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Behind the scenes, some email contacts in Birmingham dished up the rumor, scuttlebutt and dark innuendo...
So here it is. And I emphasize this information is UNCONFIRMED. If somebody has other information to the contrary, then submit a comment and I will most likely approve the comment for the sake of a substantive discussion.
According to an unnamed source (I love to say that!) the drivers who were caught up in the Birmingham, Alabama Crawfish Boil Towing Scam" will probably not get their money back. The issue was not even raised at the most recent "Parking Authority" meeting.
The source heard from several people who had their cars towed from that same lot during other events on previous weekends. Though there are "No Parking" signs, downtown Birmingham, Alabama is a ghost town on most weekends. (How sad and bleak!) So folks get in the habit of parking in these lots without getting tickets or being towed.
But recently some of these same lots were left open on the weekend, the owners of the lot waited for people to park and walk away, and then the towing companies got $200 for each car. There was no way to confirm whether the property owners were getting a "piece of the action." This issue has come up previously over "booting" in other parts of Birmingham. There are apparently some mass emails floating around containing articulations of conspiracy theories and I'm waiting for some of these emails to be cc'd.
(Just because I'll publish a commentary doesn't mean I endorse it)
Birmingham, Alabama sure doesn't sound like a nice place to visit, whether for the crawfish boil or any other reason.
Here's a crazy coincidence, by the way. I mentioned the small town businessman who kindly gave me a digital camera for use on my blogs? Well, I owed him some hours for a personal favor so yesterday I helped him haul 800 pounds of live crayfish on short notice. COINCIDENCE OR CONSPIRACY?
1 comment:
My source who provided such valuable information gave me the following feedback:
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I stand by my description of downtown weekends, save for festivals, events, etc. Which, I should have noted, are frequent and enjoyable.
However, this got under my craw.
"Birmingham, Alabama sure doesn't sound like a nice place to visit, whether for the crawfish boil or any other reason."
Birmingham is a great place to live, work, and play.
(Anonymous Source)
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OK, Anonymous Source, I am correcting accordingly by adding this info. (And nice pun about one's "craw" in the course of all this crayfish discussion!)
But my question is how do I get justice for those people who were unjustly towed at the Crawfish Boil when the only weapon I have is this little bitty blog?
Cities do care about their image, and negative portrayals get their attention. (But apparently not enough to make them actually right the injustice, at least in this city and in this instance)
Those words on this blog about a "ghost town on the weekends" made somebody in Birmingham actually sit up and take notice.
So the question for me becomes what words must I use on this blog to get justice for people who were subjected to abusive non-consent towing, like the folks at the Crawfish Boil?
Cities don't seem to even pay attention until something damages their public image.
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