Approximately 50 neighbors, friends and family members gathered Sunday for a barbecue to support Raldon Scott and his fiancé Tina Foy at their home on 371 Bruyn Turnpike in the Town of Shawangunk. The interracial couple claims that they have been terrorized by a neighbor since they moved to their home approximately a-year-and-a-half ago.

Shortly after moving into their home, Tina and Raldon reported experiencing minor annoyances from their neighbor. The initial problems included calling the police about a fence the couple was building on their own property, around their garden and throwing a glass dish in their driveway.

“This is a community event to show community support since we’re not getting much support from the Town of Shawangunk Police Department regarding a situation we’ve been having for the past 16 months now with our neighbor,” Foy said regarding the reason for the barbecue.

MaryAnn Tozzi, a friend of Raldon and Tina’s, noted that the community organized the barbecue as a peaceful event, in contrast to some of the Black Lives Matter Protests that occurred last year.

“The event planned is to be a peaceful show of support to show Raldon and Tina that we won’t let this racism stand and that we will be watching how the town and the police go forward with this,” she said. “To show Raldon and Tina, as well as their young teenaged son that this community does not support or encourage racism and that we won’t be silent while the powers that be ‘investigate’ this year-long spectacle that has become their everyday life.”

Shawangunk Police Chief Gerald Marlatt confirmed on Monday that none of the allegations have led to charges. He said his department has investigated every incident Foy has reported, forwarding most of them to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office. Marlatt noted that the district attorney’s office found nothing criminal with the video of a racist tirade.

“What she said was protected under the First Amendment,” Marlatt said. “We can’t arrest her for just saying bad words.”

Marlatt hopes that the neighbors resolve their disputes so they can coexist peacefully.

“I would love nothing more than a peaceful resolution to this situation,” he said. “Our goal is for everybody to walk away happy but unfortunately it doesn’t always work out that way.”