[narrator] Sometimes, a family needs a fresh start.
[Kim] Great job, guys.
Oh, great catch.
[Becky] They were pretty friendly with everybody.
[narrator] But when lifestyles clash everyone suffers.
You think we're pieces of crap!
You said it, not me.
[Christina] Stop it!
[Kim] It made the feud worse.
It made the anxiety worse.
He's a perv!
At that point Kenneth felt like he needed
to defend his name and defend his family.
[Kenneth] You stay away from my daughter
and turn that stupid music down while you're at it.
You wanna be a sick [bleep].
I'm gonna show you a sick [bleep].
[spits]
[Christina] She spits on me!
The woman spit on me.
[sirens blaring]
I don't think anyone in this neighborhood
expected things to escalate the way that they did.
[officer] Copy 911.
[woman] I hope somebody comes pretty soon.
Somebody's gonna get killed.
-[gunshot] -[woman 1] Good to see you.
[woman speaking indistinctly]
[man] I know what you did.
[gunshot]
[woman] Stay out of my neighborhood!
[man 2] Stay away from my wife!
On the ground now!
-[woman screams] -[gunshot]
[narrator] This small midwestern city
is working hard to restore itself to former glory.
Flint is one of those cities
that has a bad rap.
But it has a lot of heart.
The people want to make their city better
and the community always comes together.
-[Amber] Crap. -[Kim] It's okay.
I got it. Nothing's broken.
[narrator] This little house on Starkweather street
is now home to a big family.
[Arianna] Mom.
She's not giving me the room I want.
I want it, I'm younger.
Girls, girls, we talked about this.
Okay, please go inside.
[narrator] Young couple Kim and Amber Perryman
have moved to this neighborhood
with their two daughters
to escape the grittier side of town.
[Kim] We were more than excited to move in.
It was definitely a fresh start for us.
[Amber] I thought that buying the house
would be a big step for us.
[narrator] Amber's mother Tammy
joins them in their new home.
I moved over there to help them with the kids.
[narrator] They also take in their good friend, Joseph.
[Shirley] For Joseph, coming to live with the Perrymans
they were offering him a place that he can
be, like, rent free.
[Joseph] Why don't you give one of them my room?
I, I can sleep on the couch.
[Tammy] Move yourself. Joseph,
you need your own room.
The girls will figure it out.
[Kim] If I could describe Joseph
I would've to literally compare him to a teddy bear.
He's just so, he's sweet.
[Amber] Look a that house.
So nice.
Just wait until ours gets done up.
[Christina] Yeah, that's my girl.
[narrator] Across the street from the Perrymans
factory workers Kenneth and Christina Brett
have been living in their home for years
raising their daughters,
11-year old Paige and 21-year old Cici.
[Becky] Christina is...
our neighbor and a very,
good friend of mine.
They were pretty friendly with everybody.
[Kenneth] Hey, you got it.
That's my girl.
Cici, you coming out?
She's still moody.
That's what happens after a break-up.
Oh, she'll get over it.
-[Paige] Thanks. -[Tammy] You're welcome.
That place is gonna be packed.
[Kim] Neighbors kinda kept to themselves.
They'd, you know, a nice little, "Hey."
[narrator] It won't be long before a little "Hey" between the families
becomes a little hell.
Turn that stupid music down.
You won't get away with this.
They never shut up!
[Kim] They had a nice house.
They had a nice yard.
You could tell it was very well taken care of.
[narrator] Kenneth and Christina
enjoy working on their property.
[Kim] Oh. [laughs]
[narrator] But the Perrymans are too busy raising a family
to worry about landscaping.
[Kim] Great job, guys.
Oh, great catch.
Raising girls is a handful.
They fight over, 'Whose shirt it is?"
"Whose got the brush?
That's my bathing suit. That's my Barbie doll."
And they always left their toys outside.
But they were typical kids.
They left stuff everywhere.
You got this.
[Christina] Oh, come on.
Remember what it's like when the girls were young?
[Kim laughing]
Well, at least we kept garbage in the house or the backyard.
