Dissing your neighbors online brings cheap shots

There are Web sites that profile cities and individual neighborhoods. Some rate apartment complexes. Others track sex offenders.

Now comes www.RottenNeighbor.com — a site that is pretty self-explanatory. It’s a place to dis your neighbor.

In just two months since Brant Walker of San Diego built the site — inspired by rotten neighbors in his apartment building — it has generated a national buzz with its nasty postings from 100 U.S. cities, including Colorado Springs.

But as fun as the digs may be to read, the site has a dark side, as Springs-area postings illustrate.

It seems there are plenty of people willing to dump on their neighbors. Especially when it’s anonymous and as easy as entering a ZIP code, zooming in on a neighbor’s house and bombing them with criticism.

The site lets users single out an exact home on an aerial photo for a cyber-smackdown.

“Disgrace to the community” is the headline on an entry pointing to a house at East Rio Grande Street and South Cedar Street, near Helen Hunt Elementary School.

“Filthy, rude and obnoxious,” the posting said. “No concern for others. Park their cars on the lawn. Trash, garbage, it’s a mess. They can constantly be seen and heard yelling at each other. Be warned!”

Some are nice, like one written for a house on Postrock Drive in Cimarron Hills. It says: “These neighbors Rock!”

That is an exception, however. Most reflect the site name.

Diana Bovard was surprised to learn her house was targeted for this dart: “This neighbor is a real piece of work . . . she runs a day care from her home and she has 3 yappy, snappy dogs that she lets loose to use others’ yards as their personal toilet.”

The posting further criticizes her pets and her behavior.

“That is really weird,” Bovard said, confirming she has a home day care business and three dogs in the house.

“My dogs are always on leashes and I always carry plastic bags to pick up after them,” she said. “And I never walk them in the neighborhood. I always take them to a park.”

She found it troubling to be zinged on the Web site.

“I think it’s rude,” she said. “It is upsetting. I am a peaceful person. I have no idea why anyone would call me obnoxious.”

Deanna Leyba of Yukon Way, southeast of the airport, was equally bothered that her home turned up with this post: “These people mow their yard once a year, if that!” The post complained of pulling weeds through a mutual fence.

The post is absolutely untrue, Leyba said. Her husband mows their lawn constantly.

But she recognized the described yard. And she said it shows why it’s wrong to let people tee off, without any accountability, on such a site.

“Our next-door neighbor doesn’t mow her lawn a lot,” she said. “That’s because she’s the wife of a soldier in Iraq.”

Leyba said the yard isn’t that bad. And if the author had bothered to talk to the neighbor about her yard, he might be more understanding of the weeds. Even offer to help instead of criticize.

Tell me about your neighborhood: 636-0193 or bill.vogrin@gazette.com