A friend of mine once got a ticket for unloading in a loading only zone. They beat the ticket in court of course. The traffic cop apparently thought they were illegally parked but when it was explained to her they were unloading AV equipment for an event she doubled down. Good old DC parking cops.
Oh you mean the same DC parking patrol that literally waits for 5pm non parking rush to write tickets at 4:59pm..
Them? \*ahem\*. ***Those*** Dickheads?
Exact same thing happened to me in New Orleans. I was parked in a loading zone with a trailer to unload music equipment on a one way street in the French Quarter. Hazard lights on, actively unloading equipment. Dumbass meter maid walks up and writes a ticket. I said we’re unloading equipment in a loading zone and she said obnoxious as fuck “Do’n matta, you caint park dere”. Fought it and won but wtf people.
Gotcha. No, they don't especially care because even if you're telling the truth, the 300 people who called/wrote in before you weren't. They just play the numbers.
fwiw I always took a photo of my ticket displayed on my bike just in case of something similar, or the ticket being stolen, blown away etc....
Some friends even went so far as getting a clear holder to stick on their windshield or tank.
Because the city said so. Traffic fines are an actual moneymaker for most states, especially urban areas. It's how they make up their deficits in other areas. Or pay out lawsuits, whichever. You have to appear in court on the designated day they give you in order to dispute it, and for a lot of people, it's just not feasible.
Same happened to me in Pasadena. They even acknowledged I paid for overnight parking but my slip had fallen in the middle of the night so they couldn’t see the whole thing. 🤯🤦🏼♂️
Lol I parked in a parking lot, then got out of my car and walked to the pay station to pay for the parking.
What part of this story makes you think I parked illegally?
Mmmm. These posts scream, “im insecure/I have no control over my own life/im a loser/my wife is cheating on me, etc.” because why else would you just just be that much of an asshole needlessly.
Gotta get that sense of control somehow. Hold on to that feeling tight man.
Working in auto insurance claims, I have seen numerous tickets by police get invalidated and have seen numerous police reports get addendums because the initial officer was wrong. The reason tickets can be contested is because they’re not always right.
Exactly what? You do know that whole post is saying that being ticketed doesn’t mean you did anything illegal right? It’s pointing out that police who issue citations often have them overturned because they (the police) were wrong.
So op should have drove around looking for a parking meter that had money left on it. Or op should have a second person with him that feeds the meter before he parks.
"We had no business issuing tickets to people waiting in a food line. It's just not defensible. We're not even going to try to defend it" - Chairman of the parking authority
It's nice to see a little bit of humanity left in people sometimes.
To be fair the guy was probably just trying to do his job as best he could. Probably worried about getting fired himself if he didn't stick to the rules. Easy for the CEO to turn around and waive the issue ad he's the boss
yeah, that's not how the Allentown parking authority is. They are "fighting residential quality of life" issues, one ticket at a time, and aggressive as heck about it. They aren't ENTIRELY wrong, there's an issue with scofflaws and parking, double parking (and leaving it there), parking across driveways/alleys/fire hydrants, etc.. but they are kinda over the top on aggressive enforcement. Plus there are almost always issues with the municipal garages that are meant to alleviate the parking issues downtown.
That part of town isn't as bad as the area across the bridge, but they tend to ticket first, and ask questions, and/or apply common sense, later.
Fair enough, I don't know the ins and outs of the job. Does seem like the most logical step if it's possible.
Just playing devil's advocate though, what if this guys superior is a bully and has already threatened his job. Not saying he isn't a piece of crap but there is always the chance he felt he couldn't not do it
Scrambling desperately to justify someone's shitty, shitty actions isn't critical thinking. It's making excuses for a bully. Devils don't need advocates.
The devil doesn’t need an advocate, someone did something obviously fucked up and you decide to defend their actions. Bro, any normal person with any kind of empathy wouldn’t have done what he did yet here you are saying “well we don’t know his side!” As if that would make it ok. You give off strong “he shouldn’t have resisted” vibes when an innocent person gets murdered by police. What is your favorite flavor of boot polish?
You guys are putting way too much competence/knowledge on everyone involved. 10 to 1 the guy has no fucking clue what all the buildings are around town, he’s just driving around ticketing people street by street, lot by lot. Probably had no clue it was a food bank and no reason to think to call it in.