Catch!
I felt like Kenneth was uptight. I did.
I felt like Kenneth thought he was better than us.
Hey, heads up.
Sorry, I thought you'd catch it.
[Kim] Joseph,
take the girls in for lunch.
Hey, Kenneth. Wait up.
Go easy on him.
He's really shy.
He has a bit of learning disability.
And, it takes him a while to find the words.
He had a delay in his reaction.
He had a speech impediment. He had a learning disability.
So, we were very, very protective over Joseph.
So what? He's 20?
[Kim] I felt he was very rude.
[Amber] What is it?
This guy across the street is a bit of a jerk.
What'd he say?
[sighs] Nevermind. It'll be fine.
Better to just leave the situation alone.
It wasn't gonna do nothing but cause more problems.
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator] Nevertheless, the Perrymans' noise
remains a constant thorn for their neighbors.
[indistinct chatter]
Geez.
[Amanda] The kids are outside.
They're yelling, they're playing.
It's just a lot of commotion.
And, that's something that the Bretts weren't used to.
[kids screaming]
[sighs softly]
[Tammy] They just wanted to be kids and have fun.
[Amber] Careful.
Don't go in the street, okay?
[Tammy] It's not like they were troublemakers or anything.
They were little girls.
[Micki] Give!
[hip-hop instrumental music playing on speakers]
Come on! [groans]
[hip-hop instrumental music continues playing on speakers]
[door slams]
Kenneth, I believe,
is a rock and roll
type of guy.
We listen to all types of different music.
R&B, rap.
[Becky] I could see Kenneth calmly walking over there
and ask, "Hey, man.
You think maybe you could turn down the music?"
[Kenneth] Hey!
Turn it down.
Please?
Hey!
What the hell, man?
Why are you shouting at me?
Amber talks naturally loud.
Would it kill you to ask nicely?
[Kenneth] I asked you five times.
[Amber] Why are you so rude?
Kenneth came outside and said some rude things.
Turn the music down!
[Amber] He was just looking at me like--
But we're on our own property.
I can do what I want.
At first I thought, "okay, these people don't like us
or even want us in this neighborhood."
[chuckles] It's my property.
-Are you serious? -No.
[narrator] The Perrymans' music maybe loud
but what happens next
will push Kenneth's family to the edge.
[Amanda] I don't think anyone in this neighborhood
expected things to escalate the way that they did.
Keep your dog on a leash, will you?
[Joseph stammering] Shut the hell up, man!
[Christina] Hey.
Stop!
[Amanda] Starkweather was a quiet street
and then this new family moves in.
They're playing music really loud outside.
The kids are rambunctious.
It's, it's different than what these neighbors are used to.
[Kenneth] Pfft.
-Unbelievable! -What?
[narrator] To make matters worse
the Perrymans often host parties
for family and friends.
I like to hang with my family.
So, I would have my family over at the house.
[music playing loudly]
[Kim] I believe they resented us
because we did have people over.
They're older.
You know, um, they're quiet people.
[Becky] They would always have the driveway full of cars.
So, when they had an abundance of company
they would park out in front of their mailbox
on the road.
And that become an inconvenience
for other neighbors trying to get in and out of their driveways,
'cause they didn't have enough room.
[narrator] And in a terrible coincidence,
Cici's ex-boyfriend
is a close relative of the Perrymans.
[Cici] Oh, crap.
Seriously.
Amber's cousin, Emmanuel,
dated Kenneth Brett's daughter, Cici.
How you doing, man?
[Joseph] Nice ride.
[narrator] Cici is going to be encountering Emmanuel again,
whether she wants to or not.
[Amber] It definitely was a messy, petty break-up.
[Emmanuel] That's, uh, Cici.
[Kenneth huffs]
[Amanda] Kenneth is protective of his family
and his daughters.
[speaking indistinctly]
[Amanda] I think that he would do
whatever he needed to do
to make sure that they were safe.
[Becky] He always looked out for his girls.
Hey, keep your eyes to yourself.
