Expecting mother claims neighbor harassed her for months, made racial remarks

A Riverdale mother expecting her second child says she and her family were harassed by her neighbor because of their race.

News 12 Staff

Jul 22, 2020, 2:05 AM

Updated 1,465 days ago

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A Riverdale mother expecting her second child says she and her family were harassed by her neighbor because of their race. 
"I want to be left alone. I want to be at peace in my own home,” said Lexsa Rivera. 
Rivera says she has suffered months of torture and harassment. She says her neighbor, that was captured on video calling her racial slurs, has been bothering her since she moved into the building with her family two years ago. 
"You’re saying this in front of my child who is half Black. It triggered something to me,” said Rivera. 
She says the latest incident happened on Sunday outside their Riverdale apartment building. 
Rivera, who is nearly eight months pregnant, says she got into a verbal altercation with the woman but when her belly touched her neighbor, her neighbor called the police. 
"I said ‘what is your problem.’ She said ‘what my problem is you and your N*** family upstairs keep making noise,’” said Rivera. 
Rivera says her neighbor lives in the apartment below, and claims she and her daughter make too much noise. 
She says she has tried to prevent noise in her apartment by putting carpets on the floor and even restricting her daughter to playing inside a closet. However, she says nothing has helped and that she no longer wants to put up with it. 
"She’s six… she can’t even make noise in her own apartment. She can’t even play at home,” said Rivera. 
Rivera says she also believes her neighbor left a note with the N-word on it in front of her door after the whole incident went down. 
"I feel disgusted. I feel hurt. Because I feel like a prisoner in my own home,” said Rivera.
Police say officers responded to the altercation Sunday but that no one was arrested. In the meantime, Rivera says she won’t be forced out of her home. 
"I want to feel safe. I want to feel like I can come home and nothing has been done to my door... there’s no notes. This is the last thing I need or want. I wanna be left alone,” said Rivera.
 


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