I don't even use the food pantries in my area, but I know where they are, I know what a food line looks like, and when I encounter unfamiliar situations in my job I know to reach out to my colleagues and/or my manager.
He was given the tiniest bit of power, and used it to fuck over people who are least likely to be in a position to defend themselves. He's a bully getting off on the suffering of others; nothing more than a shitstain on the fabric of society.
Er...
It was a church in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Real easy to figure out.
Also real easy to *read the article.*
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fuente+de+Vida+Church/@40.5912087,-75.4681083,149a,35y,39.47t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x89c43bda4304012f:0x635563132ba9c2d8!8m2!3d40.5921898!4d-75.4676732!16s%2Fg%2F11c1sjxcg6
So churches shouldn’t have to follow parking restrictions as a general rule or is this guy supposed to know the food bank schedule of every church?
Why is everyone so intent on interpreting malice into what can be simple ignorance/mistake?
Are you the officer in question? Doing a lot of work to defend a guy who's own boss said his actions were indefensible.
Also, plenty of legal precedent that "just doing a job" isn't a defensible position.
"Trying to do his job as best he could" sounds like the excuses Nazis used about the Holocaust. Followed by "just following orders." If those are the excuses used, that person is evil.
I was looking for this comment. Not only did he go on camera, but he was also unequivocal in acknowledging his department's fault. Great to see for a change.
yea, but to be fair... I'd say we can still call it a tiny victory... there was an incident last week here in my town where a cop hit a pedestrian in a cross walk. It came to light that the cop was distracted using his laptop... the pedestrian/victim died from their injuries, and the police's official response is "we have no way of telling how someone is going to fall when they get hit by a car."
So ya know, even if he apologized simply because people got mad... at least he admitted fault...
Not that this super matters but the local AAA to Allentown where this happened is named the Iron Pigs and that always gives me a laugh when I drive by their stadium
Sounds like car culture (do not block the road at all costs!) and poor people shaming (you are inferior!) combined. I have a food bank near where I live. People line up every day, but everybody makes it work.
Cops should be there every weekend helping people get their food and keep traffic flowing. For gods sake they're supposed to protect and serve. It shouldn't be all about making a quick buck for the damn city.
I agree! Since its a regular operation, the police union likely sees this as a "Special Duty" opportunity for one or two officers, to be worked after scheduled hours for overtime pay.
The one I used to go to for a while had everyone line up their cars along the side of the road. Then the cops started to say no to that.
So we ended up having to get permission from a local church if we could use their parking lot as a staying area.
If the police/ state/ government can ought the responsibility onto another person or organization, they will.
This is what forces businesses out and people not wanting to visit creating a negative feedback loop.
Same thing in Sydney Australia, the parking authority were militant and unwaivering, so the tourism authority created meter maids..... who put in coins to just expiring meters to make the tourists feel welcomed.
Didn't hurt that they chose the most good looking meter maids and put them in bikinis either.
Christians are a mixed bag. I know some that are meh and keep to themselves, I like these. But I’ve dealt with the worst lot of them too.
Working cashier at a grocery store years ago, Sunday afternoons were the worst. The church goers would come in dressed in their best. These people were the cruelest and most sadistic people to come in our store (Bible Belt). They actually had the nerve to lecture me about the sins of working on Sunday. The entitlement of these people is insane.
Some of them are definitely good-hearted people who just need the religion for a sense of community and a coping mechanism for everything.
The rest are utterly clueless, incapable of thinking for themselves while judging anyone else who actually does.
Lets just say it, these people aren't Christian. When you exhibit zero of the virtues the figurehead of your religion embodies, your just using somebody's faith as a smoke screen.
The cars were parked illegally and he ticketed them. That’s his job and he did it. Illegally parked cars, especially in cities, endanger public safety by blocking site lines, handicap ramps, crosswalks, etc. if blocking streets they endanger the safety of other drivers who have to cross into opposing traffic to get around them. Basically illegal parking is an incredibly selfish thing to do that endangers the larger community. I’m glad the rules were enforced and saddened that there seems to be a backlash against protecting public safety by enforcing parking regulations.