-Hey. -Who's this guy talking to?
I can't believe this. [scoffs]
Kenneth, come back inside.
-No, no, no. -Now.
I'm sure Kenneth didn't like Emmanuel. [chuckles]
Leave my cousin alone.
[scoffs] Cousin?
Hey, you stay away from my daughter,
and turn that stupid music down while you're at it.
-You, you can't-- -Okay, that's enough.
You go back inside your house
and you leave my family alone.
That has nothing to do with these girls and their kids.
Even if they were related,
it had nothing to do with them.
[knock on door]
Unbelievable.
I'm sorry, Cici.
[stammers] What's up with her?
I don't know. Don't ask me.
Did we make a mistake?
-Was moving here a mistake? -No.
Don't forget why we came here.
[Kim] I don't like drama,
but I also knew this is my home.
We gotta make the best of it.
So long as they stay away from us.
Yeah.
[narrator] They Perrymans are determined
to build a new life for themselves
in the home they've chosen,
no matter what the Bretts think
or what they're accustomed to.
I think that Kenneth was used to having a quiet street,
a quiet neighborhood.
In his mind, this is disrupting his home.
It's disrupting the street.
[narrator] And it's not just the company that the Perrymans keep that rankles,
it's what they leave behind.
[Becky] It was always messy.
Cans, pop bottles all over the yard.
Papers blowing everywhere.
The debris would come out their yard and blow,
and then it would be in everybody else's yards.
It was one of the worst yards
in that neighborhood, I'll tell you that.
[narrator] Joseph's hobby only adds to the pile.
[cartwheel rattling]
Joseph would walk around and collect
anything that he felt, like, was,
either gonna make something
or he could make something from it.
I called Joseph a tinkerer.
Anything he'd get he'd like to work on.
He didn't care what it was.
[Amanda] Kenneth, I'm guessing didn't feel comfortable
with this young man
pulling garbage out of the ditches.
Don't you have enough junk in your house?
Could you just... [stammers] leave me alone?
Pfft.
Come on, Buck, let's go.
[narrator] The situation gets even more tense
when Joseph brings his treasures home.
[shopping cart rattling]
[Becky] He would leave grocery carts
in front of everybody's driveways,
especially the Bretts.
You would literally have to get out of your vehicle
and move the carts in order to get out of your driveway.
[music playing loudly from radio]
[Christina] Do you mind?
[narrator] The young man won't stop his fun.
[Tammy] He liked to modify bicycles.
Tried to make choppers out of 'em and...
put a big wheel on the back
or small wheel on the front
or long forks or weird handlebars.
[Amanda] According to the Perrymans,
Joseph was outside working on his bicycle.
He was playing loud music
and getting into it. And for Kenneth,
this whole setup, it's loud,
it's disrupting,
and to him it's unsightly.
Come on, turn the music down!
[Kim] Kenneth came out,
made a couple of smart comments about his music.
And he would ignore him
and that would make Kenneth madder.
Hey, something wrong with you?
[Kim] Joseph ignored Kenneth for a good while
before he finally had enough of him running his mouth.
Shut... [stammers] shut the hell up, man.
Go back in your house, man.
[dog barking]
Buck. Buck, come on, Buck.
[Kim] They had their dog
and it always run over into our yard.
Hey! Keep your dog on a leash, will you?
Come on, Buck. Come on.
[narrator] Hostility is growing,
but the Perrymans focus on giving their girls
the childhood they deserve.
Okay.
-Should we stir? -Yes.
[Amber] And they came to me and Kim
and asked us about a lemonade stand.
They said they wanted to make some money.
And me and Kim was all for it.
What now?
Do you have to put that there?
[Kim] They had a problem with them being at the end of our driveway.
Why is it bugging you?
It's at the end of our driveway.
They're not in your driveway.
[Christina] It's a narrow street.
You have people blocking the road.
"You got people stopping," so what?
[Amber] They're kids.
-What's your problem? -[Kim] Amber.
Ignore her.
It just seemed like it was always something going on.
Well?
Well, what?
