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Loading ...Vacouver couple forced to pay fine after harrassing gay neighbors
06.19.2009 4:00pm EDT
(Vancouver) Patricia and Alexander Harrison have been ordered by a British Columbia supreme court justice to pay $15,000 (approximately $13,000 U.S.) for harassing and tormenting a gay couple who lives next door to them.
Rod Boggs and Bill Hart, who have lived in the four unit condo since 2006, said the Harrisons and their 17-year-old son have done everything from report false accusations to the police, attempt to instigate fist fights, hurled slurs, let the air out of the couple’s car tires, threatened to kill their cat and more.Though Mr. Harrison denied the claims that he and his wife told the couple that “gays weren’t welcome at Brighouse,” he was not believed.
“I have concluded that Mr. Harrison was not a credible witness,” Justice Doug Halfyard wrote. “I have grave concerns about his honesty, and I would not accept his testimony on the disputed points, unless I was satisfied that his evidence was confirmed by other independent and reliable evidence.”
Justice Halfyard did not award greater damages to the men because “to a limited extent” they had provoked the Harrisons, primarily by making complaints to the building. Among other things, the Harrisons had to remove their basketball hoops and provide adult supervision for their children in the pool.
Though Hart admitted to calling Patricia Harrison several names, he insists that he never called her “fat” to her face.
Read the full Vancouver Sun article here.
I found it refreshing that this was a case of rich people behaving badly. The Harrisons are a piece of work, threatening battery (isn’t that technically assault, or is Canadian law different?) and hurling insults. But Boggs and Hart aren’t much better; nitpicking about rules, filing trivial complaints, and we all know he called her “fat” don’t we?
The judge did a good job; justice was served.
>So the gay couple had valid reasons. They were not simply being “bitchy queens”, as you said.
We all know that it’s more than possible to break someone’s stones while staying well within the rules. It just means that they are *clever* bitchy queens.
Good post, Bubbafrombama
As if straight neighbors never haggle and harass each other over stupid, nit picky things. The condo association called my mother while I was visiting; a straight neighbor complained that she’d seen me walk in with two small dogs. “That’s not right!” since the condo association only allows owners to have *one* dog living there.
Oy!!!!!
Bitch, I never called you fat!
This can only happen in CANADA… no penalties in US for this.
This is actually funny. If they were harassed simply for being gay, then all th christianity comments here are valid. It seems we do not know.
However, I would hate to live next to these hets…trampoline????…trashy!..unattended children….annoying breeders letting their kids run roughshod on the neighborhood….basketball hoop? OK, maybe not so bad but seems against bylaws, and a bit ghetto like if you ask me.
It seems I wouldn’t like that neighbor…but then i would never live in a condo, for these exact reasons. I’ve heard so many horror stories about misbehaving neighbors and the ubiquitous “condo nazi” that gets off by turning them all in….
There are many things I wish I could change, but being a Canadian, and a gay male I’m proud when articles like this come around.
Oh Canada, yes indeed
Canada is undoubtedly the only civilized nation in North America.
@bubbafrombama Said: June 20th, 2009 at 1:30 am
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Why do so many of you JUMP to conclusions when you read an article on this site that’s not even decently typed? Read the FULL article. Get this:
“Still, he added, he did not award greater damages because “to a limited extent” the men had provoked the Harrisons.
Before the conflict descended to the lowest and worst of the personal attacks, “there existed rational reasons” for the family to resent Boggs and Hart.
They were apparently responsible for triggering the removal of the Harrisons’ basketball hoop, their trampoline, and the glass sound barrier, flower pots and furniture from the front veranda. The Harrisons were forced to reduce the size of their back deck, to stop burning wood in their fireplace and to provide adult supervision for their children in the pool.”
This reminds me of 2 bitchy queens, not sensible gay men. I’d be a bit pissed if 2 men moved in and DEMANDED all of those changes, and got what they wanted. I agree with the judge that they did attempted to provoke the heterosexual couple.
I do want to make it clear that although I believe in the right to freedom of speech and expression, I do NOT believe that we have any right to harass people. However, I tend to believe that the straight couple isn’t as “homophobic” as 365gay is attempted to make this sound. I love this site, but it’s hugely biased lately.
BTW, I’m gay, and HUGE liberal.”
First off: Why do you say that these two gay men maybe deserved it when what probably happened is they read the bylaws of the condo association and saw that these people had violated the bylaws and reported it to them. That could be why they had to remove all that crap:ie basketball hoops, trampolene etc….
Second: If they live there and are paying monthly maintence dues, I would hope that they are afforded the same extra spac that this couple apparently took over that more than likely is not even their space.
So, maybe you should think about all the facts befoe you blast someone for standing up for what is right and legal.
There, off my soap box, for now.
Instead of fining them, they should have put their butts in jail for a while. Nothing says “be a good neighbor” than a little bit of prison time.
What’s that smell? I think it’s hypocrisy.
What has this article to do with religion? Half the comments here are condemning the Harrison family on the basis of their supposed Christian beliefs when it’s never mentioned whether they are Christian or Jewish or atheist.
Some posters here are pretty quick to let their own prejudices get in the way of reason while simultaneously trying to condemn others for their prejudices.
To bubbafrombama:
What the gay couple did was to make the heteros next door follow the rules of the building.
For this they are bitchy queens?
For this they “deserve” (as seemed to be expressed by the judge) to have the Harrisons harrass them?
Sounds to me to be typical christian behavior. Rules are for other people because they can do whatever they want because gaw-ad says so and/or forgives them.
I don’t think the Harrisons were primarily homophobic. I think if a straight couple had moved in next door and had reported the Harrisons’ abuses of the property/rules, the Harrisons would have attacked them as well. The fact the couple next door was gay was just a convenient subject for the Harrisons to use for a weapon.
bubbafrombama: The gay couple did want the family to make changes. However in the paragraph below, the judge said, regarded those changes: “Although I am satisfied that [the two men] did not act improperly in connection with any of these matters,” Justice Halfyard said, “they knew that the Harrisons were claiming that they had done so.”
So the gay couple had valid reasons. They were not simply being “bitchy queens”, as you said.
Peter, I agree with you. If I have a problem with a neighbor in my building, the first stop is to talk of the apartment’s manager. I don’t see how is this wrong.
I’ll be anything that Patricia and Alexander are card carrying Christians. This is very typical behavior from God fearing people.