RIDE-CT – Classic Cars Celebrating Classic Cars in Connecticut
BRISTOL, CT – It’s only happened twice in 10 years of writing about classic cars here in CT, but it was unexpected and unsettling on both occasions. The situation was the same each time – a confrontation involving a concerned homeowner while innocently shooting video of a vintage vehicle driving down a road.
It happened for the second time on Friday afternoon when collecting video clips of a sharp 1958 Willys station wagon for a future “My Ride” column for Hearst newspapers across the state.
The owner of the blue-over-white Willys and I were in a pleasant and quiet neighborhood in Bristol near his home. The road was chosen for convenience and because it was lightly traveled, making video recording easier and, most importantly, safer. He’d drive by, I’d record it and then jump in my car and dash ahead for another pass. It’s the normal routine.
However, this time a lightly heated exchange occurred with a resident of the neighborhood. I was standing on the side of the road, camera in hand, ready to hit the “Start” button for what was to be the final clip of the day when a Lincoln sedan backed out the driveway across the street. The driver put down the side window and demanded in a rather accusatory manner to know what I was doing?
Had he offhandedly inquired, “Hey, what’s up?” or “What’s going on?,” my response certainly would have been different. I would have politely responded, “See that gorgeous old Willys behind you? I’m shooting video of it for a newspaper story.”
Instead, though, offended by the man’s off-putting tone, I admittedly paused and sort of shrugged in a dismissive “It’s none of your business” manner, and maybe even said such. He was an unwelcome and ill-timed intrusion into a work situation. I was concentrating on the job at hand and was by now trying to signal the owner of the Willys that he’d have to wait before I could video him going by.
Homeowner Demands Photos Not Be Taken
The guy then asked if I planned to shoot a photo of his house and aggressively informed me that I could not do so. I explained that I was standing in a public road and he really had no say in what I could or could not shoot. I hadn’t even noticed his house as my goal was get good video of the Willys in action had been looking up the street. The backdrop was irrelevant.
Of course, that set him off.
The man replied that his house was on private property and that I had no right whatsoever to shoot it for that reason alone. He told me that he was going to take down my license plate, call the Bristol police and report me, and that I’d see him next in court.
First Amendment Protects Photo Taking in Public
He also spouted some nonsense of being in real estate and he knew that taking photos of homes as I was apparently doing wasn’t lawful. I wasn’t quick enough to think to reply that the First Amendment and state statute were on my side. It is perfectly lawful to shoot photos or video in any public setting in the great outdoors, and any city street qualifies.
I did offer to give him a business card so he’d have my name, number and address but I don’t think he heard me. After saying he was calling the cops and that I’d next see him in a courtroom, he drove up to my car that was parked on the side of the road and apparently took down my license plate, which reads “RIDE CT.”
Once he left, I shot the drive-by. The Willys’ owner and I then chuckled over the lunacy and unreasonableness of the encounter before parting ways. The story on the Willys is now in the winter stockpile of “My Ride” columns that will run between November and May. The video that will accompany the written column will no doubt include the clip shot in front of the complainant’s house.
Finding Info on Homeowner Was Easy
Here it is a day later and I have yet to hear from the Bristol police or from the man’s attorney.
I have done some online searching and have quickly learned the homeowner’s name, his age, his political party preference, his work background, the year he bought his house and what he paid for it. I’ve also turned up (and done screen-saves of) at least four nice photos of his house from such places as Google Maps and Zillow, making his privacy desires and his attitude laughable.
There’s no need to mention his name or address or to use the screenshots here. The point is to note that there can be no expectation of privacy in a public setting. A second point is that polite, even good-natured civility might have resulted in a satisfactory response and, perhaps, even some friendly cooperation.
As much as many of us don’t like it, with the existence of the internet, whatever privacy everyone once enjoyed decades ago no longer exists. All that’s needed is a connection to a search engine to learn about any person. I should report that in doing My Ride and RIDE-CT stories, for reasons of privacy, I never give street names or the addresses where subjects live, just the town or city.
I am certainly glad that most folks who see My Ride and RIDE-CT videos being shot are usually just curious and friendly. When they do stop to chat, they’re always rewarded by getting to see an interesting, rare or colorful vehicle like the Willys this week. Doesn’t it look great?
(Photos by Bud Wilkinson.)
