TRUCKEE, Calif. – Following the posting of a video on Nov. 23, 2023 by Watching the Watchmen, a YouTube channel run by the father-son duo Jason and Ben Gutterman, showcasing a heated confrontation in front of Sock Parlour, viewers of the video have loudly expressed opinions both in support of and against the store’s owners Jeremy and Emily Tucker. And because of this, their lives have been drastically changed.

For those who haven’t watched the video, here’s a brief summary. Jason and Ben Gutterman, self-proclaimed creators of, what they call, a travel channel, traverse the country while capturing their experiences. They began strolling along the Truckee strip, documenting various cordial interactions with pedestrians and shop owners. Upon reaching the front of Sock Parlour, Jeremy approached and inquired about their activities and the reason for filming his store. When Gutterman wouldn’t provide him with a real answer, Jeremy expressed discomfort with their presence and requested them to step back from the store entrance. The conversation escalated in tension, and when Gutterman persisted, Jeremy pushed his camera away, prompting Gutterman to use pepper spray. Customers fled from the fumes and the police arrived on the scene.

Despite several attempts to contact Jason and Ben Gutterman for their side of the story, our inquiries have gone unanswered, leaving a gap in understanding the full context of the incident. The video, which has garnered significant attention, has ignited a storm of reactions, requiring a deeper dive. 

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The Tuckers have found themselves in the eye of the storm, receiving threatening letters and phone calls on their personal cell phones from followers of Watching the Watchmen. The intensity of the situation even forced them to unplug their business phones temporarily due to the overwhelming volume of calls. Evidently, numerous threatening letters claim that the Guttermans’ video was contributing to the sale of the Tuckers’ socks and criticize them for being unappreciative.

Emily even had a conversation with the FBI, who is acquainted with their channel. “So many people are unaware of this dark circle of hate that people are formulating,” Emily said. According to her, subscribing to the Guttermans’ channel reveals a list of stores that they claim to have successfully shut down through their videos. Every retailer and business along the Truckee strip has been contacted by followers of the Guttermans, Emily said, and their outreach has extended to establishments in Nevada City as well.

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The Guttermans’ supporters breached the Tuckers’ Google and Yelp accounts, causing online information to falsely indicate that the Sock Parlour was closed. Currently, all their business accounts, including Instagram, remain private. Emily is concerned about the potential repercussions when she decides to make these accounts public again.

However, amidst all the chaos, the Tuckers have discovered a silver lining in the form of unwavering support from customers and members of the community who have rallied behind them after watching the video. 

According to Jeremy, the video may not tell the whole story. He asserts that the editing of the footage misrepresented the situation, concealing Gutterman’s actions of blocking the storefront. Jeremy believes that the Guttermans had a different agenda, suggesting, “Their intent wasn’t to film a travel channel but to promote anger and hate and content for the video. He wanted me to be provoked so he could spray me with pepper spray.”  

A witness to the incident also pointed to potential misleading editing in the Guttermans’ video. While this wasn’t visible in the video, the witness pushed the camera away, and Jason Gutterman said, “I’m going to beat you so hard. And I’m going to kill you.” The witness has been receiving unsettling calls at their workplace, including messages urging them to “Go die in prison.” Followers of the Guttermans went so far as to locate the witness’s parents’ address and issued threats of paying them a visit. The witness has asked to remain anonymous because of harassment they have received following the incident.

Community members have raised significant concerns about law enforcement’s response to the incident, and there is a sense of distrust among retailers toward law enforcement. Recently, a meeting was held between merchants in Truckee and the Chief of Police to discuss concerns about perceived bias from responding officers in the video. 

The Sun attempted to communicate with the officers who responded, however, the Truckee Police Department has Policy 346 which dictates that officers are prohibited from issuing statements to the media. Deverie Acuff, the Administrative Manager and Public Information Officer for the Truckee Police Department, provided explanations for the perceived bias portrayed in the video. In the context of law enforcement, Acuff said, obtaining vital evidence relies significantly on securing the cooperation of witnesses. One widely employed strategy for achieving this cooperation is rapport building, a method designed to establish a temporary separation from conflict, promoting emotional de-escalation. 

This approach often includes engaging in casual small talk and expressing empathy, even if the officer may not necessarily share those sentiments. The effectiveness of this strategy lies in fostering a supportive atmosphere, as individuals are more likely to cooperate when they feel understood and supported by the interviewing officer. Once all necessary evidence is gathered through these efforts, the officer proceeds to take appropriate legal enforcement action based on the information obtained.

“When forming opinions from viral videos, it’s vital to consider the complete context. It’s worth noting that the heavily edited video of the Sock Parlour incident only showed one side of the investigation’s rapport building efforts, and did not capture the totality of the interviews being conducted or highlight any of the other investigative actions taken when communicating with other involved parties,” Acuff continues, “Unfortunately, a few key sound bites from the officer during a small portion of his investigation may have portrayed his rapport building efforts as actually being his own personal opinions to viewers who are unfamiliar with police procedures.” 

What the Guttermans’ video did not show was the body camera footage from the responding officers. It didn’t capture the moments when the police spent time inside the Sock Parlour interviewing witnesses of the incident.

While the incident has undoubtedly taken a toll on the Tuckers, they remain optimistic about the future. With a court date set for January, Jeremy expresses confidence, stating, “I don’t expect the county to throw the book at me.” Jeremy was originally charged with a citizen’s arrest for misdemeanor assault, but it seems as though the charges are being dropped. He is, however, still required to appear in court on that date as a procedural formality. The Tuckers have decided against pursuing a civil lawsuit due to concerns about potential retaliation. 

Correction: The article originally listed Jason Gutterman’s name as Brian Gutterman.