[groans softly]
[narrator] If the girls' lemonade stand
is a problem for the neighbors,
the Perrymans wonder why the Bretts yard sale isn't.
[Becky] Christina had yard sales at least twice,
twice a year.
[Kim] I found it very hypocritical
that the Bretts would yell at us
for a lemonade stand
and you're over there having a yard sale.
What's any different?
You guys are both selling something?
[Amber] The girls can't have a lemonade stand
but you can hawk all this junk?
You're a hypocrite.
Seriously?
-Hey! -Continue your shopping. She's gonna go.
I'm talking to you.
[Christina] Hey.
Stop it! Stop it.
[Kim] "I'll show you a..."
and she kicked the sign.
I was like, here we go, you know?
Like, here we go.
You need to apologize to my daughter.
You can't do that.
[Amber] I was very angry.
I knocked stuff off tables.
I wouldn't buy any of this crap. It's probably infested.
[Becky] Amber was chasing off Christina's customers.
What is wrong with you?
[narrator] Amber's fuse is getting shorter.
And it's only a matter of time
before the whole neighborhood ignites.
[Kim] It made the feud worse.
It made the anxiety worse.
I think it overall made the whole situation worse.
At this point the tension between the Perrymans and the Bretts,
it's been growing and growing and growing.
Hey, get back here.
[narrator] As the antagonism between neighbors intensifies,
Kim tries her best to keep the peace.
I'm so sorry.
-Did you see what she did? -I'll get that. I'll get that.
[Becky] Kim had come over and spoke to Christina
and her youngest daughter.
And told her that she was gonna replace the chalkboard.
I did pick the sign up and I was like,
"Christina, I'm sorry."
It doesn't look broken. It looks good.
[Becky] The chalkboard was never replaced,
from my understanding.
I'll have a talk. It won't happen again.
I didn't replace the sign
because the sign was never broken.
-Won't happen again. -She better not come back here.
[Kim] She won't.
It's just one more thing piling up against them and these neighbors.
[narrator] As the resentment continues to rise,
so does the temperature.
Fortunately, the Perrymans have a way to deal with the heat.
[Amber] I bought a $1700 pool.
The kids were so excited,
they could go swimming everyday.
They were happy.
[Kim] Unfortunately, our backyard,
the people that lived there before,
they had major holes in the back
so we put our pool in the front yard.
[narrator] It's a relief for the Perrymans,
but to the Bretts...
Seriously?
...it's a monstrosity.
On the front lawn?
[Kenneth] You've got to be kidding me.
The Bretts did not like it in the front yard.
They said it was trashy.
You got a problem?
This is my yard. I pay my bills, you pay your bills.
What I have over here shouldn't affect you.
Girls, who wants to jump in first? [chuckles whimsically]
I think that the pool, being in the front yard,
angered Kenneth, because, in his opinion,
it was an eyesore.
[Kim] I didn't really care what they thought.
My kids were happy.
They were enjoying their summer.
[narrator] The happiness is short-lived.
[rain pattering]
[thunder rumbles]
[door opens]
[Kim] The whole pool was sliced open.
Almost... well, I'm gonna say, halfway around the pool.
Just sliced it.
Amber! Kim!
[Tammy] They threw the chairs in the pool,
destroying things in the yard, knocked over the barbecue grill.
[narrator] Even though they can't prove it,
they believe the Bretts are responsible.
It definitely was an act of intimidation,
and they were definitely trying to send a message.
You won't get away with this!
Amber, take it easy.
[Amber] I was instantly angry about it.
My mom kept talking me down, talking me out of not going over there.
'Cause I was gonna go over there.
[Amber in the distance] You won't get away with this!
[women speaking indistinctly outside]
[Amber] I said you won't get away with this!
Um, what's happening?
Nothing to worry about.
[narrator] The neighbors deny involvement.
But Amber has a hard time moving on from the destruction of the pool.
[indistinct conversation]
See you. [mimicking a kiss]
What's your problem?
[loudly] I said, what's your problem?
