LETTER: Neighbor's parked trailer blocks view

From Rena Pearson, Hutchinson
I never realized my worst nightmare would come true until my neighbors parked a large recreational trailer in their driveway, thus blocking my view of my neighborhood from my living room window down to less than 10 percent.

I did go over and ask them if they could move the trailer to a different spot as they were blocking my view of our neighborhood. I even gave them permission to park the trailer in my backyard as they were taking my biggest enjoyment of living in my home away from me by parking their trailer where it was now parked.
They told me that the law gave him the right to park the trailer where it was currently parked.

I also wanted to tell them what I planned to do to try to get an unjust law changed, as I felt they were taking away my right to look out my living room window and to have an unrestricted view of my neighborhood.

Less than a half hour after I talked to them, there was a knock at my door. When I opened my door, a policeman was standing there. He stated that he was our neighborhood police officer. The officer asked me what my problem was, and I led him to my living room window and showed him how the trailer reduced my view from my living room window to less than 10 percent.

The officer then stated that the law allowed them to park their trailer where they were parking it. He further stated that it could be worse. They could put up a 10-foot fence 10 feet from the curb.

It is hard for me to believe that the law that gave my neighbors the right to park their trailer in their driveway was designed to take all my rights away — the right to have an unrestricted view outside my living room window, the right to be able to see my neighborhood when I’m outside in my yard, the right to feel I am part of my neighborhood and the right to feel that I am not being deliberately closed off from my neighbors by my next-door neighbors.

The thing that hurts the most is that I used to be able to state that I loved living in Hutchinson, and that Hutchinson treated senior citizens well. I can no longer state that I love living in Hutchinson and that Hutchinson treats its senior citizens well as my freedom to have an unrestricted view of my neighborhood from my living room window has been taken away from me by my next door neighbors.

I no longer enjoy living in my house. When I am away from my house I can sometimes forget for a little while what has been done to me. But when I return home I realize all the things that were taken away from me all over again when all that I can see from my living room window is the trailer parked in the driveway next door.

I am hoping that someone living in Hutchinson can help give my view from my living room window back to me.