Right. I believe most of this guy’s videos are filmed in Wichita. In Kansas, the actual property owners (not the city) are responsible for maintenance and repair of sidewalks next to their property. State law [KSA Section 12-1808] and some local ordinances cover this, even though the sidewalks are public property and are in the city’s right-of-way. If the city gets a complaint, they usually tell the property owner to fix the sidewalk, or the city will fix and send a bill to the homeowner. Seems crazy, but true.
The individual in the video (Philip Turner, known as “The Battousai”) was not formally arrested, charged with any crime, or jailed. This is footage from his June 2015/2016 encounter with Austin Police Department officers (specifically at or near the North Substation/Lamplight Village area in Austin, Texas, with officers including Shurley, Smith, Roedinger, and Tripp). He was filming the police substation from a public area (near a Sonic Drive-In) when officers approached, demanded identification, and detained him after he refused—without articulating any specific crime he was suspected of committing.
He was briefly handcuffed and placed in a patrol car but was released shortly afterward with no charges filed. The officers’ actions mirrored the pattern you noted: no clear reasonable suspicion or probable cause was stated, as simply filming in public (from a public vantage point) is not illegal under Texas or federal law.
Turner filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the four Austin officers under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of his First and Fourth Amendment rights (right to film/record and unlawful detention/seizure). The case ultimately settled in his favor, with the city/officers paying him $5,500 (along with the typical resolution of such suits, which often includes training implications or policy acknowledgments for the department).