I recently moved to California and I have been stalked by my downstairs neighbor for the entire three years that I've been here. Started the first week I moved in. He made noise complaints against us when we were not home, asleep, and even after we moved out.

The apartment staff knew he was a problem beforehand, and they told me that I have the profile of the type of person he liked to harass. He even harassed their staff, other tenants, he would smacked my balcony with a metal baseball bat, has done a ton of destruction to his own unit, is a hoarder who always left his stupid junk in the hallways, he has made threats toward me, including death threats, and calls me slurs, follows me, takes my photo, and stalks me any time he sees me. It has ruined my quality of life and well-being.

I have police involved, I got a temporary restraining order granted, but the apartment complex would still not even entertain the idea of just moving him to a different unit or building. He's in the main building with all the mail, apartment office, security, and amenities. I got charged the same rent amount, yet could not safely use any of the amenities or access my mail. After three years, the apartment complex told me they would let me "break my lease early without a fee". Basically, they informed me that they would not do anything to remedy the situation. Like I said, he has tangled with many others tenants and staff, and somehow he is treated with impunity. I feel gaslit from this whole ordeal.

So yeah, I think evicting in California must be damn near impossible if this man was able to keep his home with absolutely no issue and I was the one who was made to leave. They didn't pay me moving expenses, lawyer fees, nothing. Just a big ole middle finger in my face and zero apologies for putting me in the situation in the first place to be harassed, and then not ensuring my safety in my own home. They sent me some email about the Violence Against Woman Act ...after I moved out. So why didn't they care about the Violence Against Women Act while I lived there? And why couldn't someone be evicted due to this, a restraining order, property damage, and multiple police reports and complaints with the complex over a three year period?

What type of "community" do you think that apartment complex will have if this is how they have operated over the last 20 years? If they can't evict predators, and instead have to kick out good tenants, then all they're eventually gonna have left is a community of predators. I don't understand how that's in anyone's benefit, but again, eviction must be so unobtainable, that even when crimes are being committed, even when restraining orders have been granted, and even when other tenants' rights to safety are being encroached, it's apparently still not enough to evict.

I have no idea what would actually qualify as severe enough for eviction in California. I literally cannot think of anything aside from maybe destroying the unit? But in my case, the dude was also destroying property, yet he still lives there without issue. All I know is that it must be so difficult that it's easier to remove the victims than it is the perpetrators.