Jadence2025 :
You have a First Amendment right to enter and record video (and audio in one-party-consent states) in any publicly accessible area of an apartment or condo building — lobby, hallways, stairs, elevators, or other common spaces open to the public or guests. Every federal circuit that has ruled (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th) calls this right “clearly established.”
No resident, board member, manager, or security guard may physically block you, step in front of the camera, or grab your phone. Doing so is assault, battery, false imprisonment, and First Amendment retaliation (42 U.S.C. § 1983 if a government actor is involved). Racial profiling adds Fair Housing Act and 42 U.S.C. § 1981 violations.
If they try, record everything, loudly state your rights, call 911, and sue. You win damages plus attorney fees almost every time because the right is settled law. Private property rules do not override the First Amendment in areas held open to the public.
2025-11-26 06:42:34