Harassment, trespassing, disturbing the peace, invasion of privacy

Upon arriving home from work at approximately 4:40pm on Aug. 2, 2011, there were two adult men, including our tenant, installing a video surveillance system. Our tenant’s directive to one of the men was to focus the camera onto our personal property where my family resides. It has also been noted by our family residents on numerous occasions where our tenant enters our premises, not for the purpose of entering or exiting his side of the property but to take pictures of our residence, our family, including the children, parking space, storage space, and personal belongings. This occurs both during daylight and evening. Permission to do such things was not given and when asked why, he angrily replies that it is for evidence against us.

Such breach into our property is suspicious as we have recently been broken into and had some items stolen. Smaller items have also been missing since then, including a registered dog. For the 15-plus years that we have been on this property, a theft hasn’t ever occurred until these recent trespasses. On one occasion, upon confronting our tenant because he was verbally harassing my family member and disturbing our peace, he stated that he had pictures that will be used as evidence against us. With other matters that were involved, in addition to that breach in privacy, e.g. the parking space complaint, DPS was called. The police told our tenant that the complaint in question was a civil matter and they could not be involved.

Throughout the months, several other people claiming to be government agency employees, including our tenant and his local representative/consultant (that’s how he refers to them as if they were without names) have been found walking around our premises and the adjacent property. No permission was ever asked of us nor permission to do such was ever granted. These people seem to be scouting the property, surveying, in addition to taking pictures for who knows what grounds. We have not received anything in writing from these so-called government employees. This trespass and local connection that some people in the CNMI government take part of has got to cease immediately! Peace is being extricated from us. This is a serious disturbance that should not be mistaken for mere annoyance.

On Aug. 2, 2011, when asked why his newly installed surveillance camera is focused directly at our property, again he replies that it is for evidence against us. We have asked verbally and by email for this unnecessary surveillance on our family and the children to cease. It is now September and there are even more cameras now than in August.

I would like to state that:

1) My family and I are not doing anything illegal nor conducting any illegal activities nor hiding anything illegal, therefore, surveillance cameras directed at us and our belongings breach our right to privacy.

2) Safety is an issue as children are involved. Implementing security measures in order to safeguard the life, safety and well-being of residents is something we would allow with permission as we are the property owners. The people our tenant has been allowing to enter our property do not have our permission nor have notified us of their intent to survey and use surveillance. This is trespassing and a breach of our right to keep our family and our belongings safe.

3) Evidence—as our tenant calls them—that are used by our tenant and those who trespassed and took surveillance without our permission needs to be confiscated for review, providing a copy to us to make sure it is not nor will it be used inappropriately to harm one physically, financially, mentally, or socially. And hopefully they will be destroyed and disposed of.

There is a question as to the point at which these surveillance systems become more and more invasive and what inappropriate activities will this surveillance be used for. The general rule is that law-abiding citizens are entitled to use and enjoy their homes without unreasonable interference or annoyance. Our tenant has brought much interference and annoyance since he started renting our property. We simply try to live peacefully without complaint and engagement with him but there’s so much that one can take. I am highly concerned because this tenant has been taking pictures and video of the children. These are minor children that are my family members. With news headlines of immoral acts done to children, it makes me wonder what use these pictures and video of the kids will be used for. Are they selling these or are they streaming this online too? If they are, this is a tort or civil wrong. Isn’t this non-consensual family/children photography video surveillance a form of intentional intrusion into our private life or affairs?

One tries not to think negatively but one must be cautious as well. We would like to take measures to prevent this breach of privacy, disturbance of the peace, trespassing, and unauthorized surveillance. We can no longer tolerate our tenant’s conduct, which interferes with, disturbs, or is intended to interfere with or disturb our privacy, our comfort, our peace, and quiet enjoyment. I seek your assistance and direction to the appropriate authorities and agencies that can help us.

P.S. I have removed personal or identifiable information in this letter for purposes of not being even more harassed by this so-called tenant.