Flickr.com PhotoAnd it's about time, I say.
Reporter Pam Zekman of CBS appears to have a strong interest in predatory towing issues, and she has spurred reform of Chicago's filth-filled sewer of corrupt towing practices. She's been mentioned on this blog before, click here. Now Zekman's most recent article continues to dish up the dirt, click here.
It turns out corrupt Chicago cops were on the take for years...
...allegedly, and took bribes in return for "vouching" for towing companies. This practice is against police department policy, even if the towing companies are GOOD, but in this case the companies shook people down for outrageous amounts of inflated fees. According to Zekman's article, police internal affairs and FBI knew about what was happening for YEARS.
So why did the police allow citizens to keep getting taken to the cleaners, just to catch a few crooked cops?
I might point out very similar questions were asked in the Boyton Beach, California matter, click here, where investigators kept racking up felony charges...but, in the meantime, citizens were being illegally towed. Why was that allowed to continue? And do the folks in Boynton Beach have a lawsuit similar to these citizens of Chicago?
In any case, Pam Zekman is my hero. Well, my heroine.
Keep up the great work, Ms. Zekman.
1 comment:
9 October 2010
As an active member of the US Army, I have traveled to Europe, Japan and been to Iraq on two separate occasions. Additionally, I have lived in NY, TX, CA, TN, GA, and currently reside in the state of KY. I have seen some “shady” dealings in my 46 years, but I have never experienced a more “predatory” practice than what I personally experienced in the city of Chicago on Saturday, 8 October 2010.
My wife and I often visit the Chicago area because she grew up in the area (Tinley Park), and all of her family still reside in Chicago or one of it’s suburbs. On this particular weekend, we happened to be looking for some household furnishings at the Pier 1 Imports store located at 2112 N. Clybourn Ave. We purchased three (3) barstools and one (1) set of drinking glasses for approximately $400. After putting our items in our vehicle, we went to the Five Guys Burger and Fries establishment at 2140 N. Clybourn, which is approximately 30 feet from the Pier 1 Imports store where we had just made our $400 purchase. We placed our order to go and returned to our vehicle in approximately eight (8) minutes after placing our items in our vehicle. Hopefully, you can understand our surprise when we returned to the location where our vehicle was parked to find that it had been towed in that short timeframe. To be quite honest, I initially thought that our vehicle had been stolen. It was only upon questioning several individuals in the area that we discovered that our vehicle had been towed.
Once we realized exactly what had happened, my wife and I returned to the Pier 1 Imports store and were told that they could do nothing as this was the way that the landlord of the plaza did business. The employees of the tow truck company physically stand/sit in the plaza, just waiting for someone that is parked in the lot to step outside of the lot.
We completely understand that parking in Chicago can be very scarce, but at the same time, it is very difficult to believe that the intent is to punish shoppers, as in the scenario that occurred for my wife and myself.
Further, I cannot believe that our society has descended to such a level as to condone such predatorily and lecherous “business” practices. My wife actually stated to me, that she felt as if she had been raped. I understand that Chicago and Illinois have a reputation for being nothing more than a criminal syndicate, but surely there must be one (1) decent human being working within this thieving organization, that you call a government. Also, thanks for allowing these “thieves” to charge $170 in order to reclaim your vehicle after they towed it a whopping 2-½ miles. That is some kind of racket, as long as you can get a local and/or state government to allow it.
Here‘s a novel idea for you, how about you and your buddies get off your rear-ends and protect the people from business practices such as what I have detailed, or does it really take somebody with lights and cameras to show-up and detail the thievery that is going on.
Thank you for your time and understanding in this matter..
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