‘Do You Live Here?’: Property Managers Demands Black Resident ID Himself In Gym Even Though He Use Access Key to Get In, Video Shows
A Black man's visit to the gym at his apartment complex turned on its head when he was harassed by his property managers and asked for his ID and apartment number. A now-viral video set to the popular "Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday" sound on TikTok shows a man being approached by two people who identify themselves as staff members at an apartment complex in Manchester, Connecticut, and ask him to prove his residency at the property. "Do you live here?" a female property manager asks. TikToker @Judgebycourt works at the gym in his apartment complex before he is questioned about his presence there. (Photo: Tiktok/Judgebycourt ) "Yeah, I live here," the man states. "Oh, what apartment?" the property manager asks. "Why? I use a key tag to get in. I can show you my key tag," he responds. https://www.tiktok.com/@judgedbycourt/video/7557705283343043870?_r1&_tZP-90K9vysHBip "I need to know your name. I understand you have a key tag, but I just need to know your apartment number and your name," the property manager insists. When the gymgoer asks for further explanation, a male staffer states that several non-residents have been using the complex's facilities and amenities and leaving behind property damage. ‘Oh, You Got One of Them?’: Black Woman Turns the Tables on Indianapolis Man Who Tried to Corner Her "There's nothing wrong with you. The only thing we ask is for your apartment, that's it ... there's nothing against you, you know, so we work here," the staff member chimes in. The man protests the treatment, stating that he has lived at the complex for over a year and doesn't feel comfortable disclosing his address, which elicits threats from the female property manager to call the police if he doesn't leave the gym. Then, she pivots and says that she only approached the man because she saw him roll out a yoga mat on the floor during his workout, and says the mat would hinder other individuals from using the space in the gym. The man says he'll gladly roll up his yoga mat if it's an issue, but still challenges the property manager's need to see his ID and encourages them to call the police. "I'm not giving my address. You can do whatever you gotta do, and when the police get here, I will gladly show them my ID. I'm not getting ID'd by you," the man states. When the female property manager asserts that it's a "simple request," he accuses her of violating his rights. After she leaves, the man looks at the male employee and reminds him that they've met before when he visited his apartment. The staffer indicates that he remembers the occasion. "She's trying to violate my rights, and she knows what she's doing," the man asserts. The original video garnered more than two million views in two days. "Racial profiling 💔," one person wrote. "The way I would've ignored them both and continued my workout. I'm so tired of people weaponizing the police against others because they can't mind their business," someone else commented. "So he knew you lived there, allowed her to berate you even though he KNEW you lived there, then he allowed her to call the police to further embarrass herself, AND IT'S ALL ON VIDEO?!?!?!? If you decide to take this to court, congratulations in advance 🤣," another comment read.
