QUESTION: Our highrise building looks onto another highrise where a resident regularly watches porn on his big screen TV. We asked the neighboring building manager to encourage him to lower his shades. This had the opposite effect. He now leaves his shades completely open, watching in the nude and single-handedly participating. Do we have any recourse?
ANSWER: That is an ugly visual. If the porn junkie is in a building that is not part of your association, your options are limited.
Police. The police can be notified. They will talk to the resident but not arrest him unless they witnessed the illicit activity. To arrest him, you would have to accompany the police to the building and make a citizen’s arrest. Penal Code §837 states, “A private person may arrest another: (1) For a public offense committed or attempted in his presence…”
Public Offense. A “public offense” is defined as a felony, misdemeanor or infraction. (Penal Code §16). Is your neighbor’s behavior a public offense? According to California Penal Code §647(a), engaging in lewd conduct in a public place is a misdemeanor.
The catch is the “public place” part of the statute. Lewd conduct by a lone adult in the privacy of his home wouldn’t normally interest the police or the courts. In your situation, your neighbor is knowingly making his conduct visible to his neighbors. Accordingly, action can be taken.
RECOMMENDATION: Before you rush over and make a citizen’s arrest, you should consider the possibility of retaliation. It’s clear your lewd neighbor does not have any boundaries. If a visit by the police does not resolve the problem, your best bet may be a strongly worded lawyer letter to the miscreant.
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