-[yelling] I'm talking to you! -[rocks patter]
Amber did throw, probably not just rocks,
but probably a couple of handfuls...
of gravel out of her driveway
at Christina's oldest daughter.
[Amber shouting] I'm talking to you!
Yes, I did. I threw gravel at her car,
dirt and rocks.
[shouting] Will you leave me alone?
-You-- -What? What?
-What were you gonna call me? -[Christina] Hey.
Hey, what is wrong with you?
[spits]
[Christina whispers indistinctly in disbelief]
[Amber] Yes, I did spit on Christina.
Very angry, I was feeling at that moment.
I was just fed up with her [bleep].
I was just giving them the reaction
I think they were trying to get from me.
Unbelievable.
[Becky] At that point in time,
I can only imagine how she was feeling.
But even at that point,
she probably could've started a physical altercation, but she did not.
-[narrator] Instead, Christina calls the police. -[cell phone dialing]
[sirens blaring]
They're the nuisance, not me.
I don't know what's going on around here,
but you need to take it easy.
Consider this a warning.
[narrator] Police leave without laying charges.
[Becky] Christina was angry,
the cops never did anything.
[narrator] This Memorial Day weekend is an unusual scorcher,
-but the Perryman girls are keeping cool. -[uttering indistinctly]
[shrieks playfully]
[giggles]
[giggling]
[Kim] It was a hot day outside.
So, the kids were outside.
They're in their bathing suits. It's hot.
-[chuckles] -[girl] I'm going to get you...
[giggles and laughter]
[girls giggling outside]
-Do you see the mess they're making? -[girls scream playfully]
[Amanda] They're being loud and rambunctious.
There's water bottles everywhere, and who's gonna clean that up?
[groans in frustration]
From what we know,
Kenneth comes over and tells them to knock it off.
[narrator] Yet, the Perryman children tell their parents
that isn't what Kenneth said.
[Kenneth speaking indistinctly]
-Mom! -Mom!
[Kim] Kenneth made a comment to my children,
an inappropriate comment to my children.
-Mom! -What's going on?
The neighbor has been saying really weird stuff to us.
So, Kenneth walks up and he tells Ciana,
"You look good in that bathing suit,
but you'd look even better out of it."
What?
It made me feel irate. I wanted to...
forget about police, and I wanted to go there and handle it myself.
Don't tell Amber, she's gonna [softly] lose it.
[Kim] "Don't say it too loud.
I don't want Amber to hear it, because it will go a whole another way."
[narrator] But Amber overheard the whole thing.
She's sees red, and you can't tell her nothing.
-[Kim] No, Amber. Amber! -[Tammy] Amber! Amber, no!
And, before we know it, Amber was across the street.
[yelling] Hey!
Hey! Get out here, you pervert!
It made me feel like...
I couldn't protect my daughter.
And it made me...
-[yelling] Hey! Get out here, you perv! -...very, very angry.
[loudly] What do you want?
What did you say to my girls?
I told them to pick up their water bottles. They're making a mess!
I do believe that he would never say anything like that.
-You sick pig! That's-- -[Christina] Hey!
Listen to me!
I know what you think of us.
You think we're pieces of crap!
You said it, not me.
You want crap?
I tell him, "This is what I think of you. You're a piece of [bleep]."
I'll show you crap.
"So, you want to be a sick [bleep]?
I'mma show you a sick [bleep]."
-She proceeded to take a [bleep] in his driveway. -[straining and grunting]
I definitely, you know, snapped out for a minute.
[Kim] Amber!
-What are you doing? -[Amber continues grunting]
Get back in the house!
[Amber yelling] He's a perv!
We're living next to a sex pervert!
[screaming] Watch out for your kids!
-[sirens blaring] -[narrator] Despite Amber's shocking behavior,
she and Kim are the ones who call the police.
[sirens continue blaring]
I would never ever say anything like that.
Never!
Kenneth denied it. They said that this didn't happen.
I don't know what's wrong with them.
You know what she tried to do?
We know what she did.
He was completely inappropriate with my daughters.
