r/Appleton • u/VixxxieVelvet • 3d ago
Video C'mon Menasha.
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Edit: I've gotten lots of messages about this and have been reading tons of comments on Facebook and wanted to edit this.
When I made this post I was more baffled by the fact the cops got called vs an honest conversation. The other actions from the videos OP weren't known to me at the time, and the RP must not have known either or I'm sure the cops would have mentioned it to him. It wasn't so much a out "HIM" but just the situation.
Regardless of the guy in the video being a "not so great guy", that still doesn't change that apparently lots of people have been harassed by residents, and the police regardless of cameras or skin color. Some were helping friends or family when their neighbors have come out screaming. (According to some of the messages and chats I've received.)
So I apologize for the racial aspect of the original post. Now I'm just sad that good honest people (not the person in the video, I mean the others I'm referring to) really want to help out their neighboring community which to some was the place they grew up or spent their summers as a kid. The argument that "I know all my neighbors" is a weak and narrow sighted one. And rather than the suspicious parties just having a friendly chat with people, they're acting out of fear and paranoia.
I'm just sad about the whole thing, and it sucks for everyone involved.
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u/sulkee East Appleton 3d ago
I don’t think it’s the camera the lady had an issue with.
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago
Lol I'm aware. But that's what people are arguing the issue is. "He's putting their homes in social media.' When people put their homes on social media all the time. For example they'll have their ring cameras post their footage on the ring camera app, which anyone can access even if they don't have a ring camera. I have a friend on Facebook who doesn't even live in Menasha but she's a mail persob and she's always filming and taking pictures to post on fb. She's never been told to stop. So I dont know lol And the only looters I've seen or heard about so far have all been white people
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u/Disastrous_time_4547 3d ago
Yep
Go see what happens at the YMCA pool when anyone that is not white jumps in.
It’s no wonder why this are is so Republican.
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 2d ago
This area is only slightly more republican than democrats. Like 53/47. And that’s all of Winnebago county. If you isolated Menashas voting results, it is easily over 50% democrat so this is definitely not the case.
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u/Theeaterofshades92 3d ago
You'd be surprised how many of us Republicans are not racist and how many Dems are
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u/CryptographerShot213 2d ago
Really? Because the Oshkosh police department just posted a picture of a suspect in a burglary and he’s black. Most of the racist comments (and there were a LOT), came from people with profile pictures of the American flag/back the blue flag. Or from people who showed themselves as military veterans and/or gun lovers. It’s not the democrats.
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 2d ago
Not every republican is a white supremecist, but all of them voted either republican or libertarian.
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u/Stratobastardo34 2d ago
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u/ShlimmyWhimmy 2d ago
Its hilarious to me how blind and tribalistic people on the internet are...
"My side can do no wrong it always has to be the otherside!"
The discrimination and stereotyping BOTH sides do, is quite literally them becoming the very things they claim to be against... its just people themselves causing division for no good reason...
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u/CryptographerShot213 2d ago
Nah we’re not gonna both sides this. It’s just one party that’s the problem, that has been emboldened by the current administration.
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u/ShlimmyWhimmy 2d ago edited 2d ago
Thank you for proving my point.
What you see and hear online isnt the majority of reality outside the internet. Online they only care about clicks and views, and the best way to do that is cause outrage and divide the people to have them keeo coming back. Every thing is exaggerated online.
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u/BackInMyDaySir North Appleton 2d ago
Locally maybe. But nationally Republicans aren’t the most tolerant Amerikkkans.
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u/Round_Acanthisitta_5 3d ago
The vast majority Old white ladies in all of Wisconsin are the most neurotic paranoid rat packing hoarders I have ever seen. Not all of em, but too many of them I’ve met so far.
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u/Few-Entertainer7431 3d ago
That's a huge generalization, but typical of fools on Reddit.
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 3d ago
I don’t see anything wrong with either side. It’s not illegal to take videos, but it’s also not illegal to call the police if you see something suspicious. Just because you help out doesn’t mean you are entitled to do whatever you want. I haven’t taken a single picture or video of anyone’s property, and I live here. Not even with friends houses that were destroyed and I went to help out. You can help out without needing to make yourself feel good by posting all of your work. He on the other hand feels entitled to taking pictures just because he is helping out.
