A New Mexico creator was asleep in his car in a park when an officer approached, told him the park was closed for the night, and asked him to leave. The creator agreed right away, but says the officer still asked to see his license before he left. Viewers were split over whether the officer handled it fairly or could have shown more compassion.
Shared to TikTok by @henryposton, the video shows the officer explaining that the park closes after dark and that officers were doing rounds when they noticed his car parked there. The officer tells him he can’t stay in the park, and Henry immediately agrees to leave.
The officer later asks the New Mexico creator if he owns the vehicle and requests his license. Henry declines, repeating that he’s leaving. The officer then tells him they’ll wait until he leaves. Henry asks to put clothes on first, and once the door closes, he’s heard saying to himself, “So weird, bro.”
TikTok Weighs In
A number of commenters connected the interaction to broader concerns about people who sleep in their vehicles and homelessness in the U.S. “People don’t realize how [expletive] up it is that being homeless in America is a crime now. They don’t want anyone to have any cheap ways to live,” one wrote.
Other commenters took a harder line on police in general, arguing that “police have no compassion.” Another user shared, “Someone told me the nicest cop you know will still tell a homeless person to leave knowing they have no where else to go, that stuck with me.”
A different group of commenters didn’t see the officer’s approach as unreasonable at all. “Seems like he was super chill with you. Didn’t even run your license or anything. Just move along,” one pointed out. Another argued the frustration was better aimed at lawmakers than police, adding a list of alternative overnight parking spots they’d relied on themselves.
Some viewers turned the conversation toward policy solutions. “This is so frustrating. Every city should be required to have public overnight parking, paid by the city, for this exact reason,” one suggested. Another argued public parks should simply be open to people sleeping in their cars as long as they aren’t causing problems.
Videos like these hit differently at a time when the cost of living keeps going up, and more people are struggling to make ends meet. Some viewers focused on the officer’s tone. Others looked at the bigger issue of people having nowhere safe and affordable to sleep.