[police officer] Look, that's not what he says he said to them.
And we can't prove otherwise.
And you should be grateful that we are not taking you in for your little stunt.
I could see it was taking a toll on Amber and Kim's relationship.
[loudly] Happy now?
[narrator] Again, the police depart without charging anyone.
[Kim] I couldn't believe that Amber went to that extreme.
I get it and I understand that she was mad and angry,
but you don't handle a situation like that.
[Amber] I was scared.
I was angry, I was hurt.
[Amanda] At that point,
Kenneth felt like he needed to defend his name,
and defend his family.
[narrator] With both sides fuming,
it only takes a small spark to set this conflict ablaze.
[Amanda] With all of the incidents that have happened thus far,
the tension between these two neighbors
is definitely growing.
[Tammy] We had to just kind of walk on eggshells
at times, because we didn't want to get it started.
[narrator] The Perrymans won't be pushed out of their new home,
and their new life.
And the Bretts continue the fight to maintain the lifestyle they're used to.
[Becky] Christina and Kenneth was under a great amount of stress.
[narrator] The animosity is peaking,
leaving Kenneth and Christina on edge,
as they set up for a Memorial Day party with friends.
Maybe we should just cancel.
No way. We're not going to let them ruin our day.
[narrator] The Perrymans are also preparing for some family fun.
[Amber] It was like, um, Hawaiian theme.
We had leis.
We had decorations.
The kids wore little hula skirts and stuff like that.
Um, it looked nice. It really did.
[hip-hop instrumental music playing on speakers]
I was expecting a great weekend with my family and kids.
[laughter]
-[groans and sighs in exasperation] -Ignore them.
-Kenneth, just ignore it. -[groans] That's just the...
[growling] Oh, these people!
[narrator] The Bretts are determined to have a good time...
-[rock music volume increases] -...no matter what.
[loud rock instrumental music playing on stereo]
[loud rock music vibrating via speakers]
We can handle it. Okay?
[narrator] Kenneth's buddy, Micki, drops by for the festivities.
[exhales]
[Kenneth] Micki! How're you doing?
-Ah... -How's it going, buddy?
Good to see you, man.
What the hell is that over there, huh?
-[Kenneth] Buddy, don't get me started. -[snickers]
[Micki laughs loftily]
I think Kenneth definitely tried to talk down on us
to the people at his house, and his friends and family that was there.
What's your problem this time, huh?
[Kim] Amber, ignore it.
[hip-hop music volume increases]
Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go.
-[sneeringly] That's nice. -Yeah.
-Come on. -That's all right.
-Keep going. -[Amber] Yeah, keep walking.
"Could you quiet your music down?
Everybody's starting to chill out.
Why are you guys the only one that's making noise?"
All right.
[rock music continuing playing over speakers]
Ha! Would you look at that?
Only one way to fight that, huh?
[music volume increasing]
They were in the back... their backyard and stuff,
and they were playing, um, rock music.
Was it super loud? Um...
Well, I could hear it... from my front yard.
So, I would say it was loud.
[hip-hop instrumental music volume increasing]
[rock music volume increasing]
-Enough already! -[music stops]
[Kenneth exhales deeply]
[phone dialing, then rings]
You have to come, now!
[indistinct radio chatter]
They can call the police on us, but we can't call on them?
[Kim] He said, "Well, you know,
you can go over there, respectfully, as a neighbor, ask them to turn it down."
[shouting] Listen to that!
We have to put up with that, day in and day out!
We're having a party? So what?
[Kim] It was just a hot mess, but the police obviously said,
"Technically, there's nothing we can do."
[police officer] Just...
find a way to make it work.
-[exhales in exasperation] -Okay?
[Becky] They just told
the Bretts, "You stay on your side,"
they told the Perrymans, "Be on your side.
If we have to come out again,
somebody's gonna go to jail."
[narrator] Everybody is let off with a warning.
But that doesn't stop these feuding neighbors
from contacting police again.
You won't believe what he's calling us.
The language he's using in front of my kids,
it's disgusting!
