Neighbors now complaining he's "getting the streets dirty" with the ashes
BALDWIN BOROUGH - A local man's attempt to make amends with his neighbors appears to have backfired, as they are now complaining that he is dirtying the street. Carl Behr had erected a lighted cross on his roof in January, and then a larger, 24-foot cross on his property on Feb. 6. Neighbors complained about the lights, and Behr was ordered to remove it. Although he first vowed to keep it, he later said he would take it down.
"I need to be more humble about this," Behr said today. "I need to find a different way to get my message out. And to show you how serious I am, I have decided to don sackcloth and ashes. I hope my neighbors will take this outward sign as a symbol of my penitence."
But one neighbor isn't too charitable. "First it was his contracting equipment on the street and around his house. Then it was the big cross," said Lisa Fera, who lives across from Behr. "Now he's walking around all grimy and ratty-looking. He is leaving ashes all over the place. And as windy as it's been, it's flying all over the place. My whole living room seems like it's covered in soot."
When told of his neighbor's comments, Behr sighed and offered to vacuum Ms. Fera's house. "I'll go get my shop vac," he said.
