September 4, 2024
Black Maryland Couple At Center Of Legal Battle Over Throwing Home Parties
The Floyds say that this hypervigilance from their neighbors is concerning in a world where Black people are routinely killed by the police.
Prince and Angela Floyd, a Black Maryland couple, have found themselves at the center of a legal dispute over the regular parties at their Accokeek, Maryland, home, which the pair refers to as “Floyd Estates.”
According to the Washington Post, the Floyds’ 2023 Father’s Day party, led to 18 noise complaints from neighbors to the police. That wasn’t all. Between June 2020 and June 2023, police received 41 requests for service at the Floyd residence, with officers appearing at their doorstep 24 times.
The Floyds say that this hypervigilance from their neighbors is concerning in a world where Black people are routinely killed by the police.
Prince Floyd, a 53-year-old Black man, told the Post, “It makes me feel threatened like my life could be taken.”
The Floyds are simply bad neighbors, neighbor Margaret Littlejohn, who is Black, told The Post. Her fiancé is a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the Floyds.
The couple, according to the Post, “is demanding a jury trial, membership to the Calvert Manor Civic Association, which represents 100 homes, and an unspecified amount of damages from eight defendants, including Prince George’s County, a county police officer, the local civic association and five of their neighbors.”
“Are they targeting me by going after my fiancé, who happens to be a White male, to make the narrative sound really good? So it’s all evil white people against the Floyds because they’re Black?” Littlejohn said.
This kind of dispute is a feature of the litigation involving the Floyds and their neighbors. Basically, every aspect of the lawsuit is contested by both sides, and those in the community say that the contentious nature of the disagreements between the Floyds and their neighbors is unprecedented for the neighborhood.
Regarding that 2023 Father’s Day, the Floyds feel as though their neighbors could have just called them directly if they had a problem with the noise level instead of involving the police.
The Floyds’ home is lavish, even by the community’s standards. The 9,000-square-foot home sits on almost two acres near Piscataway Bay. The couple purchased the home in 2020 for $700,000; the average home in the area was valued between $350,000 and $400,000. After renovations, the Floyds’ home is now valued at $920,000.
Angela, Prince’s 49-year-old wife, told the Post that the home, for her and her family, represents the possibility of what Black people can gain access to in America.
“It’s only by God’s grace and mercy that we have this space,” said Angela Floyd, who was raised in a trailer in Wendell, North Carolina. “I believe that this space gives others hope. And [relatives] travel from many states because we represent a family member who actually realized what our ancestors have foreseen for us.”
The Floyds have received some support from Black neighbors after they filed their lawsuit in June 2024. Monique Hagler told the Post that she has been harassed by the police, which she said has appeared at her home over 20 times since 2020.
“I really regret buying this house,” Hagler said. “You should be able to at least enjoy your own backyard with your family and friends.”
The battle has taken its toll on the Floyds, according to the Post. Angela’s hair has begun to fall out from stress. They no longer host family celebrations, a reason why they purchased the home. According to the couple, they have heard the community’s message loud and clear.
It doesn’t want them here.
RELATED CONTENT: Washington State Program To Combat Historical Housing Discrimination