# Nonsensical parking lot experience **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 18, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122 "2011-08-18T05:49:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/101 "2011-08-18T19:13:13Z")
I am going to keep my responses in this thread to a minimum (I’ve learned from previous debacles). However, I must clear up some confusion on what I actually did at this Rite Aid. I did _ **not** _ follow this woman back into the store to berate her. Rather, I had to return inside to pay for my things (I had only gone out to my car to retrieve my wallet) and I happened to run into her again. I did not seek her out. And I did not berate the old lady sitting in the car. I merely _asked_ her one perfectly reasonable question: why wasn’t the placard displayed like it was (legally) supposed to be? That was it! I wasn’t rude. I wasn’t mean. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/102 "2011-08-18T19:18:26Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > alice in wonderland suggested it, for one. Don’t make MOL catch a case up in this here thread. Say what now? I suggested calling the cops. Not calling 911. See: > [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Me** > Phoning the police in this type of situation is what sensible people do. Be sensible. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/103 "2011-08-18T19:18:49Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > At one time (and they still might) the City of Capitola had wheelchair-bound parking officers in the Capitola Village area to handle parking enforcement. > > Maybe **jamie** should approach the local police with that idea. This is what I was thinking too. If he is so passionate about this issue maybe he could join his city’s parking authority. Then he could drive around to different parking lots and hand out tickets AND get paid for it. According to my research of watching the TV show Parking Wars, a lot, he’ll get lots of confrontation and drama. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/104 "2011-08-18T19:22:33Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > And I did not berate the old lady sitting in the car. I merely _asked_ her one perfectly reasonable question: why wasn’t the placard displayed like it was (legally) supposed to be? That was it! I wasn’t rude. I wasn’t mean. You also didn’t let it go. The passenger didn’t have to show you the placard, but she did. There was no reason to pursue it any further. I know you might be technically ‘right’ but one of these days you’re going to be ‘right’ to the wrong person. Some one’s going to smack you, pepper spray you, pull a gun on you or you’re going to wind up pulling this shit on an ambulance chaser that’s going to sue you for something you did (is blocking in a car legal?) that you didn’t realize was illegal. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/105 "2011-08-18T19:23:48Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > And I did not berate the old lady sitting in the car. I merely _asked_ her one perfectly reasonable question: why wasn’t the placard displayed like it was (legally) supposed to be? That was it! I wasn’t rude. I wasn’t mean. The question itself is rude. Ergo, you were rude. You’d already made your stance on the issue clear. \*Why \*they chose to break the law is no business of yours, hence your asking about it was rude. Was there any reason they could have given you that would have satisfied you, anyhow? No, there wasn’t. It was an attempt to argue/bully them into doing what you wanted (which, yes, I get it, is what the law wants, too.) Honestly, “why” is not even the business of the cops, should they show up. Cops’ job is to determine if there’s good reason to believe a law is being broken. If there is, they can issue a citation. Now, they may wish to know why, and if given a good reason may choose not to issue a citation, but it’s still not really any of their business, either. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/106 "2011-08-18T19:25:02Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Say what now? I suggested calling the cops. Not calling 911. Ok, now I’ve read more of the thread and I’m confused - do all cities not have a non-emergency line for the police? Obviously a car parked in the wrong spot doesn’t need 911, but just phoning the regular police seems perfectly reasonable if the alternative is confronting strangers. My city has a non emergency line that you can call for just about anything - cat in a tree, noisy neighbours, fraudulant phone call scams, etc. The officers you reach are quite happy to help, take a report if needed, dispatch someone, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/107 "2011-08-18T19:25:15Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > This is what I was thinking too. If he is so passionate about this issue maybe he could join his city’s parking authority. Then he could drive around to different parking lots and hand out tickets AND get paid for it. > > According to my research of watching the TV show Parking Wars, a lot, he’ll get lots of confrontation and drama. There actually **is** a special citizens-deputization program with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Dept that does exactly this. This program has been stalled and stagnating in the “concept” stages for a couple of years now, due to financial and economic factors. I have been trying to help get it going and would _ **love** _ to take part in such a program. Nothing would be more satisfactory to me. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/108 "2011-08-18T19:26:07Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I have to agree with this. **Jamie** , I’m concerned if you keep confronting people like this, one of these days you’re going to get hurt. It’s one thing to make a civil remark informing someone of their wrongdoing, or to call security, but quite another entirely to physically block someone’s vehicle or follow them into a store. There are other things you can do to address this issue, even on the legislative level (by fighting for stronger enforcement) that would not put you in such a potentially dangerous situation. And to be honest, I think you could do more good on a broader scale instead of trying to change the world one selfish jerk at a time. I’m not sticking up for **Jamie,** but he didn’t follow the lady in the OP back into the store to berate her some more. He went back in to pay for his stuff since he had to go back to his car to get his wallet. Although, once back inside, more confrontation was certainly inevitable. And even then, once back inside the store, his reaction was “Um, okay, I’ll leave it at that.” (According to **Jamie.** ) ETA - And I see **Jamie** already cleared that up. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Grapefruit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@Grapefruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grapefruit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/109 "2011-08-18T19:26:18Z")
Whoa! I’ve never read about such inconsiderate behaviour before this. OP left his wallet in his car, and made it all the way through checkout before he realized this, and then held up the entire line so he can retrieve his money?! And then he had the audacity to stop and chat while doing this?! Won’t somebody think of the shoppers?! What is wrong with you, OP? Why would you even do something so inconsiderate?! ---
