It's been three months since Magenta Quinn moved to her new neighborhood, but this mom still feels anything but welcome thanks to an anonymous neighbor who has a problem with her child. This stranger sent the mom from Australia a letter slamming her son who has autism and threatening to go to the housing board if she doesn't keep him quiet. The kicker: This letter came after the stranger had previously called the police, who then went back to the stranger and explained about the boy's circumstances.
"I would kindly request that you consider your neighbors and try to limit the amount of time that is spent in the garden such that we do not have to listen to the disturbing noise daily and sometimes before 6am," the stranger wrote. "I am giving you the opportunity to help us live together in this community without it becoming a constant battle. If this continues at the regular intervals it has been, I intend to make formal complaints against your address to council to help resolve this issue. Yours sincerely, Neighbor."
Quinn was shocked that someone would send this kind of letter to a mom, knowing that her child has autism, and decided to post the threat on Facebook to raise awareness. "I shared it to state 'this is not ok' and make a stand about bullying," she wrote.
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But in addition to posting a photo of what was left in her mailbox, Quinn also wrote a response to the neighbor, whoever he or she is, in case it gets back to the person:
"Dear neighbor who left me this note,
While I appreciate the odd noises of a mentally ill person can be disturbing, I can guarantee that you have no clue when compared to living with it 24/7 for 17 years.
Having 3 police turn up at my doorstep at 10:30 at night when I'm new to the area may have made you feel you are avoiding confrontation, but for me it was alarming to say the least.
Talking with council won't help, he's not a dog, it's a person. If you'd like to take him on a holiday so I can get some rest that would be awesome. Otherwise, please feel free to come and chat with me, there's a lot you do not understand.
Have a great day!"
Quinn, who is a single mom and full-time caregiver to her teen son, explained that her son has the mental capacity of a 5-year-old and his language is "exceptionally" limited. "The noise they're referring to is that he hums and occasionally yelps. It's a calming mechanism, and without it, he would get very frustrated and aggressive so I'd prefer the humming," she said, according to the Courier Mail. "It's not okay to control and bully other people."
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Quinn said that her son recently finished school and is having trouble coping at a "lifestyle center" and they are working to adjust to this new stage of life for him. "Do I lock him in the house from 8 at night to 8 in the morning? What do they expect? There's no compassion from these people," she told ABC. "It's like people who tear their hair when feeling anxious, or flick their nails. It's exactly the same as breathing to him. It's a natural part of who he is … he doesn't do it all the time."
Nicole Rogerson, CEO of Austism Awareness Australia, also shared her disgust over this note, explaining that these kind of actions make parents and children with autism feel isolated in their communities. "By all means if you had a noise next door that was disturbing you, you have every right to enquire," she told ABC. "But once that enquiry results in you understanding someone in your community is dealing with a child with a significant disability, if that isn't enough to just shut you down and look at your own life and count how lucky you are, then it's just awful — a mum who is battling anyway to raise a son on the autism spectrum … that she'd have to tolerate a neighbor showing such a lack of understanding. It must just be soul crushing."
