What constitutes child abuse (Verbal and Physical)

[Cdubneeddeal]

My downstairs neighbor has an extreme temper towards his wife and child, wife is pregnant with another.

His voice carries through the floor so I can hear every word he screams at his child. F this, F that, you Mother Fer, don't make me hit you again you Little S, etc. This is almost a daily occurance. Now, about a month ago I did call the police regarding him because from what I heard going on below me, is he threw his son up against the wall. His son started crying and when he didn't immediately stop crying the dad told him to Shut The F Up or he would do the same. After he left the room and slammed the door I could hear his son crying for his mommy but mommy didn't come in, so I called the cops. Cops came, checked for bruises, then left.

Now, if the cops can't find bruises they apparently cannot do anything. Should I get CPS on this? Anyone dealt with child abuse and how to deal with it?

 

[TheWart]

That is definitely abuse as far as I know...people like that make me sick.

 

[Beev]

I say get the kid alone and give him some bruises then blame the dad. Speeds up the process.




But seriously, call CPS and actually talk to them, like get real, detailed information. Learn what you can do.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Aren't there hotlines out there that'll answer questions? I remember seeing ads for them all the time on TV.

 

[DainBramaged]

I'm sure just about any social service agency would have contact numbers for you.

Try this

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Yes, there are hotlines out there but if no bruises are found and if the mother is too scared to say her husband is abusive, can CPS actually do anything?

I grew up with an abusive father and I would like to do anything I can to keep the son and the unborn child from growing up scarred (Emotionally and possibly physically). Maybe it's not my place..

Thank you for the link Andrew.

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
Yes, there are hotlines out there but if no bruises are found and if the mother is too scared to say her husband is abusive, can CPS actually do anything?

I grew up with an abusive father and I would like to do anything I can to keep the son and the unborn child from growing up scarred (Emotionally and possibly physically). Maybe it's not my place..

Thank you for the link Andrew.

n/p. I think you should record it. If you can hear it from your apartment, you should have no problem setting up a form of recording.

 

[Tiamat]

Thats abuse.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: DainBramaged

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
Yes, there are hotlines out there but if no bruises are found and if the mother is too scared to say her husband is abusive, can CPS actually do anything?

I grew up with an abusive father and I would like to do anything I can to keep the son and the unborn child from growing up scarred (Emotionally and possibly physically). Maybe it's not my place..

Thank you for the link Andrew.

n/p. I think you should record it. If you can hear it from your apartment, you should have no problem setting up a form of recording.

I wish I could, however, I do not have a mic. Also, i'm not sure if I even bought a mic if it would pickup all the yelling. We're on the end apartment so i'm the only one that can hear what's going on so i'm not sure if anyone else can testify that they can also hear what's going on

 

[Captante]

Dude if you can hear it happening & you are reasonably certain the kid is at risk, then it is your place to step in & do anything you can to help. Recording it is actually a very good idea & I would also document the date & time that you hear the shouting etc going on. I would also report it in writing & verbally to CPS tomorrow if at all possible... even if they can't do anything right away, if any kind of investigation ensues it could put the fear of god into the father. Further, if the kid ends up at the hospital badly hurt or somthing, it won't be the first time the allegations have come up & the father will get looked at a lot more closely.

Just be aware that if the father finds out that you were the one who reported him, its possible you might be at risk yourself & use discretion, in particular with your neighbors.

 

[imported_goku]

(Insert -->'thats how children should be disiplined these days')

 

[BigJ]

If you're going to get involved, make sure you get some evidence first.

Eventually, this guy is going to realize where the calls are coming from, and then sh!t might hit the fan.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: BigJ
If you're going to get involved, make sure you get some evidence first.

Eventually, this guy is going to realize where the calls are coming from, and then sh!t might hit the fan.

Yeah, that's what i'm worried about. With the first police call he thinks it was the elderly lady that lives next to him. And I don't think he would do anything to her, however, I don't want her to be the scapegoat. He came up to me after the first call and asked if it was me. To avoid any conflict, I lied, of course. Who knows if i'm going to walk outside once and find my tires slashed.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Call the cops. Call the cops again. Call them again. And again and again and again.

