Dear Editor:
Advocates from across the Hudson Valley continue to stand up against racism in a call for a resolution in an ongoing plight for a local interracial family.
Crowds are expected to gather Sunday, June 13 at 1pm, at 371 Bruyn Tpke, Wallkill to show support for Raldon Scott and Tina Foy, who have been terrorized by their neighbor for the previous year.
Shortly after moving into their home Tina and Raldon began experiencing minor annoyances from their neighbor. The initial problems included calling the police about a fence the couple was building, on their own property, around their garden and throwing a glass dish in their driveway. Over the previous few months, the incidents have not only continued, but escalated in frequency and level of harassment, causing this family to call the police in fear of their safety at least once a month and usually more often.
Some of these episodes include a racist rant, that went viral, calling the couple “C*nt loving n*–ers and n*–er loving c*nts”, blocking access to a shared driveway with her truck so the couple could not come or go at will, pointing trail cameras at the couples home, berating a black landscaper who was only there for one day to mow the lawn, multiple occasions of sitting in a chair in the shared yard taking pictures of the couples home and windows. One particularly horrific event took place on Mother’s Day when the neighbor hurled a dead rat at Tina and her child. There are multiple video and audio recordings of these events as well as several dozen police reports.
This couple feels they have exhausted their local resources as they have reached out to the Town of Shawangunk Police, the State Police, and the Ulster County Sheriff, and the Town of Shawangunk Town Board. The couple even contacted the Ulster County District attorney in an effort to get a restraining order and were informed there was no threat or reason to fear their safety and were denied the restraining order.
If you are unable to attend, you can show support by contacting District Attorney Dave Clegg 845.340.3280 and ask him to investigate allegations of racism in the Town of Shawangunk Police department. You can also report these incidents to the State of NY on behalf of this couple at https://www.ny.gov/content/hate-crime-report-incident
Sincerely,
MaryAnn Tozzi
Shawangunk, NY