A video of a woman protesting the construction of a guardrail in Connecticut sparked debate online, with viewers arguing whether she was in the right.
TikTok user Rick_Kaika, Rick, posted the video online, showing a homeowner lying on the ground to protest a guardrail being built along the edge of her property.
His video caption reads: “Tell me I’m not the only contractor who deals with this…” then adds, “Everyone’s an engineer when you’re working in front of their house.”
One of the off-camera construction workers tells the lady they’ll call the police if she won’t move. Next to her are several slabs of railing on the ground, along with a guideline. “I can’t sit on my property?” she says. “You didn’t ask me to sign anything.”
She and the crew try to hash out the particulars of the problem, namely the address. The crew confirms it’s the right place. Meanwhile, the lady returns to her car, insisting a call she’s awaiting will vindicate her. “This is not gonna go across my parking lot. There’s not reason for it,” the homeowner says.
How viewers are reacting to the homeowner’s protest
TikTok users who watched Rick’s video offered varying degrees of criticism of the homeowner, arguing she has little legal ground to stand on, though some speculate she might be onto something, however narrow.
Comments frequently discussed property rights. As one top commenter argued, “She doesn’t know that the town or state owns the first 10 feet of the property.” In other words: an easement. It varies between states, county to county, even town to town.
One viewer tried to defend the woman, saying she “might actually have something here though,” and brought up where the guardrail ends. According to the commenter, “at least 11ft from her driveway access” for the sake of safety. However, others online suggested this wasn’t the case because the homeowner was concerned about parking there and the railing would prevent that.
Some also raised concerns about the process itself and the validity of the guardrail. “Well, doesn’t seem to be a need for a guardrail there. Also an eyesore. Are they putting guardrails on every inch of the road now?”
Others resorted to making fun of the homeowner, who some recognized as a school teacher. “The fact she was a teacher in my school is wild 💀,” a viewer wrote, garnering over 5,000 Likes. “Time to educate her on right of way lol,” said another.
The debate rages on as people online continue the conversation about the easement and whether the homeowner’s protest is justified. A few accepted it could be an example of an easement but wondered whether the homeowner was notified. And if not, could this have been avoided?
