.

This way, she is at least sometimes under some supervision and not being unleashed on the wider public. Given the response of the police, it would appear that this is the first time someone has called the authorities on this woman. Unless there are some significant changes, someone else will end up finding bleach in their laundry or worse. All in all, cutting one’s losses and getting out now is the sensible option. Particularly hot off the heels of this event, where the landlord has few options to complain.

Naturally, the optics of the situation perhaps made the man second-guess his decision. Maybe some thought calling the police was too much, perhaps the daughter’s arguments started to sway him. Fortunately, folks online helped him set the record straight. Getting out of this apartment now, when all he has lost is a set of laundry is the absolute best bet.