Recently in our local town, Wino Lives activists have denounced the tactics of the local police. Police have continued their campaign of ticketing people who stay longer then 30 minutes in spots located in front of the Wine Bar pursuant to the signs located next to parking spots in front of Wine Bar.
“Simply said, 30 minutes is not long enough to enjoy a good glass of wine with dinner,” said Wino Lives activist Jeffery Smith. “I know I certainly don’t want to chug a good glass of organic wine, then get behind the wheel of a car with my kid in the backseat. Moreover, 30 minutes really doesn’t give me enough time to discuss current events in the context of Karl Marx and Max Weber.”
Police argue that the ticketing is legitimate action for cars that are illegally parked for longer 30 minutes in spots that have long been designated solely for short-term parking.
“I’ve been with the force with 35 years, and as long as I can remember, those spots have been designated for short term parking only,” said Chief of Police Marget Ashwater. “The town designated those spots for short-term use, because people visiting other local businesses, such as the laundry, pizzeria, or Chinese take-out, deserve to be able to find a close parking spot when they run into to pick up their food or laundry.”
Wino Lives activists vigorously disagree with Ms. Ashwater.
“Why do the police favor those people washing their dirty underwear or picking up a cheap pizza,” asked Smith. “Winos, like myself, contribute far more to our region’s tax base, by drinking expensive wine and eating boutique, organic foods. We are helping to grow our economy, and we actually help reduce traffic congestion by spending more time drinking wine then driving.”
Ms. Ashwater notes that winos have plenty of alternatives to parking illegally in front of the Wine Bar. She notes the Wine Bar has a large parking lot behind it. Moreover, there is a large town-owned lot located about a block up the street. Ample, free parking opportunities exist in our community, says Ashwater.
Mr. Smith disagrees. He says that winos constantly face police prosecution. He notes one of his fellow winos, was arrested, placed into jail on felony charges for driving home with their kid in the backseat, after having a delightful night of drinking wine. The kid was a having a good time, noted Mr. Smith, eating organic chicken fingers, while Dad and Mom were sipping a good organic white wine.
“It’s just systematic discrimination against all us wine drinkers,” said Smith. “Not only do they regularly arrest us winos for drunk driving, they target our cars for parking tickets. A $25 fine might not seem like much, but when your ticketed three or four times a week, it really adds up. One of my fellow wine drinkers, got $425 in parking tickets, all in one month. Those fines really cut into the amount of wine we can enjoy at the Wine Bar.”
Discrimination is a real problem in the wino community, according to Wino Lives activists. Recently, winos sitting out on the porch recorded police ticketing three cars on the street with their cellphone camera. A white, a gray, and a black car were ticketed for overtime. The red car parked on the street was not ticketed. It’s not clear from the video how long the red car was parked on the street compared the other cars. The red car owner, interviewed by the media, says he was only parked on the street for 9 minutes while he picked up his pizza, and that’s why he wasn’t ticketed. His story could not independently verified.
In an effort to reduce the number of tickets given to patrons of the Wine Bar, new, larger signs have been placed on the street by town officials. Additionally, the Wine Bar owner has agreed to place signs in their restaurant, reminding patrons of the parking limit – and urging them to park in designated lots. Police have been instructed to give out warnings for the first time they see a car illegally parked in front of the Wine Bar, and to give people a few minutes of grace time beyond the 30 minutes posted on the sign. Bus schedules, and information on local taxi services are now available at the front desk of the Wine Bar.
Still, Wino Lives Activists are not satisfied. “By putting up more obnoxious signs saying no long-term parking, they’re just further discriminating against us lovers of the wine,” said Smith. “We are good, hard-working citizens who just like drinking a high quality beverage after work. We shouldn’t have to walk a block or park our cars in the back of the Wine Bar, just because we want to enjoy a quality glass of organic wine, rather then wash our dirty underwear or eat cheap Lo Mein out of a cardboard box.”
