MANVEL, Texas — A Manvel mom reached out to KHOU 11 News after she said her outcry for help fell on deaf ears.
She said her neighbor has been harassing her and her family for several months even using racially charged tactics to intimidate them.
Kat Ducommun said this neighbor who she calls a nightmare has been allegedly harassing her family for nearly a year.
She said he even hung a noose out in his yard, directly in front of her house and she spoke out about it at a Manvel Cty Council meeting earlier this week.
“'Well, I have something for your little boy,’ and pointed to the tree to that noose talking about the rope” Ducommun said during the meeting. "Told your officers and nothing happened. I’m sorry I’m getting emotional but I’m a mom just trying to do this for my kids."
Ducommun said she has two young Black sons and that when this happened, she called Manvel police.
She said they initially told her that they couldn't do anything about her neighbor hanging a noose on his property because it's a form of freedom of speech.
So we did some digging and when we called Manvel Police Chief Keith Traylor, he had a very different tone from the officer she initially spoke with.
In a statement, he said they are now investigating allegations of racism and racial threats and are taking them seriously.
Ducommun said her neighbor has been doing other things to harass her family, but hanging the noose out front was the final straw.
“The initial marker for stuff with African Americans and just feeling that immediate threat with my children, there’s no standing by. We have to do whatever we have to do. We must email politicians. We have to go to the city council and speak up,” Ducommun said.
Ducommun said this neighbor has allegedly let his dog out without a leash to chase her son and shines stadium-like bright lights on her house almost every night.
“The fact that our house looks like Christmas every night. The light is shining through our windows. The officers tell us, ‘Well, just get blackout curtains,'” Ducommun said.
Traylor said they've recently issued a violation notice to her neighbor under their light pollution ordinance.
As for the noose on his property, it was still there.
Traylor said they can't make him remove it, because there's no law in Texas that currently prohibits the display.
Until there's hard proof of a racially motivated threat regarding the noose, the police chief said their hands are tied legally.
“That’s the thing. They are waiting for something bad to happen at this point. And my father, you know, he even thought about us moving. Why don’t we just move? For what? This is going to happen to someone else who comes lives here,” Ducommun said.
Manvel Mayor Dan Davis sent us a statement saying they're working with law enforcement and writing in part, "We are reaching out to affected individuals to offer our support and reaffirm our commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all residents."
As for the bright lights, if her neighbor continues shining them after 10 days of receiving that violation, he could be subjected to a $2,000 fine daily.
KHOU 11 is still working to get a response from that neighbor.