Lockdown wasn't easy for anyone. Especially at the beginning, when everything was so uncertain, and the only stable thing in our lives was the unknown. A virus that, for many of us, started on the other side of the world and no one knew anything about. It was insane.
And for a long time, we would all see news about how, despite mandatory precautions and most countries around the world entering some form of lockdown, not everyone abided by the rules. Either it was because they were doubtful that a virus was even happening at all, calling it a hoax, or simply because, well... irresponsibility.
Which is exactly the type of situation a guy on r/ProRevenge found himself in — surrounded by irresponsibility. In this case, it was his new neighbors, a group of college students who partied wildly every single day, blasting loud music throughout the night. Despite several attempts to plead with them to stop, it all fell on deaf ears, and, well, he eventually had to take it to the press for them to finally stop.
For weeks on end during the 2020 pandemic, we all saw news of people refusing to abide by the safety rules
A man was directly affected by this after a group of students kept partying every single night, preventing everyone from resting, despite numerous police visits and even fines
Despite their best efforts to end the noise problems in a diplomatic way, the group of students kept partying anyway
Illegal parties during the pandemic had some of the highest transmission rates of all events
Bothering your neighbors with parties is already risky business — especially during hours when you're not supposed to make any noise. But at the time of this story, Belgium was in lockdown, and such stories became increasingly common for all the wrong reasons. According to Epidemiology & Infection, household and private social settings had some of the highest attack rates, ranging from 25% to 35%, during SARS-CoV-2 transmission events.
At the time, Belgium, where the narrator lived, had also imposed strict financial penalties for anyone who hosted or attended lockdown parties (or, as they called them, lockdownfeestjes). For anyone participating, the fine could be up to €250, while hosts could face a fine of up to €750. But even that amount didn't stop these college students from enjoying their university nightlife. Nor did getting the university higher-ups involved.
And of course, nor did the fact that, as a healthcare worker, the man's emotional well-being was already at risk. In fact, since the pandemic, several studies have found that 95% of healthcare workers during the early pandemic waves reported poor sleep quality, while over 30% to 40% experienced clinical insomnia. Over half of the respondents also experienced severe burnout and high levels of anxiety.
The man felt pressured into acting in a drastic manner in order to enforce rules
While the police were heavily criticized by readers for not enforcing the rules themselves, they were following standard legal protocols in Belgium. Under constitutional law, officers aren't allowed to enter a private residence without a warrant or explicit consent from the occupant. So, aside from constantly fining the people at the parties, there was hardly anything else they could have done.
There were, however, a few less drastic approaches the OP could have taken. For starters, they could have submitted written reports to the municipal magistrate (Burgemeester) or even reached out directly to the landlord or property management company. Lease agreements often include clauses stating that severe neighborhood nuisance can allow landlords to initiate eviction proceedings.
But, of course, media pressure did the trick. After all, media scrutiny put pressure not only on the students but also on the university, police force, and municipal magistrate to act quickly to resolve the issue — which they did. But tell me, Pandas, would you have been as patient and diplomatic as the man was? Or would you have immediately sought other ways to make sure the noise ended as soon as possible? Let us know!
Most readers praised the man for his patience, criticizing the police for their lack of attitude
