A Black family from Virginia Beach says its being "terrorized" by their neighbor who is playing recordings of racial slurs and monkey noises to taunt them.
Jannique Martinez, a Black Navy veteran who moved to Jessamine Court in Virginia Beach five years ago, said she has been subjected to months of harassment by her neighbor but police are doing nothing about it because his actions are "not criminally actionable," as reported by CNN.
Martinez said earlier it was just loud noise but the neighbor recently stepped up his harassment by installing motion sensors directed at them that triggers flashing lights, noises and recordings of racial slurs as soon as the family steps out of their house or pulls into their driveway.
Video footage obtained by CNN shows the lights flashing, monkey noises and a recording from a skit with the repeated mention of the N-word being blared out of the speakers outside the neighbor's house.
"Whenever we would step out of our house, the monkey noises would start," Martinez said. "And it's so racist and it's disgusting."
Virginia Beach Police Says Neighbor's Actions Not 'Criminal Behavior'
After the video went viral, netizens identified the neighbor as John Michael Eskildsen - a 47-year-old unemployed man who lives with his mother.
The Virginia Beach Police Department also released a statement saying that it has responded to several calls related to nuisance and loud music on the block, but while it is "offensive," it "has no authority to intervene."
"As appalling and offensive as the neighbors' behaviors are, the city attorney and Virginia magistrates have separately determined that the actions reported thus far did not rise to the level that Virginia law defines as criminal behavior," police said Thursday.
Eskildsen Harassing Other Residents As Well
Eskildsen has been harassing the other residents in the cul-de-sac as well and has tailored the sensors to play loud music to taunt the neighbor that sets it off. Martinez said her youngest son, 7, is terrified of the man. In addition to his typical bad-neighbor behavior like yelling at kids who step on his lawn and playing loud music, he also has the other neighbors' under the eye of eight security cameras.
According to local news outlet WAVY, Last Friday, concerned neighbors took to the streets to protest against the unruly neighbor holding signs that read "love thy neighbor" and "love wins."