I used to have a neighbor that beat his wife mercilessly. I got tired of listening to it. I'd call the cops three or four times in a night. Eventually they will know this guy intimately. If it's a kid, eventually that many calls may result in a CPS follow up.

But yeah, be an "ass". Call everyone. There's no excuse for people who behave like that.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Call your local child protective services and talk to a case manager... they'll know whats enforcable under local laws.

Or you could just continue to do nothing and hope that the woman and children aren't tramatized too badly...

 

[Boo Boo]

a pistol stops it quick.

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Call the cops. Call the cops again. Call them again. And again and again and again.

I used to have a neighbor that beat his wife mercilessly. I got tired of listening to it. I'd call the cops three or four times in a night. Eventually they will know this guy intimately. If it's a kid, eventually that many calls may result in a CPS follow up.

But yeah, be an "ass". Call everyone. There's no excuse for people who behave like that.

I agree. Normally, I'm not an ass, but things like this call for it.

 

[KarenMarie]

While you are at it... see if you can get some info on local women's shelters in the area and try to give it to the wife when the husband is not around.

 

[Crimzon]

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
Yeah, that's what i'm worried about. With the first police call he thinks it was the elderly lady that lives next to him. And I don't think he would do anything to her, however, I don't want her to be the scapegoat. He came up to me after the first call and asked if it was me. To avoid any conflict, I lied, of course. Who knows if i'm going to walk outside once and find my tires slashed.

I don't understand this. If you're going to call the Police and Child Services on him, when he specifically asked you about it why not admit to it? You feel the need to get involved, but only so long as you can hide?

However good your intentions are, I really dislike this type of behavior. Either make a difference, or don't. Make the recordings, write down the times, let him know you're watching him, or mind your own business and hide in your apartment.

 

[CarlKillerMiller]

Yeah, you want to help this kid as much as you can, but remember that this may come back to haunt you in the form of a crazy-ass abusive father cutting into you for ratting him out. You're doing the right thing, but be very careful.

 

[Crono]

1-866-ENDHARM

Get as many people as you can to call that number. See if you can get some support from your neighbors as well.

P.S: Don't be afraid of the father. We got your back

 

[glutenberg]

You need to call Russell Peters. He'll let you know what's up.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: Crimzon

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
Yeah, that's what i'm worried about. With the first police call he thinks it was the elderly lady that lives next to him. And I don't think he would do anything to her, however, I don't want her to be the scapegoat. He came up to me after the first call and asked if it was me. To avoid any conflict, I lied, of course. Who knows if i'm going to walk outside once and find my tires slashed.

I don't understand this. If you're going to call the Police and Child Services on him, when he specifically asked you about it why not admit to it? You feel the need to get involved, but only so long as you can hide?

However good your intentions are, I really dislike this type of behavior. Either make a difference, or don't. Make the recordings, write down the times, let him know you're watching him, or mind your own business and hide in your apartment.

Well you have to look at it from my perspective. The guy lives directly below me, retaliation comes to mind. If the guy thinks he has nothing left to lose if he gets his child taken away and the wife leaves, what makes you think he wouldn't try something stupid?

 

[ghart999]

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal

Originally posted by: Crimzon

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
Yeah, that's what i'm worried about. With the first police call he thinks it was the elderly lady that lives next to him. And I don't think he would do anything to her, however, I don't want her to be the scapegoat. He came up to me after the first call and asked if it was me. To avoid any conflict, I lied, of course. Who knows if i'm going to walk outside once and find my tires slashed.

I don't understand this. If you're going to call the Police and Child Services on him, when he specifically asked you about it why not admit to it? You feel the need to get involved, but only so long as you can hide?

However good your intentions are, I really dislike this type of behavior. Either make a difference, or don't. Make the recordings, write down the times, let him know you're watching him, or mind your own business and hide in your apartment.

Well you have to look at it from my perspective. The guy lives directly below me, retaliation comes to mind. If the guy thinks he has nothing left to lose if he gets his child taken away and the wife leaves, what makes you think he wouldn't try something stupid?

I agree with you. Don't risk confrontation with the asshole. However I would also not stand by and do nothing. Call CPS please and get his ass taken to jail. No one diserves that abuse. I am a father of 1 and one on the way and I have never ever raised my voice to my son/wife let alone think of hitting them. Please do help them.

 

[j00fek]

call the state, im sure they are on it