"For as long as we've had homes, we've had neighbors-which is to say, we've had neighbor problems. Hammurabi's Code, written in circa 1750 B.C., best known for its helpful guidelines regarding taking out eyes and cutting off hands, also includes some rules for how to deal with agriculture-related neighbor disputes, conjuring images of ancient Babylonians accidentally flooding one another's fields and bickering over crop losses."
"This kind of conflict-heightened, in modern times, by the advent of the doorbell camera and the erosion of the social contract-is the stuff of 'Neighbors,' a new documentary series on HBO created by Dylan Redford (grandson of Robert) and Harrison Fishman (ancestry unknown). The show focusses on disputes between homeowners that, in many cases, have evolved into debilitating, years-long feuds."
"In West Palm Beach, Melissa and Victoria battle over a comically small patch of grass that each claims is on their property. The women used to be friends; now, they are rivals, united only by their joint willingness to be filmed for HBO."
Neighbor conflicts have existed since ancient times, documented in Hammurabi's Code and Roman law. Modern disputes have intensified due to doorbell cameras and declining social contracts. HBO's new documentary series 'Neighbors,' created by Dylan Redford and Harrison Fishman, examines homeowner feuds that have evolved into years-long conflicts. Featured disputes include a Kokomo, Indiana case involving a makeshift farm, Florida Panhandle oceanfront property access battles, and a West Palm Beach dispute between former friends over a small grass patch. The series captures how ordinary disagreements escalate into debilitating conflicts, with participants willing to be filmed despite the personal nature of their grievances.
Read at The New Yorker
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