The Carrboro Towing Scandal May Be Resolved

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First of all, it seems the folks who write about Carrboro noticed me noticing Carrboro. Yes, my blog got blogged about. Click here for the link unless...

...you're afraid to disappear into a self-referential black hole in the blogosphere, a warp in the fabric of reality, as blogs blog about blogs blogging about blogs. Yup, one could just wink out of existence. There are historical reports.

Mark Schulz of the Charlottesville Observer called my blogging "even handed," which was nice, but more importantly he provided further info about the developing situation in Carrboro. First of all, it appears true a man did indeed put his baby into a car to keep it towed, at least according to Schultz. Secondly, an emergency Board of Aldermen Meeting has been scheduled to talk about the town's towing rules.

Another reporter's blog provided more detail about the encounter Mayor Mark Chilton had with angry residents of Abbey Court. Unable to stop Abbey Court from enforcing its towing policy, he urged residents to take a hard look at their apartments and--if anything was not up to code--to file complaints with the city. According to the reporter, at least one formal complaint has been filed, with the Mayor urging his city officials to act quickly on such complaints.

However, in the comments section one ANONYMOUS AND COMPLETELY UNVERIFIED PERSON said the media had distorted the facts and overblown the "damaged car crackdown" aspect of the events. Of course, being anonymous the comment could have easily been written by, oh gee, management from the apartment complex in question?

The blogger asked, rhetorically, whether there weren't more important things requiring the Mayor's attention. I think when a surly crowd of 100 people gather, and an infant is used as a pawn in a physical encounter between people and a tow truck, that is EXACTLY the kind of thing a mayor should stick his nose into.

Bravo, Mayor Chilton.

As a result of a people's revolt which sounded truly revolutionary, the apartment complex in question has relaxed its "conspicuous damage" parking rules and will "reassess" any situation where somebody was denied a permit according to more blogging by Mark Schultz. Of course, residents will have to "revisit the office" at Abbey Court. (Probably so management can figure out who the trouble makers are)

This retreat and(alleged) reform shows something wasn't right in the first place.

If only all abusive and predatory towing situations could be solved so easily by a hands-on mayor who cares about all the residents of his city, including the poor.