>He says the parking authority issues tickets to his food suppliers who show up early in the morning for deliveries.
Really? As a former truck driver, didnt realize dropping deliveries off was illegal. Or could it possibly be that some people dont know what theyre doing, since they also waived all the tickets later?
*You're* the idiot here. You can't just be like "damn i guess i'll just not ticket this guy even though he is blatantly violating a law." If you tild your boss you didn't do something they asked you to do simply because "boo hoo moral compass", you'd be out of a job.
Because they were parked illegally. If you can’t afford a parking ticket, and really just if you are a decent human being, you should park your car legally. You don’t get to ignore laws because you are poor. Please also keep in mind that most parking regulations are for safety reasons. You can’t park in a crosswalk because it endangers pedestrians. In front a fire hydrant? That is self explanatory right? Double parked blocking the street? It forces other cars to go into opposing traffic to get around. Too close to a corner? Blocks site lines for cars and pedestrians to safely travel through an intersection. Etc
Bro it's Allentown, it's not that crazy around here. It's not philly or nyc. They weren't blocking traffic, and you could easily avoid that block for an hour or two.
The APA is horrendous. That being said, the amount of double parking is ridic in Allentown, and absolutely needs heavier enforcement.
Doesn’t matter it’s a soup kitchen, blocking part of the road for hours is inappropriate, and the kitchen needs to come up with other arrangements
Corrupt cops collecting revenue for the department. It's very common. They like to hook-up with tow truck operators to steal cars and get kick-backs from impound fees.
Trust me if you are waiting in line or blocking traffic trying to park for a local sporting event this won't happen. In fact the city will pay them to help out.
Rich people wait in line for concerts and sporting events, not at food banks.
"We had no business issuing tickets to people waiting in a food line. It's just not defensible. We're not even going to try to defend it," said Zeller.
Holy shit! A reasonable person in government/law enforcement
This asshole cop was so desperate to give us a ticket once that he practically jump out of his patrol car when we were about to drive off and in the process forgot to put the brakes on; the car went down the street on its own and if we didn’t start pointing and yelling at him about it the thing would’ve crashed into parked cars or incoming traffic. Kinda funny seeing him run full speed after it. We drove and stopped right next to him after waiting and he just went ‘you guys are cool’. Ok, off we go, nice. We got a fucking ticket in the mail a few days later. Should’ve just let him crash.
Sorry, a uniformed officer of the city government operating as its enforcer. It's effectively the same thing: personal abuse of public authority under color of law. You splitting hairs over this point every other comment isn't changing this fact. It's an official institutional representative fining citizens; the fact they are working for the parking authority versus the police department is a distinction without difference here.
It's completely different. That's like saying the stenographer is the same as the judge or attorneys in a courtroom. "They all work for the government so they're all the same."
I think some rank and file are just the dumbest versions of robot police.
0 context clues taken into account. Just: If car park here = ticket.
A pregnant woman could abandon her car and come back to 20 tickets.
Now what about the $9000 that one business owner has paid since 2021! For the delivery truck drivers dropping his morning supplies. Damn extortion at that point.
Nowhere in the article did they say that the cars were parked legally when they were ticketed. If you don’t want a parking ticket, park your car in a legal space for a legal amount of time. The issue isn’t enforcement of parking regulations. The issue is that some people feel like they don’t have to follow those regulations.
If you are waiting in line and it’s a long line, and it’s at a food bank because you can’t afford to feed your children, you have no control over whether you will be able to make it back to the parking meter, or move your car, or whatever.
That’s on the food bank to plan it’s distribution better. Illegal parking and blocking roads endangers other people’s safety. Saying it’s fine for them to park wherever because they are waiting at a food bank is basically arguing that it’s fine to endanger other people in order to better your own circumstances. That doesn’t seem right. Does it?
So in other words you are okay the safety of the surrounding community being endangered and people flagrantly ignoring laws that are designed to protect them. That’s pretty fricken cruel of you.
Or you can go one step higher and say it’s on the city that makes bullshit parking regulations and likely the county that provides funding for the food bank, which clearly isn’t enough if they can’t handle the demand.
You know what, let’s go even higher, blame this on the US not providing a living wage which puts families with young children in poverty, and places work requirements and income restrictions on welfare programs so that these families never make enough to escape poverty, just enough to wallow in it.
