Sunday, February 07, 2010

Neighborhood files last-resort class-action suit against frat boy sackings

What nightmares youthful indiscretions can cause in other people's homes:
Tired of years of public urination, assaults and vandalism, residents near UC Berkeley's southern edge last week sued dozens of the university's fraternities.

The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court against more than 70 groups and property owners, contends that the fraternities make life miserable for neighbors by encouraging underage drinking, littering sidewalks and streets, partying all night and shooting pellet guns at residents. The suit asks for unspecified monetary damages and an end to the noise and destruction.

"Every resident of Berkeley has the right to live in a peaceful and safe neighborhood," said lead plaintiff Paul Ghysels, who lives in a 100-year-old house next to a fraternity on Durant Avenue. His wife grew up in the house, he said, and the couple does not want to move.

Here is video footage neighbors produced of some of the frat wreckage; it also documents police involvement and lack thereof:

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