Strange Neighbors

Epidemic obesity is a reality in this mass of land we call the United States of America. In my working class neighborhood restaurant options are limited. We have about 5 Chinese food locales we can order from, a crown fried chicken (a KFC knockoff that makes burgers and such), a couple of pizzerias, and about 3 "Spanish" restaurants (they serve Latin foods). The single, working mother who gets home from a long workday and does not have the energy or patience to cook must choose from the grand diversity offered by Woodhaven restauranteurs.
If the children of this area are lucky they will find a positive physical activity to engage in while burning those excess calories. This is more difficult for those adults who find themselves too busy to exercise or watch what they eat, and thus become the kidnapped concubines of the fast food industry. I'm not making excuses here. I know that some people are just, well, lazy.
This post has been years in the making and it has nothing to do with diets, food wars, or slothfulness. It has more to do with a certain neighbor of mine who has taken it upon herself to ruin the one form of exercise I have enjoyed for over 13 years.
There exists in my neighborhood a worn out basketball hoop which is erected, on average, twice a week. The majority of those of us who use the hoop are long time residents of the area. Occasionally we invite some friends of ours to take part in a couple of games. Some of us do it for the exercise, others do it for the competition, and others do it because it gives them something to do.
I have to state that we strategically place the hoop so that it does not block the light, residential traffic, or any driveways. The hoop is also placed in a location where it becomes almost impossible for the ball to hit a car. Those of us that use the hoop respect our neighbors and their property.
Despite all our efforts there is a neighbor of mine, and a couple of her cronies, which has taken offense to our biweekly gathering. I, personally, am simply seeking exercise and the chance to somewhat catch up with old friends. What is it that offends my neighbor so much?
We do not commit any noise violations. There are no fights during, after, or, in between games. Play usually begins at 3 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. All water bottles are disposed of after games, and, most importantly, no one's property or person is damaged. Yet the police find the time during their busy schedule to make their way to my block and disrupt play. They usually find nothing illegal about the situation and go about their business. So, I must ask, why do they continue to answer the calls of the woman crying wolf?
I wonder if it is the perspiration of youth which upsets my neighbor most. She stealthily watches from her window, nothing better to do with her life, plotting, scheming, and making calls. Time has been unkind to her and she declares war against those who are doing something better with theirs. The NYPD is willing to perpetrate her unwarranted harassment, which is in itself something that baffles me. Yet we battle on, you can call us weekend warriors, unflinching, determined to keep our bodies and minds healthy. We fight against the tyranny of the industrial food complex, the caloric intake of working class America, and those strange neighbors of ours that derive some sadistic joy from watching us deal with the cops.
- Alex

P.S. Buy my bike! It's in great condition. Go here: BIKE