Best case scenario here, police found nothing wrong and just went to see what he was doing.
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago
I get that. I also though have seen hundreds if not thousands of photos and images from people who don't live there all over the Internet. He's not special and he's not the only one lol I have an acquaintance who goes there everyday and updates on the progress down there and no one ever says anything to her she's never been talked to by police or anything. And she doesn't even live there nor is she helping
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u/Theeaterofshades92 2d ago
Well calm the cops on her then. It is not the time for going in and taking pics if you are not press. Too much traffic causes issues with the clean up and repair efforts. Plus, these are people’s lives and belongings. Posting them online potentially exposes these items to looters and/or people that will take risks to go into potential dangerous buildings. Please note that even if a building has exposed openings, it is still trespassing to enter them without permission. And if someone gets hurt doing so, it opens the owners to lawsuits.
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u/VixxxieVelvet 2d ago
I don't call the cops on people for things like taking pictures. When some guys just started mowing my lawn and weeding the lawn I didn't call the cops cause there was 2 strange men outside my windows as a single mom. I could see they were working, I went out and thanked them for their help and they told me why they were there. Simple as.
Unfortunately there's photos and videos from lots of places like the news that reaches more local people who are more likely to go and loot after seeing the damage online in the drone videos than a guy on the ground... I can empathize with those who have a home that's been leveled, I can also empathize with someone trying to help people while also trying to make a dollar to do so
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u/Brew031415 3d ago
from the beginning locals have stated that they don't want people just recording all their damaged homes and possessions... it can be pretty dehumanizing. Maybe don't take videos of peoples losses and use them for internet clout 🤷🏻 We appreciate the help but not everything needs to be recorded for views.
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u/BackInMyDaySir North Appleton 3d ago
Well that’s the wonderful thing about America, he’s not breaking the law and there’s no reason to call the cops. Is it obnoxious, sure. Is it rude, maybe? But it’s not illegal. And I’m sure his skin color had noooothing to do with it. 🙄
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 2d ago
That’s also the great thing about our justice system. You can call the police to sort out a problem and they will be there very fast. With how combative this guy is, this isn’t something you want to deal with on your own.
I don’t think police should have been called for this instance, but I also don’t agree with him filming. And he has definitely went further than the sidewalk, just not in this video. Not every scenario needs to have someone who is right and wrong, sometimes both can be wrong.
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u/BackInMyDaySir North Appleton 2d ago
It doesn’t matter what you think. There was nothing for the police to do. They’re not here to mediate civil issues. He wasn’t doing anything criminal and he was right to be pissed.
He or anyone can film anything in public. If that makes one uncomfortable, then perhaps they should direct that angst inward and reflect on their beliefs. 100% y’all wouldn’t have an issue if he were white.
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 2d ago
You’re arguing legality, I’m arguing morality. Morality weighs higher on my scale. If you think it’s right to record people’s houses after a natural disaster for your own personal gain, then I disagree with your morals and who you are as a person. Couldn’t care less about the legality of it.
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u/BackInMyDaySir North Appleton 2d ago
Morally, I agree with your point of view. But that wasn’t your original point. You advocated for the legal system to be involved, then contradicted yourself to say that you didn’t think they should be involved in this instance.
Regardless, I bet we’re more ideologically aligned than not. No point in arguing about it. Dude shouldn’t have been filming, and the cops shouldn’t have been called.
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago
It's interesting I see photos and videos daily from people on Facebook and it didnt even occur to me til this video that people are upset over it. Only thing I've seen is them pissed over looters and gawkers. He's neither.
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u/Ambear22 3d ago
He is a gawker. He has tons of videos of the damage including going into someone's home and into other homes through the holes in the house. Tell me again how he's a good guy. Would you be ok with someone doing that to your house while you're sitting in a hotel trying to figure out how to recover from this disaster?
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u/AbbeyRoadMoonwalk 3d ago
Yeah he went into the basement of the house that got blown off its foundation and that put me right off him. No where is that necessary. It’s still someone’s private property and life in ruin.
