ST. CROIX – A young Virgin Islands government employee and her mother have filed a lawsuit in Superior Court alleging that she was falsely imprisoned and subjected to racially motivated mistreatment during a visit to a gated community on St. Croix in March.
The plaintiffs, Nia Sylvester and her mother, former Senator Alicia Barnes, are suing Terry Parker and Marsha Daniel over an incident that occurred on March 25 at the Questa Verde Condos.
Sylvester — a recent graduate of Hampton University and an environmental specialist with the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources — entered the complex to deliver invitations to her sorority sister as part of a community service baby shower project organized by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. However, to enter the complex she mistakenly drove through an open gate that was reportedly marked "exit only."
In the lawsuit, Sylvester said it was only later that she realized she had gone to the wrong location, and that her sorority sister intended to meet her at the entrance of Estate Hermon Hill.
After parking to wait for her friend, Sylvester claims she was confronted by a resident, Parker, who she alleges questioned her in an aggressive and hostile manner, implying she did not belong in the community.
The encounter drew public attention following a viral video interview Sylvester gave to The Virgin Islands Consortium, where she described the ordeal in detail.
The video has since garnered over 317,000 views on social media, and in it, Sylvester describes being approached by Parker and being told “you don’t belong here” multiple times. Despite telling him that she was waiting for someone, she says Parker continued to tell her she “didn’t belong here.”
Sylvester said she then rolled up her window because she started to feel scared and panicked. Sylvester said Parker then called the property manager, at which point she called her mother for help.
Parker also spoke in the video, where he claimed he approached Sylvester politely.
“I just moved here, I got two little ones, so I’m very concerned with safety,” Parker said in the video. “She was parked over there. Very polite, I rolled down my window and said, ‘is there anything I can help you out with, do you know somebody here?’ And she said, ‘I’m waiting on somebody.’ I’m like, ‘unit number?’ And then she just rolled up the window and ignored me from that point.”
When asked if Sylvester looked threatening, Parker said: “I have two kids. Anybody that shouldn’t be where I’m at is very threatening. People that steal kids don’t look threatening.”
Parker said he then contacted Daniel, identified in the lawsuit as an employee or third-party contractor for Questa Verde Townhouses Association, who said she would take care of the situation.
Daniel approached Sylvester’s vehicle shortly after and when Sylvester told her that she felt threatened, Daniel said, “this is how we are with all residents,” according to the lawsuit. Despite Sylvester’s attempts to explain her presence and present her government ID, Daniel allegedly refused to engage and instead shut the gate to prevent her from leaving.
At this point, both Barnes and Sylvester’s friend, who she was attempting to meet, were outside the gate where they repeatedly asked Daniel to release her.
Daniel responded by yelling: “We are not letting you out because you don’t belong here,” according to the lawsuit. Sylvester was reportedly detained inside the property for about 20 minutes until another resident discreetly opened the gate to let her out.
The lawsuit accuses both Parker and Daniel of false imprisonment and includes claims of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Additionally, Parker is accused of defamation for comments made during the video interview with the Consortium, where he suggested Sylvester was a threat to his children’s safety, statements the suit describes as “racist, false, and defamatory.”
Both plaintiffs claim to have suffered significant emotional harm.
Filed by attorney Kye Walker, the lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and a jury trial.
