An old woman complains to the police about stealing and assault on the part of neighbors.

This document is one of many similar complaints against co-tenants in the communal apartment that A. A. E— sent to the supervisor of the local police precinct. The author calls this complaint "No. 11."

Since, as can be concluded from looking at other documents in the case of A. A. E—, these petitions to the police did not produce the desired result (it would be interesting to find out what A. A. E— was counting on), the petitioner went to the next administrative level to complain about the inaction of the police. This is according to our informants; the texts were unavailable.

The petitions refer to a situation which, in principle, could certainly take place in a communal apartment: some co-tenants systematically harass others. But the specifics of the harassment and the way it is described, along with information received by the precinct policeman in the course of his investigation—visits to the apartments, conversations with A. A. E— and other tenants—leads to the conclusion that we are dealing with the complainer's overwrought imagination. The series of documents shown here illustrate a fairly widespread phenomenon, familiar to Russian psychiatrists as a delusional disorder whose content is tied to life in a communal apartment, the so-called "apartment-related delusional disorder."

164-58-11 (registration number)
to: Supervisor
Police Precinct 28
from Å—, A. A.
70a M— St. Apt. 4

Statement

No. 11

10 October 1995 I was going to the market to get food for my husband, he's now in the Veterans' Hospital because of head injuries because our co-tenant M— hit him on the head several times. And when I got back the door was unlocked and piece of paper in the detection lock had a hole in it. I immediately called the police to come and get fingerprints of those thieves Ì— N.D. and her granddaughter Anya and Maksim. They stole a lot of things from me and also groceries a new tablecloth 3 pairs of pants 2 new dress shirts and 2 knit shirts 3 pairs of coats, a white wool scarf, 4 pairs of my long underwear, 2 pairs of my husband's wool socks, 2 packages of flour, a liter of juice from the refrigerator, spoons, knives, medications, and all of his war ribbons and medals. She also stole all the good dishes, she took cups plates 3 kg of ligonberries, a coffeepot, pots, and all of the crystal they stole all the valuable good things only junk is left. I ask you to put an end to the stealing and the harassment of a war veteran, and a few days ago K—, Olga assaulted me, she grabbed me and started shaking me and used her filthy criminal words like I'll f--k you so good you'll never walk again." And who is this Olga anyway. She was brought here from prison. She got rid of her mother and they beat up her stepfather who died, she's a very mean woman this Olya. M— is no disabled veteran and she has no papers to prove she was a Leningrad Blockade Survivor, so why does the precinct policeman believe her and take the side of those brazen liars and let them steal and harass us.

I ask you to look into all of this and restore order. On October 10 she even stole all my needles together with the pincushion I can't even sew a button for myself I ask you to protect us disabled war veterans on the 10th she also stole new shoes and lipstick.

10/12/95(signature)

(policeman's signature) (E-13: policeman's notation.)