Btw, by "’clean house’ by yourself" I didn’t mean doing something stupid like brandishing or going vigilante. It was meant in the sense of doing what you can legally do as far as calling cops, and making the thugs as uncomfortable as possible when doing their dirty deeds.
If every time they see you looking closely at ‘em, the cops show up 20 or 30 minutes later… they’re gonna notice, and if they are dangerous, you become a target. That’s when carrying concealed might come in. … discreet and only for defense, of course.
If I were in your shoes, I’d start getting with neighbors … beginning with the ones you know, expanding to the ones they know, and leaving out the parents of the thugs … to build a firm base of allies and "eyes for the police". Then, all those eyes need to call the cops EVERY time they see something bad going on … not the next day, or even ten minutes later. Once the thugs get the idea that the neighborhood won’t tolerate their bad behavior, you might even get a chance to "get positive" and reward the kids that decide it’s best to play by the rules. The parents that care will come to you and get involved, then.
I’ m not a big fan of making any highly visible or reactionary changes in normal behavior patterns, but subtle changes of being more prepared and aware are a must. Them seeing you reloading has its pros as well as cons. For one thing, they immediately know you’re not one of those guys that go through a box of the cheapest WalMart stuff you can find every two to five years.
Calm self confidence without bravado seems to confuse and scare the thug types more than anything.
If they get the idea that you are too much for them to handle, aren’t a threat to them (physically, or in "neighborhood prestige") as long as they leave you alone … they usually have enough brain cells still working to cause them to leave you alone. The ones that would go after you because you’re willing to stand your ground … well, that’s what the concealed pistol is for.
And a Barry Manilow block party could be a fun idea in the mean time. After all, you’re a gun guy, so ... you should already have adequate ear protection.