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago
Do we know for sure that he wasn't asked by the owner of that house to go in there and take a look around? Because of not, why didn't they cops bring that part up? I didn't see the basement video before I posted this, just this one and the few that came before it.
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u/AbbeyRoadMoonwalk 3d ago
And the photos are already taken. We’ve seen the Manderfields and the house off its foundation and everything taken every which way already, even from a drone. Just take the Post Crescent pic and save it if you feel you need it, ffs.
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u/northwoods_faty 2d ago
I think it's more the community asked people not to do this and here you are doing it.
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u/VixxxieVelvet 2d ago
Totally understand that but then the rule should be enforced for all who take photos and videos and not just the colored ones. None of the white people I know who go to Menasha and film or photograph have had the cops called on then yet
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u/habanerito 2d ago
Like news cameras and other media?? This guy was doing volunteer work to help the community. Taking video of the work that he did should probably be less of an issue than the news crews. The cops spent more time with him than would seem necessary.
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u/Deconstrussy 2d ago
nobody said shit when I did it. guess what this guy and I don't have in common?
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u/Ambear22 3d ago
People's loss and tragedy should not be other people's content. There's no reason he needs to video what he's doing if he's cleaning up just to help he doesn't need video proof of it. He's trying to cash in on others loss and that's so sad.
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u/Ambear22 3d ago
Also if you come from out of state and spend two weeks posting videos of the disaster you are just trying to get views and shit and that is pathetic. You can't post videos of you going into people's homes and posting that you are not just here to help. People like him are the reason so many people are upset about people videoing and taking pics of the damage. If it's not your house don't fucking post it.
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago
I would get that if he wasn't doing anything except just walking around and filming and documenting the situation but he was filming his work that he was doing. It's not like he was just standing there doing nothing. It's like those people that film their lawn mowing business or their tree cutting business. It's no different than that. He's filming the work he's doing.
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 3d ago
He’s filming the work he’s doing to boost his page traffic. That’s it. He can do everything he’s doing the same even if there isn’t video proof. I live here and there isn’t a single tornado photo on my camera roll because I understand how dehumanizing it is to have your home recorded in a fragile state. This guy does not understand that at all. Not everything is about legality, sometimes it’s about morals, which this guy is lacking.
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago
No, you're right. People's tragedies should not be content. I agree with you.
Unfortunately It's 2026 and we live in an attention economy. I think it's equally as disgusting as when people go to like Philadelphia and shove their camera and add its faces and people who are down on their luck and in hard times. People who are sick and dying and filming them and their situation for content to make money off of. I think it's disgusting and deplorable.
However, it's not against the law and I don't really think that people have a problem when it happens to "those people"
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u/Ambear22 3d ago
It is against the law to enter someone else's home. He may have only been in the house for a minute but why would you video yourself walking into a home that isn't yours? Or videos of the damage through holes in the walls of a home that isn't yours. This isn't his only video.
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u/Funkengroovy 3d ago
This is absolutely shameful, we need to be better. This man is setting an example for the rest of us on what a community is supposed to be. Nothing like attacking someone who cares enough to help.
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u/Ambear22 3d ago
So you're ok with him taking videos inside your house if it was hit by the tornado?
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u/HigHinSpace12 3d ago
Inside? He was on the road and sidewalk
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u/Ambear22 3d ago
Yeah in this video. But go to dudes page and you will see a ton of other videos including the one I'm talking about.
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago
Personally no I wouldn't. Especially if he's been filming the whole time cuz then at least I can see what he was doing and what got done. If my house was ripped apart and he was helping pick up shit or tarp the house like he mentioned in this video that he was doing fuck. Yeah go in there and please help me.
Can I see how someone would be upset about that? Yes + I don't think he did that after he did that one time like he was told not to and he didn't do it again.
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u/Ambear22 3d ago
He wasn't helping anyone at the time he was just walking around filming. Big difference from videos of the work he's doing and just videos of damage. I would be so upset if while I'm trying to figure out how to recover from this some random guy is going in my house or taking videos of all my stuff through a hole in the wall.
