When moving to their new home in Maryland, Angela and Prince Floyd thought they found their dream home. It was on the water and was spacious enough to accommodate anyone who wanted to come over and enjoy the space with them.
They threw parties and invited college friends, close friends and family over. But they quickly discovered that neighbors would constantly call the police on the Floyds, claiming that they would clog the streets and that their music would violate the local noise ordinance.
According to the Washington Post, over a three-year period from June 2020 to June 2023, neighbors called the police against the Floyds 41 times, leading to officers showing up at their door 24 times.
After a while, the Floyds were tired of their parties getting interrupted and have since filed a lawsuit against their neighbors, claiming that their constant calls to local law enforcement violated their civil rights and is an example of racial discrimination.
When asked how it makes him feel when the police show up at his home, Prince Floyd told The Post, “It makes me feel threatened, like my life could be taken.” They’ve also said that they feel constantly embarrassed that their parties are often interrupted by a police knock at the door.
Naturally, several of the Floyd’s neighbors disagree with every allegation they are making in their lawsuit. More from the Washington Post:
Their neighbors said their complaints are not race based but rather reactions to parties that are too loud, too large and too disruptive. “It has nothing to do with them being Black,” said Margaret Littlejohn, a neighbor who is also Black and whose fiancé is a defendant in the lawsuit. “It has to do with them not being good neighbors.”
Nearly every fact is disputed between the Floyds and their neighbors, including the type of parties hosted at the estate, the frequency of those gatherings and the noise levels. But newer and longtime residents agree that the ugliness unfolding between neighbors is unexpected in this otherwise sleepy wooded community, where the loudest noise is often someone mowing a lawn or an airplane overhead.
The lawsuit isn’t just against the Floyd’s neighbors — it includes Prince George’s County and the officer who has often handled the noise complaints. The couple is seeking $3 million in damages, according to ABC7.