"Hero Lessons" In Portland, Oregon

Flickr.com Photo

According to an oldie-but-goody article in the Portland Mercury, becoming a hero is easy. Just take on the predatory practices of the towing companies like Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard did...

Here is the article (click here) and I'd have to say the advice is very sound. From Orlando, Florida to West Lafayette, Indiana, to the nearly-revolutionary situation in Carrboro, North Carolina, all discussed on this blog, the same pattern emerges: politicians who take on "big fat meanie" towing entities end up smelling like a rose in terms of public opinion. The fact the cause is just and the politician will be on the side of the angels is just gravy to pour on top of the public opinion polls.

So why don't MORE politicians try this tactic? Well, if I keep getting the word out through this blog...maybe more politicians might! And by the way...Randy Leonard is still a commissioner, which is further proof of how well the tactic pays off.

(And yes, I have been spending a lot of quality time with the Portland Mercury in these last few blog posts. We're very happy together, thanks.) Here is another great article from that publication about how Portland's commissioners decided to cap towing fees.

P.S. The image is Portland Oregon's "Copper Lady," second largest copper statue in the world; the first being the Statue of Liberty.

Take My Liberty...But Leave Me My Car In Portland, Oregon

Flickr.com Photo

The content of this blog rests beneath a kind of thesis, visible on what might be called the "masthead" of this website: in modern America, it is often preferable to lose a day or two of freedom than to lose your vehicle.

A sad story from Portland, Oregon drives this point home...

Contia Orsby, 58, was living in her vehicle after a series of hardships that were NOT her moral fault, including being injured while working in a nursing home. (She attempted to keep a man in his 90s from falling, a common enough way to get injured while working this kind of job) Orsby ended up living in her car, and made the mistake of using a pair of brass knuckles as a "key ring."

To me, that makes sense if you're a 58-year-old woman desperately living in your vehicle and waiting for the Social Security Administration to decide, yup, you really do have slipped discs in your back, just like all the doctors say. Police doing a so-called "welfare check" called the brass knuckles a "concealed weapon." But (and here is the key sentence in the whole story) "instead of taking her to jail, they towed her car."

Why? Because towing a car is usually a much more draconian punishment than a night in jail (like I've been saying since Day One, Blog Entry One) but Americans lack the legal and constitutional protections for their VEHICLE which they have for their HOUSE or their PERSON.

As a result of this tow in lieu of arrest, Orsby spent six weeks sleeping outside. Good thing Oregon is much more temperate than Minnesota. Only through the intervention of a church did she manage to get her vehicle slash home back...with some serious delay caused by the authorities losing her keys, then wanting Orsby to pay to have the piece-of-junk 1988 rekeyed.

(No offense to Orsby...my 1988 was a piece of junk, and I just recently rid myself of it, click here)

The previous blog post just put Oregon on the towing utopia map, but now I see the state has been making up for lost time. Thanks, once again, to The Mercury for this informative piece about Orsby's ordeal. (Click here)

P.S. Yes, the Flickr.com illustration was indeed taken in Portland, Oregon.

Predatory Tow Trucks Have Been Too Busy In Beaverton, Oregon

Flickr.com Photo

Once again, the blog-o-sphere is coming through with detailed documentation of predatory towing, this time at a strip mall in Beaverton, Oregon...

According to a blog called "The Mercury," (click here) there is a tricky situation where the lot appears to be "common parking" for a bunch of neighboring businesses, but tow trucks are making distinctions about where vehicles park versus which particular businesses are patronized...plus it's a "tow at will" situation rather than based on individual complaints.

And speaking of complaints...I have a minor one about this otherwise informative blog entry. The blog doesn't name the business in question, opting instead to censor the business name like an expletive with a row of asterisks. (****)

I say NAME THE NAMES of businesses which engage in predatory towing, like I've done in previous blog entries, like this one.

But otherwise I'm pretty happy, because Retriever Towing in "Busy Beaverton" just put Oregon on the predatory towing map.

P.S. I know what you're thinking: Why does this beaver have red teeth? Well, I hope I've made it clear there is something PREDATORY happening, here, and this creepy beaver image from Flickr.com reflects as much.

New Jersey Law Fights Predatory Towing

Flickr.com Photo

Thanks to the website of a New Jersey law firm, I just learned of a relatively new statute which fights predatory towing. In fact, it's actually...

..named the "Predatory Towing Act."

