The Jerks Among Us

Sometimes it seems that social media incentivizes people to engage in outlandish behavior–and the more outlandish the behavior, the more likely the actor will attract additional followers and produce income as a result of his or her social media stunts.

Consider the guy who developed the “Belltown Hellcat,” a Dodge Charger tricked out to be as loud as possible. For months, he has driven around Seattle, where his thundering car backfires have rattled windows and disturbed the sleep of residents. He’s also been accused of driving at speeds around 100 mph in reduced speed zones, although he has pleaded not guilty to that charge. He documents his escapades on Instagram, where he has generated 750,000 followers who apparently don’t have anything better to do with their lives than check out a jerk who persists in disturbing the peace and annoying his neighbors.

This week the Belltown Hellcat had to appear in Seattle Municipal Court to face charges of violations of the city’s excessive noise ordinances. He appeared in court clad in sunglasses and ninja-like clothing–trying to avoid having his face appear on local news broadcasts, which had cameras at the courthouse–and told the judge that he was working on his car to return it to less noisy factory specifications. The judge wasn’t sympathetic, and upheld the city’s decision to charge him more than $83,000 in fines. The fines aren’t the Hellcat’s only legal problem; he’s also facing a reckless driving charge and various domestic issues involving his mother and a woman who accuses him of stalking her.

Prosecuting someone for violating excessive noise ordinances doesn’t seem like a big deal, in the grand scheme of things–but the little things are important. When you live in a city, you have to respect your neighbors and the laws, like excessive noise ordinances, that are designed to ensure civil behavior and conduct. I’m glad the court lowered the boom on a guy who intentionally modified his car to make it absurdly loud and ignored requests by police and neighbors to stop his ear-splitting antics because he wants to make a living through Instagram idiocy. If the jerks among us don’t respect the social compact, the authorities should see to it that they pay the price.