Finding a safe place to sleep can be difficult for people experiencing homelessness, especially in a city where they may have few options for shelter. But being in a vulnerable situation can also leave them exposed to harassment from others. A video from San Francisco, California, captures an encounter that has drawn criticism for how one person treats someone staying on the street below an apartment building.
A person filming from an apartment building appears to target a homeless man sheltering in a portable toilet below. The nighttime video shows the person throwing various items toward the structure. The footage, marked 3:16 a.m., captures the exchange from several floors above street level.
The video was shared on Reddit’s r/PublicFreakout community. Text overlaid on the footage reads, “ragebaiting a crackhead outside my apartment.” At the start, the person filming makes a confusing remark before picking up a carton of pineapple juice. He then throws it toward the portable toilet.
Someone inside shouts, “Bring it out, Steve! Come on!” The person filming turns the camera toward a plastic bag containing more items. He says, “I got some more for him,” before throwing an empty plastic bottle toward a nearby trash can. The person inside then shouts, “let’s shoot, let’s shoot.”
The person recording picks up a glass bottle next. “Oh this is a good one,” he says before throwing it toward the portable toilet. The person inside responds by banging loudly against the structure. The banging continues as the person filming throws another bottle.
The video does not explain what led to the encounter or whether the two people knew each other. However, the footage shows multiple objects being thrown toward the portable toilet while someone is inside.
Internet Reacts to the California Porta Potty Video
The video drew criticism from viewers who questioned how someone without a safe place to sleep was treated. One commenter connected the incident to a wider problem in San Francisco, writing, “This is sad and I don’t agree with it at all but I think it speaks to the overall desensitization to human struggling that I’ve seen as someone who also lives in SF.”
Another commenter offered a brief political interpretation: “Trickle down economics at work.”
Others responded with dark humor or pointed out the man’s living conditions. One person wrote, “What has the world come to. Man, can we not take a *expletive* and smoke some crack in peace anymore?” Another commented, “This is *expletive* gross. Are you living in a porta potty at 3am? No? Be grateful.”
Several viewers focused on the person recording. One commenter wrote, “Imagine posting this video, thinking it makes you look cool. When really you are just documenting yourself being a heartless *expletive*.” Another added, “Not having a safe place to sleep is an awful thing.”
The footage ends without showing what happened next. It remains unclear whether the man was injured or whether anyone stepped in. The video also doesn’t explain why the person filming chose to throw the items.
