First Post

First, I’d like to thank you for your interest in our cause. I started this blog as an adjunct to our Facebook group, The Baltimore Scofflaws. Not everyone is into the Facebook craze, so I was hoping to setup something accessible for anyone with a computer. Also, for Facebook members of the Baltimore Scofflaws who’d like the most up-to-date information without receiving daily messages from me, this is your place. I guess I should start from the beginning.

I probably picked the worst time to open my letter. Never go through the mail before you go to bed. You just don’t know what you’re going to find. In my case, I discovered a $603 fine for a $27 ticket from 1-25-06….over three years ago. Without going into too much detail, it was a restless night. I attempted to contact Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson, LLP by phone the next day, however, after waiting 10 minutes on hold, I decided they were decidedly unavailable. Luckily, I work in East Baltimore, and 300 East Lombard Street is a short drive away. I should have known there was more to the story when I walked into the office building and asked, “Excuse me. Can you tell me where…..”

The security guard looked me up and down as he cut me off, “Linebarger? 11th floor. Sign in.”

I thought that was strange. There were plenty of offices in this building. How did he know where I was heading? I found the office, and walked in to see a very large stack of returned mail on the receptionist’s desk. To her credit, she calmly sat down with me and listened to my concerns without ignoring me or hissing the typical static I’m used to when dealing with the city. After explaining my frustration with this predicament, I was told I had one of two options. The first? Provide documentation that the ticketed car was not mine. It was right about then I realized Catch-22 wasn’t such a far-fetched novel. Second option. Provide a written or printed receipt that I had paid the original ticket in full. Which is hilarious, because I had donated the car two years ago. I could request a trial, which I was told could be denied before I ever step foot in court, but without the proper documentation mentioned above, I didn’t see much point in that. I was also told that the City has a policy of not remitting tickets, EVEN if it was their fault. They’ll do it with the proper documentation, a blood test, a hair sample, a co-signer, and the location of your next of kin, but it’s officially not policy.

After weighing my options, I decided to stew about it over the weekend, which I’m glad I did. I caught the tail end of the local news as a man was side-saddling the driver’s seat of his car trying to reach anyone from city hall on his cell phone concerning a ludicrous parking ticket. I instantly empathized with this guy, and realized we’re brothers in the same cause. It suddenly dawned on me that I wasn’t alone, and with strength afforded in numbers, we had a chance. I ran to the computer, searched Baltimore Parking Tickets on Google News, and found this article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29516875/ . Apparently, 80,000 of us were getting boned to the tune of $132 million dollars. It was amazing to feel my sense of total despair change to a sense of empowerment once I learned how many of us there were.

Tomorrow, I’ll post what I’ve already sent out and who I’ve sent it to. Thanks for your interest.