Cops refuse to take action against neighbor who plays monkey noises and racial slurs at black family because officers say ‘it is not criminally actionable’
- Martinez, who is black, said her neighbor plays racial slurs and monkey noises at her family
- Martinez and her family have lived in their home on Jessamine Court for five years
- Martinez said she’s had to deal with the taunting behavior coming from 2001 Jessamine Court for a majority of that time
- Martinez said the noise plays persistently on 15 to 30 second intervals, but lowers every time officers arrive
- When she contacted police officials, officers at the Virginia Beach Police Department told Martinez there was nothing they could do
- Martinez said she went to the Virginia Beach Magistrate Office, before filing a civil complaint at the city courthouse
- Both have denied Martinez’s complaints
A black family in suburban Virginia Beach is being harassed by a neighbor who blasts them with monkey noises and racial slurs.
Jannique Martinez, who lives in the Salem Lakes area, said the man also flashes blinking lights and uses speakers to loudly play banjo music whenever her family leaves the house.
However cops are refusing to do anything because they say the neighbor’s antics are ‘not criminally actionable.’
Yet the city’s ordinance requirements for noise complaints clearly states that it is a Class 3 misdemeanor to play ‘excessive sound’.
Jannique Martinez, (pictured) resides in the Salem Lakes area, and said her neighbor repeatedly flashes blinking lights and uses speakers to loudly play banjo music whenever her family leaves the house
Authorities advised Martinez to go to Virginia Beach Magistrate Office, which told her last week there was nothing it could do because the man never threatened her or inflicted bodily harm toward her or her family.
‘Whenever we would step out of our house, the monkey noises would start,’ Martinez told KRON4. ‘And it’s so racist and it’s disgusting.’
Neighbors have protested outside the man’s house to send a clear message to the individual, but to no avail.
Pictured in this photo is the residence at 2001 Jessamine Court, which belongs to a neighbor who has been taunting Jannique Martinez and her family for five years
Protestors gathered outside the home of 2001 Jessamine Court where the neighbor who has antagonized Martinez’s family resides
Martinez and her family have lived in their home on Jessamine Court for five years and have had to deal with their neighbors antics for a majority of that time.
In addition to loud music and flashing lights, Martinez said her neighbor has recently installed surveillance cameras to capture her family whenever they’re outside.
To collect proof of her neighbor’s antagonizing antics, Martinez recorded audio with her cell phone.
‘My son is terrified of him. Terrified, terrified,’ Martinez said. ‘The N-word situation… They came to me and said, ‘Mom, what’s that?’ I didn’t subject my kids to that. I didn’t think they would ever have to learn what this means.
‘I actually felt like… helpless a little bit. Because I’ve gone to the magistrate, I’ve gone to civil court, I’ve talked to a lawyer… I’ve done what I can to do it the right way, Martinez said.’
Martinez said the noise plays persistently on 15 to 30 second intervals, but lowers every time officers arrive.
Pictured in this photo are surveillance cameras and flashing bright lights used to antagonize neighbors on Jessamine Court
Jannique Martinez said repeatedly flashes blinking lights whenever her and her family are outside
To collect proof of her neighbor’s antagonizing antics, Martinez recorded audio with her cell phone as seen in this photo
Police told KRON4 that a compliant must ‘match certain criteria’ before criminal charges are made.
So far, no charges have been brought to the individual in question. So far, Virginia Beach police have responded to nine complaints about the neighbor’s activity.
Of those complaints, seven were nuisance complaints.
DailyMail.com contacted Virginia Beach Police Department for comment but did not hear back.
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