No, they're getting out of hand. You gotta do something.
They've been bothering our family ever since we moved in.
This is harassment!
[yelling] They never shut up!
[siren blaring]
[Becky] The cops were out
several times that day.
[siren blaring continues]
[Amanda] It became a tit-for-tat
for calling 9-1-1.
[narrator] Authorities receive dozens of calls from Starkweather Street.
I do not think the police were taking anything seriously...
[chuckling] at all.
That's enough!
This isn't getting us anywhere.
Let's just go inside.
I told the kids, "Just forget it, we're going in.
We're... I'm not doing this. I'm not gonna do this all night.
Pack it up, we're going in."
[Kim] Yeah, you're right.
Let them be idiots.
[Micki laughs smugly and clapping]
-[snickers] -All right. This calls for a drink. Huh?
-What? [cackles] -Hell, yes!
-[Micki] Ah! -[Kenneth laughs exultantly]
-[Kenneth] All right, buddy. -[Micki] Line them up!
-Let's do it. -Come on! [chuckles]
[Micki] It's shot o'clock.
[Micki chuckles] Cheers, guys. Ha!
-Cheers. Yeah, yeah. -Natch.
-[glasses clink] -[narrator] As the Bretts and their friend fuel up
for a late night...
[softly] Cheers to you.
[narrator] ...the Perrymans settle in for a quiet one.
[people clamoring indistinctly on TV]
[all giggling]
[Tammy] I went in to lay down,
because my head was pounding.
I had a headache from dealing with the crap all day.
And Joey came in and asked me did I need anything.
-[knock on door] -Come in.
You want a soda?
I... [stammers] I'm going to the store.
I really wish you wouldn't.
It... It will... It will be fine.
It... It will be fine.
[Tammy] He was like, "Man, I'm not worried about them.
I'mma... I'm just gonna walk to the store."
I heard the front door open.
[Christina] Buck!
-[barking] -Buck, get back here!
[Joseph] Hey!
[Joseph] Hey, hey!
Get off my property.
I was standing over there when Joseph said,
[mimicking angry tone] "Get off my property!"
And I was like, "What the [bleep] is going on?"
-[Joseph shouting] Get off my property! -Did you hear that?
I heard Joey's yell,
"Get out of my yard!"
What's going on out there?
[Tammy] They were standing in my yard.
And I yelled out to Joey...
"Joseph! No!"
You didn't listen!
-[grunting and yelping] -[Joseph] What!
[narrator] When violence erupts in this endless battle,
-no one will win. -[grunting]
-[grunts] -[blows landing]
-Get off of her! -[man yelps]
It's a war zone.
[all scuffling]
[grunting]
[straining]
[grunts]
I would say the scene on Starkweather that night,
was one of...
complete terror.
-[shouting] ...off of her! -[Kim] Everything finally boiled over.
[shrieking]
-[Becky] At that point... -[shrieks]
...everybody was hitting everybody.
-Get off of her! -Get off...
-[Amber] Everything was just happening so fast. -[yelps]
They were trying to keep people off the yard.
-[Amber grunts] -[Kenneth grunts]
[Amber] I'm trying to keep people away from Joseph.
[sirens blaring]
-[grunts] -[uttering indistinctly]
[siren blaring]
[woman grunting]
-[woman straining] Get off me! -Stop, stop, stop,
-Stop! I said-- -[narrator] By the time police arrive,
-Joseph is unresponsive. -[choking and gagging]
And Christina is struggling to stay conscious.
[indistinct radio chatter]
[siren wailing distantly]
As both are rushed to hospital,
law enforcement tries to make sense of what went down.
[indistinct conversation on radio]
-The Bretts contend the Perrymans... -[female] Buck, get back here!
-...started the fight. -[barking]
-[Christina] Buck! -[Becky] The fence got open at the Bretts' premises.
And their dog got out,
and ran across the street to the Perrymans,
and went into the yard.
And so, Christina then took it upon herself
to walk over to get the dog.
-Hey! -I'm here for the dog.
