An elderly neighbor kept blocking a Black woman’s path into her own apartment building, then threatened to call police

A Black woman trying to get into her own apartment building says an older white neighbor kept stepping into her path in the lobby, according to Atlanta Black Star. The renter, who has not been named, posted the encounter to Instagram in a video which shows the older woman telling her, “Don’t smile at me. I’ve been here seven years.”

The younger woman says the weather was hot and all she wanted was to get home. Each time she moved, however, the neighbor moved with her. “I’m not trying to be rude to you. It’s hot out here; you’re in my way. I’m gonna need you to back up cause I rent in this building, so excuse me,” the renter says, nudging the older woman aside.

The older woman would not move and said she would call the police, which the outlet reports she later did. With one arm, the renter keeps the neighbor back and laughs. “I’m laughing ’cause you out your mind. Let me go,” she tells her.

The neighbor threatened to call police

As she heads upstairs, the renter shouts, “I don’t give a ****, call the police. Call your brother, your mama, your sister, your daddy… Shut the **** up, *****, or I’ll whup your ***.” Police later came to the building and talked with both women. They settled the dispute without arresting anyone, the outlet reported.

“It sounds like she was blocking you from coming into the building,” an officer told the renter, while encouraging her to be patient. “I talked to her about not doing that. She’s elderly and a little freaked out. If that happens again, just work through things with her.” The older woman has not been identified, and her account is not included in the report.

Every residential lease includes an implied covenant of quiet enjoyment. Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute defines it as a tenant’s right to “quiet and peaceful possession of the leased premises against the lessor,” meaning it is a promise from the landlord. In some states, including California, that protection also covers disturbances from neighbors who rent from the same landlord, according to the institute.

Landlords often have a duty to deal with neighbors who interfere with a tenant’s use of a rental. Tenants in that position are advised to keep written records noting the date and time of each problem. Complaints to the landlord should go in writing, ideally in a mailed letter.

Neighborhood mediation is one option, and speaking with a local landlord-tenant attorney is recommended before taking bigger steps. If a landlord refuses to act, tenants may have remedies such as withholding rent, moving out or suing over the reduced value of the rental. Protections vary by state and by lease.