Neighbours send heartless letter to mum of girl with autism
A Florida mother has been left shocked and heartbroken after her neighbours called her 16-year-old daughter with autism a “burden” and threatened to evict the family in a cruel letter.
The letter, signed by “Plaza of Bal Harbour Residents,” said tenants were tired of the “hefty” girl’s “screaming and outbursts,” and told the mum that the building pool is not a “babysitting facility.”
The anonymous letter, which was left on the family's front door and is dated April 17, reads: “Please be advised—the 300 residents of this building will not compromise their quality of life any longer.
“You have a daughter with major issues. Your daughter cannot be socialised with others.
“Her lack of impulse control, her screaming and outbursts—are not acceptable to the residents in this building.
“We have sought legal counsel.
“The choice is yours. Either you move out of the building on your own volition, or the residents of this building will take action and you will be forced to move.”
The anonymous note then slams the parents for letting their daughter use the building's swimming pool, adding: “People cannot and do not wish to swim in the pool during the four hours she stands and screams in the pool—incessantly, every afternoon and night.”
The letter writer also cruelly describes the 16-year-old girl as “large framed [sic] and hefty”.
“She jumps up and down and disturbs all of the neighboring residents beginning at 5:30 AM every day,' that person added before renewing their threats towards Batsheva's parents.
“YOU DISREGARD and DISRESPECT all of the other residents in this building; therefore, we will do EVERYTHING to take action.
“The right thing to do would be to take your daughter to a facility that can accommodate disabled people like herself, where you would not be infringing upon the quality of life of others—who worked hard their whole lives—to live and enjoy the peace and quiet of this condo building.”
The shocking note ends with the sender telling the family: “We are not responsible for your daughter's diagnosis.
“And you have no right to burden us with her diagnosis.
“We urge you to do the right thing and find another living situation as soon as possible.”
On receiving the note, mum Leah Solomon told Fox News: “I went into shock. As much as it hurt, it made my blood boil and I was fuming. I was not going to let anyone refer to my daughter like that.”
Solomon said her daughter, Batsheva, has severe autism and is non-verbal. She attends the South Florida Autism Charter School in Hialeah.
While she says it’s “challenging” at times to raise a child with autism, Solomon emphasised there is “no other love like” it.
“Our children ... come to show us unconditional love,” she continued. “It’s important for parents of children with any disability to know they are not alone, and they should never allow people to hurt their children. We are doing the best we can as parents of such a complicated disability.”
The management at the condominium told the family they did not condone the “disturbing” letter, WPTV reports, and said a tenant, who has no official capacity, drafted it.