A citizen journalist breaks news and reports in Brattleboro

BRATTLEBORO — The man identified as “Hank with the Brattleboro News” first appeared on YouTube in April and filmed a local police officer staring at a blood-stained downtown sidewalk.

Citizen journalist “civil servant” he said to the camera“He didn’t seem very impressed by it.”

Seven months later, viewership is steadily increasing; 16% increase in police searches – they are outraged by a controversy about such content and its creator.

Hank Poitras’ social media sites (most locals know him only by his first name) show police, firefighters and emergency services responding to reports of impaired driving, overdoses, threats, fights and thefts. There are also turns in the plot, e.g. Car fire on July 4th An event that results in fireworks exploding inside the vehicle or a traveler finding an idle car carrier and taking it and setting off. 84 mile pleasure ride He is under surveillance by authorities from three states.

The videos, which are up to 10 minutes long, do not include the names of those filmed, but their faces and handcuffed hands are visible. Each report ends with the police explaining the resulting charges, with Poitras closing the sentence: “Just because you have been arrested does not mean you are guilty of a crime.”

Poitras has posted more than 100 videos so far, some of which have reached 7,000 YouTube views in a town of 12,000. Add share on other online platforms and in case of a new report on 10 acres brush fireAccording to their analytics, they received up to half a million hits. Collectively, they clearly demonstrate the scope and impacts of poverty, substance use disorders, and mental health issues in society.

Some viewers, who often comment under a pseudonym, respond with responses as simple as “Thank you, Hank.”

“I believe his intention was to make the community aware of the growing concerns and to prevent criminals from reoffending,” wrote a Facebook commenter named Angel Maria Weste.

However, other social media users condemned the content; but VTDigger could not find anyone in the records to identify him.

“Why do you let him do this?” a woman asked the police the name Poitras They filmed their August interaction in a parking lot.

“That’s his First Amendment right,” an officer replied.

“Exploiting people living in poverty, living with drug addiction, living with problems, homeless and living on the streets, exploiting their problems?” he replied.

Poitras knows that many people think he is motivated by hatred or far-right sentiments, but Poitras denied this in an interview with VTDigger. Instead, he flashes back to a time about a year ago when he bought a BMX bike from a downtown store, only to have it stolen.

“I wanted the town to be better,” he recalls, “and I thought, ‘What can I do?’ I thought.”

Poitras, a fan of the television documentary series “Cops,” replied: “When I get a call on the scanner, I will follow the police. “If they go to a millionaire, a middle-class person, or a poor person, I’ll document what happened so people can watch, and then we can talk about how to fix it.”

Not all locals agree with Poitras and haven’t told him so on social media or in person, his videos confirm this. He voices his feelings about the crime (“We have big problems”) and his critics (“The group that claims to be compassionate? They’re definitely putting a lot of energy into trashing Hank”) in a separate weekly recap: “Planet Hank Live Show.” However, according to experts, citizen journalists are within the law.

The American Civil Liberties Union said, “It is a constitutional right to take photographs and videos of things that are clearly visible in public spaces.” website.

David Blow, a journalism professor at Vermont State University in Castleton, said tracking police calls reminded him of his early years working as a reporter at The Post-Star near Glens Falls, New York. But he did so before the advent of cell phones and personal computers, which brought more questions than answers to the media ethics course.

“It’s a new thing that everyone is filming basically everything,” Blow said in an interview. “I think it’s valuable for the police to investigate, but would I feel the same if it was my loved one? It has its advantages and pitfalls and I think it’s wise to talk about it.”

An anonymous poster in the 13,600-member “Brattleboro, Vermont” private Facebook group recently attempted to do so by asking: “Has (Hank) been trained in ethics, free speech, and partisanship, to name just a few?”

Poitras points to the “Planet Hank” umbrella in response website This suggests he is a videographer with a degree in filmmaking who took journalism classes at Keene State College in neighboring New Hampshire. But he limits his public biography to his career.

“I’m a very private person,” he said, “and I draw a hard line when people encroach on that.”

Poitras is not alone in his practice. Freelance photographer in Burlington Wayne Savage He has filmed police calls for both mainstream and social media outlets for years. Another citizen journalist in Texas recently said: national news When the U.S. Supreme Court revived his lawsuit against authorities who arrested him for seeking information for his Facebook page with 200,000 followers.

Brattleboro News videos attract not only viewers but also sponsors; the local Ford dealership tops a list of closing credits that range from a home security service to a hair salon.

Poitras said the financial support, which he likened to traditional media advertising and insurance, allowed him to focus on his business.

“Can I do this without it?” he said. “Yes. But money helps.”

Authorities can also help. Police were not angry when Poitras filmed a man detained for disorderly conduct repeatedly swearing and spitting at him.

“Did you say the only good cops are dead cops?” After all, a police officer was heard asking the man this question. video.

“Yes, I always said that,” said the man.

“Very nice,” the officer said, eventually releasing the man with a citation.

Brattleboro Police declined to comment further. But this summer they answered the call from Poitras when a bare-chested man with a large Nazi swastika tattoo arrived. It was alleged that he threatened to kill himself with a knife during the shooting in a public park. emerging video It shows the man was arrested before being placed in the custody of the state Department of Mental Health.

Poitras acknowledged his critics and turned to less controversial content. In a recent video he filmed: problems with the elevator The Snow Block affordable housing project downtown has been broken for nearly half a year. Another showed the town’s animal control officer hosting a public demonstration. “puppy play date.”

“Some people will call me cold-hearted, and I say that more than I would if I worked for a corporate news company,” he said. “I am not perfect. This is an evolution. I am listening.”

But such public service projects only get hundreds of views instead of thousands. More people watched recently video A fight in the city center where a man noticed the citizen journalist and his camera.

The man was heard shouting “Hank is here, Hank is here” before speeding off. “Let’s go.”