I'm, I'm... I'm warning you!
Christina then heard Joseph say,
"Don't come up in my yard,
because I'm gonna beat you to death with the ball bat."
-And... -[thudding]
...that's when Joseph beat her unconscious to the ground.
-[grunting and straining] -[narrator] Christina claims
that Kenneth and their friend, came to her defense.
-[Christina grunts and yelps] -In this version,
Joseph was accidentally injured in the brawl.
-[man grunts] -[Becky] Amber was trying to hit...
-[grunting and straining] -...Kenneth with the ball bat,
and misconnect and struck Joseph.
[indistinct and muffled shouting]
[narrator] The Perrymans argue the Bretts were the aggressors,
and that Kenneth brought the baseball bat with him.
[Joseph] Hey! Hey,
hey, get off... Get off my property!
I saw Kenneth,
I saw his wife,
I saw his daughter,
and another male.
They were, uh, standing in my yard.
Kenneth had a baseball bat.
I'd seen Kenneth...
-raise the baseball bat up... -[Joseph] Okay?
-...above his head. -[Joseph] You get off...
-Get off my property! -[Tammy] No!
[Kim] Bam! Hit Joseph dead in his head.
-[cries out angrily] -Joseph fell to the ground.
Kenneth proceeded to hit him
two more times after he fell to the ground, just...
-cracking-- Bam! Bam! -[loud thudding]
[thudding and crunching]
-Get away from him! -[Amber] Christina thought she was gonna try to run up
-and kick Joseph while he was down. -[yelping]
-I hit her... -[thud]
...several times.
And I tried to run out there,
before they could get to Joey.
[muttering indistinctly]
-But I was too late. -[Tammy shouting] Get away from him!
-Get away from him! -[Tammy] That first hit,
I'd literally seen
the life drained... out of Joey's eyes.
His eyes changed.
[dispatcher speaking indistinctly]
[narrator] Neither side admits to owning the baseball bat.
But Kenneth does admit to grabbing it during the altercation.
Christina Brett makes a full recovery.
Joseph isn't so lucky.
They said Joseph's brain was shifted three centimeters to the right.
Um, he had bleeding on the brain, and it was very swollen.
[machine beeping]
They told us he was brain-dead.
There was no brainwaves.
He would never recover. [quivers]
[narrator] His family has to make a devastating decision.
It's a decision over Joseph, which, to either...
keep him alive on a vent for the rest of his life,
or turn off the machine.
I ultimately let him go peacefully.
Um, he was super gentle. He was a really good kid.
What happened to him, should have never happened to him.
He didn't deserve it.
[narrator] Kenneth Brett is arrested and charged with homicide.
He eventually pleads no contest
to voluntary manslaughter,
and is sentenced to five years in prison.
[Amanda] Now, what it means when you plead no contest,
is that you acknowledge
the punishment for the crime, but you don't actually admit any kind of guilt.
[Tammy] I don't know how that's fair.
My Joey was gone forever.
[Tammy sniffles]
[narrator] Both families are left shattered.
[Becky] All the rest of the neighbors in the neighborhood,
including the Bretts,
felt very bad for Joseph.
I feel for both sides of the family,
because both families lost.
[narrator] Ultimately, everyone leaves the neighborhood.
[Becky] I've lost contact with Christina,
but I believe that they have left state.
Man, take life serious.
You know, uh, if you feel you're in a situation,
don't act, 'cause you never know what the next person will do.
Life's too short to let another person's decisions alter yours.
[Amber crying] It definitely made me think before I react.
I beat myself up feeling like it was maybe my fault.
[voice shaking] It's been really hard not having Joseph around.
He's my best friend, my baby brother.
Next time on Fear Thy Neighbor...
You've got kids?
A boat load.
We were being neighborly.
Guys look like gangbangers.
You better think twice.
What's going on?
They arrested him and took him to prison.
I didn't steal your damn tools!
We're not done yet.
They were going to fist fight in the middle of the street.
So, what is it going to take?
Is somebody going to have to die?
[gun shot]
No!