Around New England
Parking Ticket Is Racist, Woman Says
July 16, 2019
A woman who got a parking ticket in New Canaan, Connecticut says the meter maid and the board that upheld the $30 fine are racist.
The woman’s car was stopped in a no-parking zone when the meter maid approached with a ticket. The meter maid said the woman was sitting in the passenger seat of the car playing with her cell phone, but the woman said she was in the driver’s seat, according to the Connecticut Post, which published a near-transcript of the appeal hearing.
“How many non-white people do you see in this room?” the woman said several times, according to the Connecticut Post.
At one point someone in the crowd said the woman looks white, but she responded by saying, “That’s exactly what white people always say.”
As for unequal treatment, the woman said a similar situation occurred across the street and the meter maid didn’t issue a ticket, but the meter maid said it was a different situation – a car stopped momentarily in front of a restaurant and the driver helped an elderly lady out of the car.
At one point, the woman claiming racism got into a definitions dispute in which she appeared to confuse the political party of a former president, according to the Connecticut Post account.
Here’s how the exchange went:
Woman Who Got Ticket: “What does the Connecticut statute say for parking versus standing? Show me the statute.”
Parking Commission Member: Reminds me of Bill Clinton discussing the definition of –
Woman Who Got Ticket: I’m sure you voted for him. This is Connecticut you definitely voted for a Republican.
Second Parking Commission Member: We actually are a Democratic state.
Woman Who Got Ticket: No there are a lot of [expletive deleted] Republicans here.
Second Parking Commission Member: You have made your point … . We have heard enough.
Woman Who Got Ticket: I will say this is disgusting.
Second Parking Commission Member: You made your point. This has nothing to do with race.
After being asked to leave several times, the woman left, after saying she would “see you in [expletive deleted] court.”
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