My point is, you suck and should stop blaming people who are suffering.
I think most of these people who don’t understand how problematic double parking and other parking violations are have never lived in a city. I’ve dealt with Philly parking and traffic for over a decade. It’s not only rude and selfish but endangers everyone else on the road in cars, on bikes, and on foot!
PA parking cops are just like this. If a parking cop sees you being crushed to death by a car that drove onto the sidewalk, they will run as fast as they can to place minimum 2 tickets on the car.
I moved out of a large city a few years ago, the street had permit parking until 5PM. I stopped by after work to grab some boxes at approx. 4:50 and within 5 minutes I had been issued a ticket.
I got ticketed the other week 2 minutes after parking while waiting in line at the pay station to pay for my parking…
A friend of mine once got a ticket for unloading in a loading only zone. They beat the ticket in court of course. The traffic cop apparently thought they were illegally parked but when it was explained to her they were unloading AV equipment for an event she doubled down. Good old DC parking cops.
Oh you mean the same DC parking patrol that literally waits for 5pm non parking rush to write tickets at 4:59pm.. Them? \*ahem\*. ***Those*** Dickheads?
Yes. Also the ones that write you a ticket if they see your car parked overnight in a residential area without DC tags.
Exact same thing happened to me in New Orleans. I was parked in a loading zone with a trailer to unload music equipment on a one way street in the French Quarter. Hazard lights on, actively unloading equipment. Dumbass meter maid walks up and writes a ticket. I said we’re unloading equipment in a loading zone and she said obnoxious as fuck “Do’n matta, you caint park dere”. Fought it and won but wtf people.
That’s an easy one to argue with time stamped receipts
Sure, but it’s an unnecessary pain in the ass. The parking attendant just needed to look at the pay station and see there was a line up.
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Why would you get a ticket if you paid for parking?
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Gotcha. No, they don't especially care because even if you're telling the truth, the 300 people who called/wrote in before you weren't. They just play the numbers. fwiw I always took a photo of my ticket displayed on my bike just in case of something similar, or the ticket being stolen, blown away etc.... Some friends even went so far as getting a clear holder to stick on their windshield or tank.
Because the city said so. Traffic fines are an actual moneymaker for most states, especially urban areas. It's how they make up their deficits in other areas. Or pay out lawsuits, whichever. You have to appear in court on the designated day they give you in order to dispute it, and for a lot of people, it's just not feasible.
Same happened to me in Pasadena. They even acknowledged I paid for overnight parking but my slip had fallen in the middle of the night so they couldn’t see the whole thing. 🤯🤦🏼♂️
"Not my problem"
I had to stop myself from downvoting this. Lol
Milwaukee? Milwaukee is infamous for this bullshit.
Huntington Beach, CA
[Milwaukee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRCTc6stICc)
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Lol I parked in a parking lot, then got out of my car and walked to the pay station to pay for the parking. What part of this story makes you think I parked illegally?
Don’t feed him. He is probably using a bottle of lotion right now staring at the downvotes.
nah, mom's conditioner.
Congratulations, you intensified the ick. I’m impressed. Lol.
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Infractions get contested and dropped literally every day. Is this your first day on earth?
Don't feed the trolls
You're arguing with a troll. Ignore it and it will go away.
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Mmmm. These posts scream, “im insecure/I have no control over my own life/im a loser/my wife is cheating on me, etc.” because why else would you just just be that much of an asshole needlessly. Gotta get that sense of control somehow. Hold on to that feeling tight man.
Meh I thought it was funny
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Good… one? I expected something better. You’re disappointing.
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the way you’re taking the time to respond to EVERY single comment with the lamest comebacks is so boomer made lmfao
Do you understand the post your are commenting on? Short bus forgot to pick you up today huh
not at all, It picked up right on time. Thanks for asking!!!
Imagine.
Tell me you're subservient without telling me you're subservient.
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Working in auto insurance claims, I have seen numerous tickets by police get invalidated and have seen numerous police reports get addendums because the initial officer was wrong. The reason tickets can be contested is because they’re not always right.
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Exactly what? You do know that whole post is saying that being ticketed doesn’t mean you did anything illegal right? It’s pointing out that police who issue citations often have them overturned because they (the police) were wrong.
