A Black woman in Virginia alleges that a neighbor plays monkey noises and racial slurs over speakers to taunt her family from inside his home, but authorities say there's little they can do about it.
The woman, Jannique Martinez, says her family and other neighbors have been harassed in her Virginia Beach neighborhood for more than a year,
NBC affiliate WAVY of Norfolk reported.
"Whenever we would step out of our house, the monkey noises would start. It's so racist, and it's disgusting. ... I don't even know how else to explain it," Martinez said.
NBC News could not immediately reach her for comment Thursday.
City officials have described the neighbor's alleged actions as "offensive" but not criminal.
The neighbor, Martinez said, also monitors her family's movements with multiple home cameras and blinking lights that appear to be hooked up to sensors.
Martinez told WAVY that the neighbor's alleged harassment escalated to monkey noises and audio of racial epithets after she reported him for loud music.
"He found out that we called the police on him to turn down the music one morning. And it's just been nonstop with the N-word," Martinez said. "My son is terrified of him. Terrified!"