October 6, 2021

A Virginia Beach family has been tortured since they moved in in 2017 by a neighbor whose audio system blares monkey noises and the N word when they leave the house. From the Virginian-Pilot:

The mother of three sought help from police, the Virginia Beach Magistrate Office and a civil judge, who all said there was nothing they could do because the neighbor didn’t break any laws or threaten Martinez and her family.

Virginia Beach police issued a statement Wednesday calling the neighbor’s behavior “appalling and offensive.” But despite multiple nuisance and loud music complaints, the department “has had no authority to intervene and warrants were not supported.” The statement also said officials will monitor and help as long as it’s “within the limits of the law.”

In the same statement, police said the magistrate office and city attorney concluded the neighbor’s actions don’t “rise to a level that Virginia law defines as criminal behavior.” The city attorney’s office pointed The Pilot to a city ordinance which states officials cannot intervene if doing so might violate their First Amendment rights, but its lawyers but did not answer when asked whether the law prevents the city from taking action in Martinez’s case.

You got that right: the Virginia Beach police and the city attorney say they are so, so sorry, but there is nothing to be done! It is "protected speech"! Even though Virginia Beach not only has noise ordinances and a nuisance law, the state of Virginia also has hate laws. Personally, I think the police are not using their imaginations. If it was the black family making the noise, I have every faith the local police would find grounds to charge them, but that is just me.

Oh, and the Martinez parents are both veterans. It seems as though Virginia Beach only supports the troops when they look a certain way.

However, with all the media attention, the Martinez family's horrible neighbor has lowered the volume. For now.

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