This is very exciting, because it means I have to expend slightly less effort just to convince people there is indeed a recognizable and common phenomenon called "predatory (and abusive) towing." New Jersey seems to get it, and this is a fine way to put New Jersey on the Towing Utopia map with my first posting about that state.

The blog post from the law firm does point out (what they consider to be) some flaws with the law, in particular some signage requirements which might be "onerous." Well, considering some of the unreadable, neglected signage I've seen which SUPPOSEDLY warns people about towing, like this example in St. Paul (click here) I think "onerous" signage is a small price to pay for some progress against predatory towing.

What I find interesting and kind of cool is the fact this law apparently grew out of a small but intense "parking war." It's amazing how something minor can escalate like that...probably fueled by lethal combination of bad temper and greed.

The Predatory Towing Plot Thickens In Springfield, Massachusetts

Flickr.com Photo

Springfield, Massachusetts continues to be embroiled in an epic towing scandal, the already-hot pot only heated further and stirred by the release of an auditor's report listing...

...in detail the various violations of the "Towing Alliance" which has control of the city government's towing contract. For now.

A local blog called "The Intruder" has been providing all the details--and I mean, ALL THE DOWN AND DIRTY DETAILS--not just summarizing and throwing out a headline in the manner of more mainstream media but really digging deep and getting to the "bloggy bottom" of things.

Click here for the latest from "The Intruder."

Also, it appears the towing issues have forced at least one STATE representative to weigh in on the issue, and details are once again in "The Intruder." Click here.

Given the fact The Intruder is so on top of things, this frees up Towing Utopia to concentrate on predatory and abusive towing scandals in other cities. I've communicated briefly with the guy who runs "The Intruder" and let him know my view: Springfield, Massachusetts is part of a greater national pattern, and many of these problems can be solved through better application of available technology.

(The photo is from a statue in Springfield, Massachusetts. The old folk saying is "a watched pot never boils" but people ARE watching and Springfield IS boiling)

In St. Paul 21 Minutes Turns Into TWO DAYS At The Impound Lot

Photo By John Hoff, September 1, 2008, St. Paul, Minnesota

This story comes from a friend of mine who works for the Hawthorne Neighborhood Association, Jeff Skrenes, who thankfully now lives (once again) in Minneapolis instead of St. Paul. The picture above just shows, well, St. Paul and its touching concern for the rights of citizens.

Jeff writes as follows...

Several years ago (2001, I think, but maybe 2002) we had ourselves a mighty snowstorm. I had just moved in with my now ex-wife and wasn't entirely familiar with the parking rules in St. Paul versus Minneapolis. I thoguht I had parked on the right side of the street.

Well, we look out the window and what do we see? A tow truck hooking up to my car. I ran outside immediately, with no shoes or boots on, to try to get the tow truck driver to let my car down so I could park it appropriately. he refused, despite the fact there were at least six other vehicles right there he could have picked up after letting mine down.

His reasoning was that once he hooks a vehicle up, it's his legal obligation to bring it in, especially after doing initial paperwork and notifying others about the pickup. But he would be able to let it down for a $50 fee which--not surprisingly--would have to be in cash, not a check or a credit card.

he could go on about his legal obligation, but was clearly willing to let that go for a few extra bucks. We didn't have cash on us, and it was late enough that the stores nearby with ATMs were closed. If I'd had anything more than socks on my feet, I would have stood in front of the truck until either he let my car go or the police came. but even with my high tolerance for cold (readers note: Jeff is from the "UP" of Michigan) I couldn't stay out there that long.

We followed the truck directly to the impound lot and proceeded to wait in line behind plenty of other p***ed off folks, mainly poor and minority families. By the time we filed out the necessary paperwork, the car had been in the lot for a grand total of 21 minutes: 11:43 p.m. to 12:04 a.m. Since it had passed midnight, I was charged for having the car on the lot FOR TWO DAYS!!!!

Yup, $147 towing fee, $25 for sixteen minutes and 59 seconds, and other $25 for the remaining four minutes and one second. This was twelve days before Christmas. Do the twelve days of Christmas begin on the 25th or the 13th? Because if it's the latter, then "on the first day of Christmas my city gave to me: frostbite and a towing fee."

In St. Paul, Minnesota, You Better Be REALLY Careful Where You Park, Mister

Photo by John Hoff, September 4, 2008

I took this picture at the State Capitol while documenting the various protests during RNC 2008. And it just goes to show you some parking warnings you should take very, very seriously.

(Do not click "Read More")