I Lost My Job of 12 Years After Complaining About $400 Employee Parking Fees — But We Recorded It to Prove Them Wrong

A UNIVERSITY professor has quit after losing his job following a dispute over parking fees.

Initial controversy erupted on campus after a $400 parking fee was assigned to all faculty.

Tarleton State University professor Ted Roberts was fired after speaking out at a meeting, according to Beneath the surface news.

Professor Roberts was angered after the university introduced a new $400 fee for employees to park their cars on campus.

He spoke at an April meeting with the school president.

Before the reunion, Roberts had been teaching ROTC cadets in the school’s history department for 12 years.

But the university’s top brass said the professor’s words directed at the school’s president were “intolerable.”

Other teachers present at the meeting described Roberts’ arguments as “strained” but not unprofessional, according to the publication.

He was fired two weeks after the incident.

Students and teachers quickly defended the teacher, arguing that he should be reinstated.

Even so, last week, university headquarters officials sent a letter to university employees calling the professor’s behavior “defamatory.”

Following the letter, a recording of the April meeting was leaked to Beneath the surface news.

The publication reported that more than 10,000 people listened to the recording.

After the recording was released, Professor Roberts received a new contract to remain on the university staff on Saturday, the publication reported.

He will teach in the College of Leadership and Military Sciences for the same salary at the start of the next semester in September.

“Words cannot adequately express my deep sense of gratitude and appreciation to all of you who read my story and commented, then posted and republished again,” the professor wrote in a letter published on the publication’s website.

“I have often been moved to read the genuine words of support that so many of you have sent.”

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 move 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

MORE PARKING DRAMA

Dozens of other drivers also spoke out after encountering worrying parking issues.

Several Houston drivers were asked to pay $370 after a police impersonator told them to park in a bus lane.

Police said they are investigating the alleged impersonator.

But several officials said they had no idea who advised drivers to violate parking rules.

Several motorists are also sounding the alarm after an unidentified pickup truck allegedly towed several cars from the street.

Authorities are investigating possible vehicle thefts after several people complained about their cars being impounded.