Dennis Net / Syracuse.com
Amanda David and her children moved into their home in Tompkins County, NY in 2020. But for more than two years, the David family has been the target of persistent racist and sexist attacks from their neighbor.
As a single black mother, David has worked hard to create a loving home for her family. She even started a community garden in hopes of helping others develop a love of “nature and caring for the land, just as she did as a farmworker traveling the land to collect crops,” Syracuse.com reported.
But their neighbor, Robert R. Whittaker Jr., has actively worked against David’s idyllic dream, destroying the quiet home and business. According to documents filed with the court, Whittaker “has uttered racial slurs against David and her family and interfered with their property for years… He has continued his verbal abuse despite being arrested twice and a court ordering him to stay away.”
In May, CNY Fair Housing, a social service organization based in Syracuse, New York, filed a lawsuit in federal court on David’s behalf, arguing that Whittaker’s actions violated both federal and state laws, including the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act.
The complaint stated that Whittaker “called David and their children names ‘N’ and ‘handout’ on numerous occasions and even threatened to attack one of David’s sons with a stick. As the complaint further alleges, Whittaker damaged the Davids’ car on two occasions by spray-painting it with profanities and by ramming an object through the grille, causing mechanical damage.”
When the situation did not improve after these measures, David filed for another protective order against her neighbor in June. This time, the judge ordered Whittaker to surrender all firearms in his possession.
“My children and I should be able to feel safe and secure in our own home, but that is not the case. Mr. Whittaker’s persistent and horrific racist and sexist intimidation and harassment has made that impossible,” David says.
“If you heard this story and it happened in Mississippi, you would say, ‘Oh, well, maybe,'” David continued. “For this to happen here in 2024 is especially shocking and really sobering considering how things still are.”
“His discriminatory behavior has not only harmed my family, but the entire community of BIPOC gardeners and herbalists I work with,” David added. “There are already so many barriers in place for people of color in the fields of agriculture and horticulture, and it leaves me both disheartened and deeply saddened that Mr. Whittaker’s harassment is yet another obstacle that I and the community I am a part of must face in our efforts to do this work.”
Sally Santangelo, executive director of CNY Fair Housing, said, “Fair housing laws guarantee every family the right to choose and enjoy their home free from discrimination.”
“The racial and gender-based harassment of the David family by their neighbor is not only morally reprehensible, but also a blatant violation of federal and state law,” Santangelo said. “CNY Fair Housing will do everything in its power to ensure that the David family’s rights are not further violated and that they can enjoy their home without having to live in constant fear of harassment based on their gender or race.”