XPost: phl.talk, phl.sports, phl.transportation   
   From: liberty@once.net   
      
   HOW I BEAT PHILADELPHIA'S PARKING TICKET SCAM   
      
   Parking spaces reserved for the handicapped are desirable, but   
   from the number of them in Philadelphia PA one would think half   
   its population is in wheelchairs. These spaces do not exist   
   through kindness though, but as an unscrupulously administered   
   means of raising revenue through exhorbitant fines. And this   
   "city of brotherly love" is not above issuing completely   
   UNJUSTIFIED $300 FINE TICKETS on out-of-state residents' cars   
   as a means of extortion!   
      
   I live in NYC and occasionally visit Philadelphia. I do not get   
   parking tickets because I always carefully read and obey the   
   signs. I was amazed one Sunday in January 2004 to find my car   
   ticketed for parking in a space reserved for the handicapped at   
   some times, but not on Sunday, when the facility I was parked   
   in front of (801 Arch Street) was closed. A bright orange "TOW"   
   sticker was glued to my rear window, but fortunately I got   
   there before they came to steal my car. And to this day I have   
   not been able to completely remove these vandals' glue from my   
   window.   
      
   I have PHOTOS that PROVE I WAS LEGALLY PARKED and falsely   
   ticketed - a fact they finally had to acknowledge.   
      
   I responded promptly with a certified letter stating my   
   innocence. I received a reply "- suspending any further action   
   pending the outcome of this investigation," and stating,   
   "PLEASE DISREGARD ANY FURTHER NOTICES YOU MAY RECEIVE   
   BEFORE A FINAL DETERMINATION IS MADE CONCERNING THIS."   
   That was DELIBERATE LIE NUMBER TWO, the first lie being the   
   ticket itself.   
      
   Further action was NOT suspended as I was told;   
   HARASSMENT AND THREATS then began. First a NOTICE OF DEFAULT,   
   adding a $38 penalty to the $300 fine. Then an OFFICIAL   
   NOTIFICATION AND FINAL ORDER. I continued to do as instructed -   
   disregard further notices pending a final determination. Next   
   came a CIVIL DEFAULT ORDER threatening to sieze my car, and   
   then a COLLECTION AGENCY warning containing more threats. Next   
   came a CREDIT RATING WARNING, followed soon afterwards by "YOUR   
   ACCOUNT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO A CREDIT BUREAU," which if true   
   would constitute LIBEL, as no official determination had yet   
   been made.   
      
   At this point I replied with a strong letter insisting that the   
   harassment stop and that a final determination be rendered.   
   That came quickly - finding me LIABLE for the alleged   
   violation! I was told I had the right to appeal, and if I did   
   so I would be informed of the hearing date. Guilty until proven   
   innocent!   
      
   I submitted a notarized sworn statement testifying to my   
   innocence, and indicating that merely examining the signs at   
   the given location would exonerate me. I received a reply   
   setting a hearing date and stating that I may attend, but if I   
   did not the review would proceed in my absence and I would be   
   notified of the final determination. Two weeks before the   
   hearing date however I received another letter CONTRADICTING   
   THIS, stating, "IF YOU FAIL TO APPEAR, YOU WILL BE FOUND LIABLE   
   FOR THE FULL AMOUNT OF ALL APPLICABLE FINES AND PENALTIES."   
      
   Philadelphia is over 90 MILES from my New York City home. They   
   demand that I take a day off and travel there and back to prove   
   my innocence, though they are incapable of proving me guilty -   
   and should I fail to appear, that alone proves my guilt! This   
   confirmed the suspicion that my out-of-state license plates   
   were why I was chosen for a false violation ticket - easy prey.   
   Or so these extortionists thought!   
      
   I found a means of having the signs photographed to prove my   
   innocence, postponed the hearing, and sent in the photos. This   
   brought my total expenses caused by Philadelphia's deceitful   
   extortion attempt to roughly $70 - plus about a thousand   
   dollars worth of inconvenience and aggravation.   
      
   The hearing was rescheduled for mid-April 2005. Two weeks prior   
   to this I get another letter, again stating "IF YOU FAIL TO   
   APPEAR, YOU WILL BE FOUND LIABLE FOR THE FULL AMOUNT   
   OF ALL APPLICABLE FINES AND PENALTIES." A few days before the   
   hearing however I get yet another letter saying if I do not attend the   
   review will proceed in my absence and I will be notified in   
   writing of the final determination.   
      
   I did not attend the hearing. I received no notification of the   
   outcome, but one month after the hearing date I received   
   another threatening letter demanding payment of the $338, and   
   only two days later another such letter. I responded with a   
   certified mail request for the hearing outcome notification due   
   me, and that the harassment for payment cease.   
      
   My request was received but ignored. One month later I get   
   another threatening letter on a letterhead from the "CITY OF   
   PHILADELPHIA LAW DEPARTMENT" - but the envelope it came in was   
   from the Parking Violations Branch, as were all the other   
   letters I received. It now became apparent that the "Bureau of   
   Administrative Adjudication" I had been dealing with does not   
   adjudicate at all, but IS MERELY AN UNSCRUPULOUS   
   COLLECTION AGENCY!   
      
   Seeing I could get no justice from these local-level thieves, I   
   then wrote to Pennsylvania Governor Rendell regarding the   
   matter. My letter contained all of the above information. I   
   received a buck-passing reply from the Department of Community   
   and Economic Development, from which I quote: " - resolving   
   disputes regarding parking ordinances are matters of local   
   jurisdiction and must be resolved at that level - you may wish   
   to consult an attorney to provide further advice on this   
   matter."   
      
   One hundred dollars or more for a lawyer? No thanks! I then   
   contacted the AAA, of which I am a menber, submitting the above   
   story for publication in their magazine "Car and Travel." I   
   received the following from Sy Oshinsky, the Managing Editor:   
   "Thank you for your comments, which we will consider for   
   publication in Car & Travel. I've also forwarded your e-mail to   
   the Club's Government Affairs department for review."   
      
   That was the last I heard from the AAA. Despite inquiries, they   
   have since ignored me. So much for the value of membership in   
   the AAA!   
      
   I then took every possible opportunity to publicize this   
   injustice, posting to Usenet newsgroups, etc. The responses   
   convinced me that we have largely become a nation of sheep,   
   masochistically accepting abuse by those in positions of   
   authority that we pay with our taxes to serve us.   
      
   I ignored the threatening, dunning letters that continued to   
   come from Philadelphia. Then finally, on August 15th - FOUR   
   MONTHS after the alleged hearing date, I receive: "Our   
   investigation has found your complaint to be accurate and valid   
   and, therefore, this ticket has been administratively   
   cancelled."   
      
   In closing, I must thank the officer whose name, scrawled on   
   the unjustified ticket, appears to be "Marony," dist. plat.   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)