So my car was towed.
Offline I can't even begin to express how pissed I am. My car sits, very comfortably, infront of my house. It does not obscure traffic (the end of our street is a cultasack with 3 houses, with us being the fourth) and, simply put, sits BEHIND ANOTHER CAR.
Considering I don't leave my house all day, and any time I do it's to go for a run, a walk down to the store, or with my father, I didn't notice a sticker... which was placed on my FRONT WINDSHIELD INBETWEEN IT AND THE OTHER CAR. No notice in the mail. Nobody coming up to the door and telling us we should move the car. Never has this been a problem. Never have we been warned. Further, the other car which has sat even more comfortably in the same spot for longer than mine... well, it hasn't been moved nor has there been a sticker placed on it.
I'm absolutely fed up with this place. Nothing to do, nothing to see, nothing to hear... no jobs even at the lowest of positions.
I am left wondering how absolutely unprofessional this was. Not contacting the owner of the vehicle? Not contacting the household that the car is parked in front of?
This is the second time I've been left without my car here. The first time my car was stolen from the same spot. After a day or two I got it back (oklahoma plates are easy to spot in Virginia). If I was simply visiting my father I'd be left without a vehicle and nothing to do. How very unprofessional.
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what was it towed for?
I don't know. If I had warning, say, from a letter, phone call, e-mail, whatever... it wouldn't be an issue as I would have corrected the issue in advance. However, a sticker placed in a spot where it can't be seen (my neighbors said they could only see it if they went to the trunk of their car... which has me thinking it wasn't on the windshield) isn't warning, nor does it explain why.
Does your vehicle have any pro-atheist bumper stickers or emblems on it ? Perhaps some Jesus worshipping police officer decided to do the Lord's work by targeting you for some godly discipline.
In the town where I used to live, we got towed arbitrarily. You could park in the same spot for months and then WHAM! all of a sudden it was illegal. We never received notices. It was even better when you'd wake up and find that fucking boot thing on your tire. And that would be it, nothing else. What a pain in the ass. I don't miss that town.
If god takes life he's an indian giver
Most jurisdictions have time limits, usually 48 hrs., before a car has to be moved. However, any movement is enough to satisfy the requirement. Any cobwebs or debris piled up under it?
In all likelihood one of your neighbors complained, or possibly a fundie who knows you are an atheist, perhaps he doesn't even live in your neighborhood.
Most department policies don't require contact to be made if a notice is left and ignored. It's assumed that the owner would look at the car occasionally and see the tag. Most cops don't go looking for cars to tow unless they do have an axe to grind.
Have you checked with the local department to find out why? You need to because you are responsible for towing and storage fees and they add up fast.
Occasionally check the car and look for chalk marks on the tires or a small stone or other object on top of one of the tires. That is the easiest way for a cop or parking controller to check and see if the car has been moved. Good luck.
"Erecting the 'wall of separation between church and state,' therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society." Thomas Jefferson
www.myspace.com/kenhill5150
No atheist stuff, no one here knows I'm an atheist. I don't communicate with anyone aside from a very small hand full of people. When I said that I don't go anywhere that really isn't true. Every day I drive down to the gas station to pick up the paper to look for jobs.
I just found this little bit of information.
Town parking ordinance enforced
November 27, 2007 10:33 AM
Town ordinance bans parking on any street or property plowed by the town or other places where snow removal would be hindered, effective 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. from Nov. 1 to April 30. Cars will be towed of necessary.
That's fine and dandy. If my car was in the was in the way then the other was too. This wasn't the case, though. What's even worse is that there was:
- No letter sent about this new ordinance.
- No clear way of knowing what would be a hinderance.
- Towing is enforced without reason or warning.
What a terrible, terrible ordinance.Sounds like you need to raise a stink. Did you get your car back?
You'll probably have to pay the fees initially. Get your neighbors to write affidavits attesting to the fact of other cars parked there during the time period your car was towed, take photos showing the spot in question and find out it the snow plow actually came through and plowed the snow.
Find out the appeals process and file an appeal. Make sure the affidavits will be acceptable or will your neighbors need to show up as well. Prepare your argument before appearing for the appeal and be organized. Present your evidence in a clear, confident manner and avoid sarcasm, insults and rants (as hard as that may be, I know the urge to do that with bureaucrats). If you win, and you likely will, be prepared to wait for the fees to be reimbursed. City Hall always moves slowly. Again, good luck.
"Erecting the 'wall of separation between church and state,' therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society." Thomas Jefferson
www.myspace.com/kenhill5150
I'm not worried about the cost. $120 or so isn't all that much, especially considering the time invested preparing for a hearing. It's just not my kind of thing. Even more-so considering all that invested time would go to waste as I found out why my car was towed.
Some story:
I woke up today eager to find out what had happened to my car. I called the police station and talked to a very polite lady. I gave her the information and anything she asked and she was unable to find my car information on the tow scanner thing, or whatever.
So she sent someone to my place to file a missing car report. A different lady showed up, I gave her all my information and she went out to the car to see if it had infact been towed. It had. It was filed for a "Private Property Tow" which is rather odd... considering the car was not on private property.
So I call the tow place up and, again, a lady answered. She was polite and I asked her how much it would cost, what the hours where, etc. She informed me that the car was towed because of an expired tag. I was befuddled. I bought the car in February and had it registered the same month.
She told me that my cars windows where down and that the car was considered abandoned, especially since it had expired tags and an oklahoma liscense plate. Confused, I asked her if I could even get my car out and she said yes, as long as you have proof of insurance or registration.
Not having my registration stuff with me, I was pissed... until I remembered that I keep a copy of my insurance in my walet. Because I'm rad like that.
I'm still baffled. Tags usually last a year, correct? Also, wouldn't they have this on file? Do states not mingle when it comes to this?
Either way, I'm confused. The towing stuff not showing up at first, then it being a private property tow (when it wasn't on private property) and then it being considered an abandoned vehicle has me baffled. Is it beyond police to, you know, leave a note... or call? A small sticker on the front of a car isn't exactly the best way of going about business.
All in all, I'm disappointed.
I've been having a problem too, bout two months ago I went and bought my brother-in-laws car off him and when we went to do a title transfer in PA, they said no we dont accept Native American titles that are not printed on secure paper... at that time they thought that the tribe printed them on secure paper, later on they said sorry but they wont accept Native American titles at all due to some tax that PA refuses to pay to the tribe so im now waiting on my brother-in-law to transfer his Native American title to an Oklahoma Title which in turn will have to be transfered into a PA title...
My brother-in-law had to re-register the car in his name for another year till he could find out where they will do this and everything...
Its been a REAL PAIN IN THE ASS...
And on a side note most states dont communicate with each other on issues like mine or yours since each state has their own laws, Here in PA they never knew that Native Americans even were able to get their own licsense plates till i walked in the door...
(at least in this area they didnt know)