Young Texas family were simply hoping to capture some photos of their daughter in celebration of her first birthday. A clear and sunny Saturday afternoon in Houston with the perfect scenic backdrop for a photoshoot should have made for a few great photos. Sadly, that wouldn’t be the case when they encountered this angry rich woman.
After finding a spot on a picturesque walking trail in the Broadacres community, often frequented by local families and popular with photographers, the parents posed their daughter for the photos. As the girl sat on a pink, fuzzy blanket, surrounded by a few birthday balloons, it appeared they had the perfect setting for a heartwarming photoshoot. But the happy day was about to dissolve into chaos as the angry woman, a Houston socialite, spotted them.
Their outdoor photoshoot was quickly interrupted by the furious rich woman who claimed there was a huge problem with what they were doing. What’s worse, it’s not the first time this woman did something like this, according to local television.
When the woman saw the couple on the sidewalk with their daughter, she couldn’t contain herself. She immediately stopped her car and got out. Barefoot and carrying a small dog, she approached the parents and confronted them. Shocked by what was unfolding, the family recorded the incident with their cell phone, capturing the moment the angry socialite slapped the phone and the balloons.
In the footage, the little birthday girl, obviously upset by the outburst, is heard crying. “You’re making my child cry,” her mother shouts, who then goes after the dad and appears to strike his camera. After dragging the baby’s blanket off the sidewalk, the woman heads back to her Jaguar convertible parked on the street. But things were far from over.
As the footage gained attention, the woman, who was reportedly awarded more than $30 million in her 2016 divorce, became “apologetic.” But she insisted she was justified, citing a claim by the local homeowners association. According to the HOA, the property in question was deeded to the group in the 1920s and posted signs banning photo shoots throughout the community, alleging that photographers disrupt the peaceful neighborhood with large crowds, equipment, and tables.
“We had to take a stand,” HOA president C. Fowler said, explaining why the photogenic Houston community was trying to block photoshoots from its streets. “People were going into people’s gardens, standing on people’s front steps, and they felt that they could just take over the neighborhood.” However, there’s just one problem.
Although the HOA has tried to restrict photographers, the City of Houston says the esplanade, streets, and sidewalk along North Boulevard in the Broadacres community are considered public property. The HOA has been fighting the city over the property rights, but at the time of this incident, Houston maintained that the areas are in the public right-of-way.
No one wants their hard-earned property damaged, but it’s hard to sympathize with a woman who gets violent over a blanket on the sidewalk. What’s her real issue? If she’s opposed to crowds, she can use her millions to move someplace that doesn’t border busy public property. Sadly, all that cash can’t buy class.