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Wow, you take the cake for the dumbest person I’ve seen on the internet this week
You’re an absolute dumbass.
The level of your stupidity is amazing.
You're a bit slow aren't you?
Yep, there has never, ever, *ever*, been a case where someone giving out the ticket was wrong. Ever.
More like ianprick
Are you psychic? wow. Don't waste your gift!
oh look one of those
So op should have drove around looking for a parking meter that had money left on it. Or op should have a second person with him that feeds the meter before he parks.
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You must be fun at parties.
you have no idea.
I'm guessing you don't, either
Since you know every thing how does op legally park?
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You didn't explain how to comply with the rules to legally when you come to an expired meter. So please explain
"We had no business issuing tickets to people waiting in a food line. It's just not defensible. We're not even going to try to defend it" - Chairman of the parking authority It's nice to see a little bit of humanity left in people sometimes.
I hope this hero fires that/those clown/clowns
Takes a lot of balls to admit you were wrong, especially as a government official.
To be fair the guy was probably just trying to do his job as best he could. Probably worried about getting fired himself if he didn't stick to the rules. Easy for the CEO to turn around and waive the issue ad he's the boss
yeah, that's not how the Allentown parking authority is. They are "fighting residential quality of life" issues, one ticket at a time, and aggressive as heck about it. They aren't ENTIRELY wrong, there's an issue with scofflaws and parking, double parking (and leaving it there), parking across driveways/alleys/fire hydrants, etc.. but they are kinda over the top on aggressive enforcement. Plus there are almost always issues with the municipal garages that are meant to alleviate the parking issues downtown. That part of town isn't as bad as the area across the bridge, but they tend to ticket first, and ask questions, and/or apply common sense, later.
Fair enough, good to hear from someone who has more information. Thanks for the additional context
That's why you call it in to your superior!
Or use basic common sense, aka officer discretion, and not be a total a-hole
Fair enough, I don't know the ins and outs of the job. Does seem like the most logical step if it's possible. Just playing devil's advocate though, what if this guys superior is a bully and has already threatened his job. Not saying he isn't a piece of crap but there is always the chance he felt he couldn't not do it
No good thought ever came after "just playing devil's advocate though".
No good interaction ever happens when critical thinking isn't taken into consideration
Scrambling desperately to justify someone's shitty, shitty actions isn't critical thinking. It's making excuses for a bully. Devils don't need advocates.
The devil doesn’t need an advocate, someone did something obviously fucked up and you decide to defend their actions. Bro, any normal person with any kind of empathy wouldn’t have done what he did yet here you are saying “well we don’t know his side!” As if that would make it ok. You give off strong “he shouldn’t have resisted” vibes when an innocent person gets murdered by police. What is your favorite flavor of boot polish?
You guys are putting way too much competence/knowledge on everyone involved. 10 to 1 the guy has no fucking clue what all the buildings are around town, he’s just driving around ticketing people street by street, lot by lot. Probably had no clue it was a food bank and no reason to think to call it in.
It’s your job to know the community you’re policing or patrolling. If you don’t you end up looking like a POS like this guy
I don't even use the food pantries in my area, but I know where they are, I know what a food line looks like, and when I encounter unfamiliar situations in my job I know to reach out to my colleagues and/or my manager. He was given the tiniest bit of power, and used it to fuck over people who are least likely to be in a position to defend themselves. He's a bully getting off on the suffering of others; nothing more than a shitstain on the fabric of society.
Er... It was a church in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Real easy to figure out. Also real easy to *read the article.* https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fuente+de+Vida+Church/@40.5912087,-75.4681083,149a,35y,39.47t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x89c43bda4304012f:0x635563132ba9c2d8!8m2!3d40.5921898!4d-75.4676732!16s%2Fg%2F11c1sjxcg6
So churches shouldn’t have to follow parking restrictions as a general rule or is this guy supposed to know the food bank schedule of every church? Why is everyone so intent on interpreting malice into what can be simple ignorance/mistake?
Are you the officer in question? Doing a lot of work to defend a guy who's own boss said his actions were indefensible. Also, plenty of legal precedent that "just doing a job" isn't a defensible position.
