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smciner1 · 06-06-2003, 04:12

An article I found in the Melbourne Herald Sun Friday May 30th 2003.

Mayor's fine mess.
By Phillip Coorrey in New York.

New Yorkers are hopping mad over a Blizzard of summonses ranging from sitting on a milk crate to feeding pidgeons.
So rampant has the issuing of silly fines become that a blame game has started between Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city council and police.
The Patrolmens Benevolent Association has launced a $160,000 campaign: "Don't Blame the Cop". It says police have been forced to meet a daily fine quota to boost revenue to fight the city's multi million dollar debt.
Last week Bronx resident Jesse Taveras, 19, was ticketed for "unauthorised use of a milk crate". He faces a fine of $160-00.
Scores of other New Yorkers have volunteered similar stories. For the past three days the "Daily News" has run two full pages of examples.
They include:
An Israeli tourist dozing in a near empty subway carriage, his head and arm slumped on the next seat, was taken off the train, searched, and fined $80 for taking up two seats.
An 86 year-old man, feeding pidgeons in the park as he has done every day for years, got a summons for violating a health regulation by feeding pidgeons in public.
A Brooklyn man was fined $170 for parking in his own driveway because the wheels were centimeters over the footpath.
A pregant woman who took a breather and sat down on the steps at a subway station was hit for $80 for blocking a stairwell.
A Bronx man who put newspapers in a cardboard box for recycling was fined $40 for violating sanitation laws that require they be bundled neatly in a plastic bag.
A Manhattan woman was given a summons for using outdated blue rcycling bags for her rubbish.

John McMaster · 06-06-2003, 04:22

Well it's only a matter of time...given OZ's penchant for copying the Yanks,coming soon to a city near you.
The milk crate and pigdeon police.

threefiftyone8 · 06-06-2003, 04:39

Summons for outdated recyciling bags !?

mongrelEB · 06-06-2003, 21:24

First it was insane lawsuits, now this.

Cobra · 06-07-2003, 07:07

That's just ridiclous. And I thought I was hard done by when I was fined $100 for "drinking in public" when I got dropped off in town with a mate, walked down the street with a beer in my hand, and finsihed it off standing next to a bin on the side of the road. I put it in the bin and the copper pulls up next to us and 100bucks later (each) we were off. Had i have done the wrong thing by not putting the bottole in the correct place provided by the council (the bin) the Police woundn't have got me as i would have walked through the alley and probably smashed the bottle somewhere. F@#K the system.

LunaticSVT · 06-07-2003, 08:51

Yea NY is getting worse on the ticketing and fines. They used to over look everything even speeding, unless you were doing well over the speed limits. Now that they are in financial straits they are ticketing everything. Worse yet is that you will go into warrant if you dont pay the fine. Justifing the jail time or even larger fines now.

It is getting to be a large police state. It is illegal to smoke in public places and buildings. I can understand the buildings, but out in public places. What is worse is Dallas is doing the same thing with smoking. This is overboard.

gmanEA · 06-08-2003, 04:29

Heh yep well I saw signs down dockalands fine for drinking in public was $500. I thought that was a bit extreme