University of Virginia Library

Police Problems

In response to the letter of 8
October of Dr. O'Brien, I would
like to say that admittedly there are
at least two sides to every issue.
Small town copism can be no
different. As everyone speaks and
writes with his own bias so do I as a
student.

Last fall I had the misfortune to
be ticketed while parked along
Oakhurst Circle. (Oakhurst Circle is
to the right as one comes out of
Cabell Hall onto J. P. Ave.) I
received a ticket for parking in a no
parking zone, parking with the left
hand side of the vehicle to the curb,
and parking as to obstruct traffic. (I
was driving a VW.) The remarkable
thing about the ticket that I
received is, Oakhurst Circle is a one
way circle with parking on both
sides (so exactly half of all cars
parked there will have their
left-hand side to the curb). The sign
that prohibited parking was
situated on Jefferson Park Ave. and
"No parking here to corner."

I was advised on the ticket that
I could remit $$7.50 and plead
guilty and not go to court, or if I
wished to plead my case all I would
have to do was go to traffic court.
So, I went to court and proved my
innocence of the first two charges
and of the third upon asking,
"where is the corner of a circle?"
My case was dismissed, and I was
convicted of contempt of court at
the cost of $17.50. Can this be
small town cop-ism?