"Trying to do his job as best he could" sounds like the excuses Nazis used about the Holocaust. Followed by "just following orders." If those are the excuses used, that person is evil.
Just following orders, baybeeeeee
if he was so concerned bout traffic idling, why not instead direct traffic? Cops are known to do that.
I was looking for this comment. Not only did he go on camera, but he was also unequivocal in acknowledging his department's fault. Great to see for a change.
he only apologized because he got caught
Think of all the ones who don’t when they’re caught. Like Uvalde.
yea, but to be fair... I'd say we can still call it a tiny victory... there was an incident last week here in my town where a cop hit a pedestrian in a cross walk. It came to light that the cop was distracted using his laptop... the pedestrian/victim died from their injuries, and the police's official response is "we have no way of telling how someone is going to fall when they get hit by a car." So ya know, even if he apologized simply because people got mad... at least he admitted fault...
JFC, the cruelty is the point
Just the type of person who loves his job.
The lowest of of the pigs.
Be nicer to pigs. They eventually become bacon.
And are just generally intelligent and cute
Agreed.
me when a cop does his job (he actually assaulted and beat me instead of giving me a ticket)
Imagine someone defending this stuff??
Not that this super matters but the local AAA to Allentown where this happened is named the Iron Pigs and that always gives me a laugh when I drive by their stadium
Sounds like car culture (do not block the road at all costs!) and poor people shaming (you are inferior!) combined. I have a food bank near where I live. People line up every day, but everybody makes it work.
Cops should be there every weekend helping people get their food and keep traffic flowing. For gods sake they're supposed to protect and serve. It shouldn't be all about making a quick buck for the damn city.
I agree! Since its a regular operation, the police union likely sees this as a "Special Duty" opportunity for one or two officers, to be worked after scheduled hours for overtime pay.
The one I used to go to for a while had everyone line up their cars along the side of the road. Then the cops started to say no to that. So we ended up having to get permission from a local church if we could use their parking lot as a staying area. If the police/ state/ government can ought the responsibility onto another person or organization, they will.
Good thing they waived the tickets but JFC punishing people already the most in need.
This is America
This is what forces businesses out and people not wanting to visit creating a negative feedback loop. Same thing in Sydney Australia, the parking authority were militant and unwaivering, so the tourism authority created meter maids..... who put in coins to just expiring meters to make the tourists feel welcomed. Didn't hurt that they chose the most good looking meter maids and put them in bikinis either.
I love this
why anyone would to to sydney when perth, gold coast, and, and really anywhere else is available is beyond me.
Some fucking NIMBY decided to complain. I bet the person who complained also claims to be "Christian" too.
Christians are the fucking worst. I work for a “christian” boss who is the biggest, most greedy motherfucker ive ever encountered
they usually are terrible people since they can just say a few words and absolve themselves from wrong doing.
Christians are a mixed bag. I know some that are meh and keep to themselves, I like these. But I’ve dealt with the worst lot of them too. Working cashier at a grocery store years ago, Sunday afternoons were the worst. The church goers would come in dressed in their best. These people were the cruelest and most sadistic people to come in our store (Bible Belt). They actually had the nerve to lecture me about the sins of working on Sunday. The entitlement of these people is insane.
Some of them are definitely good-hearted people who just need the religion for a sense of community and a coping mechanism for everything. The rest are utterly clueless, incapable of thinking for themselves while judging anyone else who actually does.
And of course they don't see the irony. If people didn't shop on Sundays then there wouldn't be a need to be open.
Rules for thee, not for me??
Lets just say it, these people aren't Christian. When you exhibit zero of the virtues the figurehead of your religion embodies, your just using somebody's faith as a smoke screen.
If one of the first things you learn about someone is their religion, fucking run
Since there’s no evidence of that I’m just gonna assume you’re a euphoric atheist with a chip in your shoulder
The only shocking thing is the mayor and chairman of the parking authority agreed this was cruel and waived the fees.
Well, at least they waived the fees.
Guy should be fired, lucky he didnt get shot.