**Author:** ![FasterThanMeerkats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@FasterThanMeerkats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FasterThanMeerkats)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/110 "2011-08-18T19:27:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Until it was pulled out of the glove compartment, for all intents and purposes it didn’t exist. Should Joe Citizen do anything at all when he sees what he thinks is an abuse of handicapped parking? Well, Joe Citizen should probably think the best about people and say to himself, “They’re probably responsible citizens who forgot to put up their placard or have some other reasonable explanation which is none of my business.” Either that or call the police. Anything in the middle is just inviting misunderstandings. In the OP’s case, maybe they forgot to hang the placard up and the old lady was going to walk in, but decided to stay in the car just after they parked. Or maybe they were in a rush to pick up an important prescription so the placard wasn’t top of mind. Either way Joe Citizen doesn’t know and isn’t owed an explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/111 "2011-08-18T19:27:42Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Say what now? I suggested calling the cops. Not calling 911. > > See: Yeah, I noticed that later, sorry. Still, I have a better idea. Just don’t bother the police at all with this nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/112 "2011-08-18T19:29:00Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Yeah, I noticed that later, sorry. Still, I have a better idea. Just don’t bother the police at all with this nonsense. Bah - my city had two crappy murders last year. The cops need something to keep them busy. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/113 "2011-08-18T19:29:31Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Although, once back inside, more confrontation was certainly inevitable. Is it really that difficult to go into a store and not talk to someone? All he had to do was go back in, pay for his stuff, and leave. There was nothing requiring him to confront her. It was in no way inevitable. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/114 "2011-08-18T19:29:34Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > The question itself is rude. Ergo, you were rude. You’d already made your stance on the issue clear. \*Why \*they chose to break the law is no business of yours, hence your asking about it was rude. Was there any reason they could have given you that would have satisfied you, anyhow? No, there wasn’t. It was an attempt to argue/bully them into doing what you wanted (which, yes, I get it, is what the law wants, too.) > > Honestly, “why” is not even the business of the cops, should they show up. Cops’ job is to determine if there’s good reason to believe a law is being broken. If there is, they can issue a citation. Now, they may wish to know why, and if given a good reason may choose not to issue a citation, but it’s still not really any of their business, either. Your right, they don’t need to know, or care, _why_ the placard wasn’t displayed when the car was parked in handicapped only parking. They (the police) only are concerned with _ **if** _ the placard was displayed. So they (the mother and daughter parked in handicapped parking) **would** have been ticketed. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/115 "2011-08-18T19:30:10Z")
> [@Grapefruit](#): > > Whoa! I’ve never read about such inconsiderate behaviour before this. > > OP left his wallet in his car, and made it all the way through checkout before he realized this, and then held up the entire line so he can retrieve his money?! And then he had the audacity to stop and chat while doing this?! Won’t somebody think of the shoppers?! I hope someone called the po-po’s. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/116 "2011-08-18T19:31:57Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Ok, now I’ve read more of the thread and I’m confused - do all cities not have a non-emergency line for the police? Obviously a car parked in the wrong spot doesn’t need 911, but just phoning the regular police seems perfectly reasonable if the alternative is confronting strangers. > > My city has a non emergency line that you can call for just about anything - cat in a tree, noisy neighbours, fraudulant phone call scams, etc. The officers you reach are quite happy to help, take a report if needed, dispatch someone, whatever. Yes, we have non-emergency numbers, just nobody in their right mind would call to report a car that is possibly parked improperly. I don’t know how Canadia works, but if I called the cops in LA or Chicago over lack of a displayed handicapped permit, I would be laughed out of town, and rightfully so. I cannot even imagine calling the police with plate number in hand to report wrongful use of a parking space. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/117 "2011-08-18T19:34:06Z")
> [@Grapefruit](#): > > Whoa! I’ve never read about such inconsiderate behaviour before this. > > OP left his wallet in his car, and made it all the way through checkout before he realized this, and then held up the entire line so he can retrieve his money?! And then he had the audacity to stop and chat while doing this?! Won’t somebody think of the shoppers?! > > What is wrong with you, OP? Why would you even do something so inconsiderate?! Huh??? Where did you get the idea that I held up the entire line? My items were simply moved to the side so the other customers behind me could be served while I went out to get my wallet. NO ONE was inconvenienced. Ughh. The audacity of idiotic assumptions… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/118 "2011-08-18T19:34:51Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Yes, we have non-emergency numbers, just nobody in their right mind would call to report a car that is possibly parked improperly. I don’t know how Canadia works, but if I called the cops in LA or Chicago over lack of a displayed handicapped permit, I would be laughed out of town, and rightfully so. I cannot even imagine calling the police with plate number in hand to report wrongful use of a parking space. So how should it have been handled, I ask again? You have already said what you _wouldn’t_ do. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/119 "2011-08-18T19:36:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So how should it have been handled, I ask again? You have already said what you _wouldn’t_ do. You go inside Rite Aid, buy your tampons, then go home. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/120 "2011-08-18T19:37:57Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Calling the police, on their emergency line or otherwise, over an improperly displayed handicapped placard is still --without hyperbole-- the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Perhaps, but this thread isn’t about an _improperly displayed_ placard. It’s about a _non-displayed_ placard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122.md?page=7)