‘This is all stupid,’ says officer as dozens of ‘innocent’ drivers are fined – they were just doing civic duty

DOZENS of motorists found parking tickets stuck in their windscreen after taking part in their civic responsibility.

Lawmakers called courthouse parking regulations “idiotic” after a city council failed to overturn the controversial rules.

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Jurors in the Northern California city of Redding received parking tickets in front of the new Shasta County Courthouse.

Some residents, doing their civic duty, parked in metered spaces near the courthouse after other spaces around the new buildings filled up.

Jurors received parking tickets for blocking metered spaces, even after displaying summonses on their car dashboards.

The court asked the city to rethink its parking policy.

“We do our best to show our appreciation to the jurors and the inconvenience they cause when they are called to serve as jurors,” Melissa Fowler-Bradley, the court’s executive director, told the local ABC affiliate. KRCR-TV.

“The first day we opened, they created a situation where they were definitely restricting access to justice.”

The court asked the city to temporarily halt metering around the courthouse for 90 days.

More parking around the building is expected to come online after construction is complete.

Plans to temporarily curb fines for off-court parking violations have come up for debate at the five-person city council.

However, members voted three to two to keep parking fines in place.

“It’s a shame because the jurors are the most innocent people in the whole thing,” said Michael Dacquisto, one of the members who voted in favor of the temporary parking change. KRCR-TV.

“The whole thing is stupid and could have been resolved simply and reasonably and without harming anyone.”

Another councilman who also opposed the fines, Mark Mezzano, said he thought it was wrong for the city to impose fines on jurors.

“People fulfill their civic duty to appear on jury duty,” he argued.

“To penalize them, I don’t think it’s right.”

How to Fight a Parking Ticket

You can avoid being fined by following all published laws and regulations, but sometimes mistakes are made

Like any form of citation, parking tickets can be avoided by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes can be made.

Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket comes as a surprise to you, there are some things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.

• Read the ticket carefully. Look for errors such as incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would render the ticket invalid.
• Take pictures. The vehicle in the space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that were not cited for performing the same parking service. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with time and date is accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or on crooked posts, or that are not “obvious” are also great things to photograph.
• Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If it is not listed, the ticket is not valid.
• Immediately follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have appeal instructions. Waiting until the last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
• When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
  • “I didn’t know the law.”
  • “I was going to take my car.”
  • “I can’t pay this ticket.”
  • “I’ve been doing this for years.”
  • “I checked with the parking officer, who said everything was fine.”
• Contact a lawyer. If you are facing obstacles and feel stuck, you may want to contact a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.

Source: Reader Summary

However, jurors have alternative transportation options in the city.

The Redding Area Bus Authority offers free rides to jurors while the trial is underway.

City buses have offered the program since 1997.

Still, councilors said it should be easier for jurors to get parking spaces during the temporary reduction in available parking.

“It’s obvious to me that they don’t care about the jurors,” Dacquisto said.

“They think it’s more important for the city to continue losing money on parking than to let jurors park for free.”