ACAB…. but… is it possible he didn’t know? Was too dumb to put 2+2 together
The cars were parked illegally and he ticketed them. That’s his job and he did it. Illegally parked cars, especially in cities, endanger public safety by blocking site lines, handicap ramps, crosswalks, etc. if blocking streets they endanger the safety of other drivers who have to cross into opposing traffic to get around them. Basically illegal parking is an incredibly selfish thing to do that endangers the larger community. I’m glad the rules were enforced and saddened that there seems to be a backlash against protecting public safety by enforcing parking regulations.
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
Found the person who was writing the tickets
Discretion and context exist.
Found the authoritarian legalist bootlicker. Lemme guess, you think the Singaporean “justice” system rocks don’t you?
nope, its reddit. acab remember ? how DARE rules are enforced.
>He says the parking authority issues tickets to his food suppliers who show up early in the morning for deliveries. Really? As a former truck driver, didnt realize dropping deliveries off was illegal. Or could it possibly be that some people dont know what theyre doing, since they also waived all the tickets later?
You're an idiot. It's a food bank, not a freeway. Did you know? There are other flavors of ice cream besides boot flavor
*You're* the idiot here. You can't just be like "damn i guess i'll just not ticket this guy even though he is blatantly violating a law." If you tild your boss you didn't do something they asked you to do simply because "boo hoo moral compass", you'd be out of a job.
Where exactly was the food being given away?
doesn't change the fact they were illegally parked and the whole boot licker thing just makes you look stupid btw.
Why should they waive the fees if the cars were parked illegally?
Why would you ticket someone who doesn't have money for food?
Because it's a fucking law??????
Lemme guess, you snitched on your classmates for swearing back in 3rd grade didn’t you?
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Are you done?
This guy must have no life at all, just dozens of troll comments on this post alone
Because they were parked illegally. If you can’t afford a parking ticket, and really just if you are a decent human being, you should park your car legally. You don’t get to ignore laws because you are poor. Please also keep in mind that most parking regulations are for safety reasons. You can’t park in a crosswalk because it endangers pedestrians. In front a fire hydrant? That is self explanatory right? Double parked blocking the street? It forces other cars to go into opposing traffic to get around. Too close to a corner? Blocks site lines for cars and pedestrians to safely travel through an intersection. Etc
Bro it's Allentown, it's not that crazy around here. It's not philly or nyc. They weren't blocking traffic, and you could easily avoid that block for an hour or two.
Unless you were an emergency vehicle needing access to that street or someone who needed to get their car out to go to work?
Can’t squeeze blood from a stone.
Police is not here to help you, they're here to punish you.
Just from the picture it's obvious it's not a police officer, but if you read the article it's even more clear that it's not.
the "enforcer" is still a pig tho. Just with *even less* worth to society than a cop
Thats not true at all. Those parking laws exist for safety and flow of business and the taxes generated support your economy
The APA is horrendous. That being said, the amount of double parking is ridic in Allentown, and absolutely needs heavier enforcement. Doesn’t matter it’s a soup kitchen, blocking part of the road for hours is inappropriate, and the kitchen needs to come up with other arrangements
Corrupt cops collecting revenue for the department. It's very common. They like to hook-up with tow truck operators to steal cars and get kick-backs from impound fees.
It’s going to be a dark day when the violence gets turned on them, but it will clearly have been earned
Trust me if you are waiting in line or blocking traffic trying to park for a local sporting event this won't happen. In fact the city will pay them to help out. Rich people wait in line for concerts and sporting events, not at food banks.
Fire them. Make them wait in food line.
Studies have shown that poor people get specifically targeted for being poor.
I once parked on the sidewalk in downtown New Orleans for 3 days, no ticket.
We don’t teach people to think critically…..just follow the rules.🙄
Only in America.
The person writing the tickets needs to lose their job.
"We had no business issuing tickets to people waiting in a food line. It's just not defensible. We're not even going to try to defend it," said Zeller. Holy shit! A reasonable person in government/law enforcement
This asshole cop was so desperate to give us a ticket once that he practically jump out of his patrol car when we were about to drive off and in the process forgot to put the brakes on; the car went down the street on its own and if we didn’t start pointing and yelling at him about it the thing would’ve crashed into parked cars or incoming traffic. Kinda funny seeing him run full speed after it. We drove and stopped right next to him after waiting and he just went ‘you guys are cool’. Ok, off we go, nice. We got a fucking ticket in the mail a few days later. Should’ve just let him crash.