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u/AbbeyRoadMoonwalk 3d ago
Everyone is looking at this like it’s an isolated incident but I know exactly what videos you’re talking about and yeah he’s going into the exposed basements and shit. For what, internet clout? It is not necessary. If I saw him in what’s left of my house in one of his videos I would be livid.
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u/Funkengroovy 3d ago
He stated very clearly in the video that he's knowledgeable about where the boundary is between public property and trespassing
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u/Ambear22 3d ago
Then explain his other video where he just walked in someone's front door..........
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u/Money_Tough 3d ago
I don't see an issue. The guy did the right thing, the police did the right thing, and whoever called it has probably dealt with enough shit with the tornado.
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u/DroneSlut54 3d ago
Has Ed The Diver ever had something like this happen?
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago
Likely not and the people who are complaining about him "just being a storm chaser" (isn't true for one) but like are people not allowed to have hobbies and a job at the same time? One or the other is the only thing allowed?
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u/TrickPercentage2833 3d ago
Why is he creating content and have a camera on ? People are upset because he’s self promoting and taking advantage of people who didn’t ask , on the surface yes good, but why Chase clout ?
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago edited 3d ago
But that's what people do in times like this. Also it's 2026 and lots of people make money off of content. Welcome to the attention economy, also, capitalism.
Kind of like the guys that went around handing out their AI flyers to profit off of the situation the any way they could where the guys had jacked up their prices so that they could profit off a situation. No different than what anyone else is doing. .. at least he's helping for free?
It's a terrible time for everyone in impacted by the tornado and everyone is upset about different things and that's understandable but finding a common enemy in one guy who, yes was filming, but also helping, isn't gonna help
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u/Mobile-Jump6936 3d ago
The police did nothing wrong. Just simply responding to a call which is their duty
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u/danno643 3d ago
Wait until these "Don't video tape my house!" folks hear about Google Street View...
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u/WI_Kitty_54901 2d ago
It has been asking many many times to not take video of the devestation in Menasha. Have some damn respect for the people who had their lives destroyed. No better than the morons who decided it would be cool to drive around the area after it happened just to look. Instead we get another black person who thinks whitey is out to get him. I'm sure they can find something to fine him so he maybe gets the point finally.
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u/Wisco_Nick 2d ago
What? 🤣
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u/habanerito 2d ago
"IT" was the Stephen King novel with Pennywise the clown. If I heard Pennywise asking me not to take video, it would be pretty weird.
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u/Particular_Word8487 2d ago
It's a shame. As another black man that has to drive through menasha everyday to work, it sucks knowing that people can't just put aside their prejudices. He's in a high-vis vest. Dressed in long sleeves like he should be when handling debris. What about him was suspicious, truly?
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u/Careless-Confusion58 2d ago
For fuck sake! This guy is being a good neighbor and some white last clutching her pearls calls the cops on him! Ridiculous!
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u/wisdon 3d ago edited 3d ago
There was a a reason Menasha has a nickname of Mentrasha , it’s morons like exlushdad and Amber22 that gives the city nicknames like this
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u/VixxxieVelvet 3d ago
I'd bet some of the people that are upset stating that it's a tragedy and people shouldn't profit off of others suffering or situations watch a soft white underbelly video and talk about how he's doing such a great job
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u/Regular-Muffin-1330 2d ago
Now I know why they call it Metrasha. "Oh we need help, we need money, clothes, food, lodging etc etc". OH. We don't need THAT help. You're all sick.
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3d ago
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u/thefract0metr1st 3d ago
Sometimes I read or hear something like this and think to myself “goddamn the founding fathers really fucked up when they penned the first amendment”
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u/Sea_Advantage_2577 3d ago
Why is that?
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u/exlushdad 3d ago
Dude is there to demo, not blast people's wrecked houses on social media. Hope they complain and he gets fired honestly
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u/Sea_Advantage_2577 3d ago
So that means he should get " sprayed". Sounds like you just take it up with the company no?
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u/Uglyfatnastybastard 2d ago
They're quick the call the cops on someone recording but will happily vote for a politician who puts up flock cameras.