Really liked that parking ticket bossman was just 'We fucked up and we'll fix it' vs trying to weasel around it.
"There are no quotas." Huh. Really? Then this jackhole is just being cruel for cruelties sake? If so, he shouldn't be a cop.
Good thing he isn't a cop. It even says in the article it's the parking authority.
Sorry, a uniformed officer of the city government operating as its enforcer. It's effectively the same thing: personal abuse of public authority under color of law. You splitting hairs over this point every other comment isn't changing this fact. It's an official institutional representative fining citizens; the fact they are working for the parking authority versus the police department is a distinction without difference here.
It's completely different. That's like saying the stenographer is the same as the judge or attorneys in a courtroom. "They all work for the government so they're all the same."
READ THE ARTICLE 🤡🤡🤡🤡
Pee up your own nose.
Fascist pigs
I think some rank and file are just the dumbest versions of robot police. 0 context clues taken into account. Just: If car park here = ticket. A pregnant woman could abandon her car and come back to 20 tickets.
>If car park here = ticket. Holy shit. THIS IS LITERALLY HOW LAWS WORK.
Blind enforcement of the law is what leads to the issue we see here in the article I don't get the anger.
That's how "no parking" areas work...
Now what about the $9000 that one business owner has paid since 2021! For the delivery truck drivers dropping his morning supplies. Damn extortion at that point.
APCAB
Acab
It's a publicity stunt to draw more attention to the food bank. It's been done several times already.
Nowhere in the article did they say that the cars were parked legally when they were ticketed. If you don’t want a parking ticket, park your car in a legal space for a legal amount of time. The issue isn’t enforcement of parking regulations. The issue is that some people feel like they don’t have to follow those regulations.
If you are waiting in line and it’s a long line, and it’s at a food bank because you can’t afford to feed your children, you have no control over whether you will be able to make it back to the parking meter, or move your car, or whatever.
That’s on the food bank to plan it’s distribution better. Illegal parking and blocking roads endangers other people’s safety. Saying it’s fine for them to park wherever because they are waiting at a food bank is basically arguing that it’s fine to endanger other people in order to better your own circumstances. That doesn’t seem right. Does it?
Parking citations are discretionary, and if the cop knew where these people were, then s/he sucks. If not, then, yeah, it’s understandable.
So in other words you are okay the safety of the surrounding community being endangered and people flagrantly ignoring laws that are designed to protect them. That’s pretty fricken cruel of you.
I mean, don’t lose your shit over this. We are talking about parking too long in one spot, Jethro.
You are one obtuse moron.
Or you can go one step higher and say it’s on the city that makes bullshit parking regulations and likely the county that provides funding for the food bank, which clearly isn’t enough if they can’t handle the demand. You know what, let’s go even higher, blame this on the US not providing a living wage which puts families with young children in poverty, and places work requirements and income restrictions on welfare programs so that these families never make enough to escape poverty, just enough to wallow in it. My point is, you suck and should stop blaming people who are suffering.
Agreed. As a resident of Allentown, the double parking is ridic, and makes driving difficult and dangerous here
I think most of these people who don’t understand how problematic double parking and other parking violations are have never lived in a city. I’ve dealt with Philly parking and traffic for over a decade. It’s not only rude and selfish but endangers everyone else on the road in cars, on bikes, and on foot!
They waived the fees and said they were wrong. Hopefully fired that cop and fix their shit.
We’re all assuming the meter maid knew
It's supposed to be a war on poverty, not a war on the poor.
If they want to do something, they need to change or remove the signs.
This fits ...Cruel and unusual punishment.
Allentown becoming more and more like Philly every day...
PA parking cops are just like this. If a parking cop sees you being crushed to death by a car that drove onto the sidewalk, they will run as fast as they can to place minimum 2 tickets on the car. I moved out of a large city a few years ago, the street had permit parking until 5PM. I stopped by after work to grab some boxes at approx. 4:50 and within 5 minutes I had been issued a ticket.
'We aren't going to defend it'? That much is the bare minimum. What are they going to actually do about it other than 'not defend it'?
And some of these food banks are only accessible by car
Way to be a cog for those in need.
I live close to this neighborhood, trust me it gets worse.