This is hilarious and indicative of the kind of bullying attitude Big Government takes on. This is ridiculous. Thank goodness Big Government hasn’t gotten so out of control that they’re asking for the contents of our prayers or anything, huh?
Let’s hope that the people feeding the meters win this one.
A group of self-styled Robin Hoods who scamper around the streets of a New Hampshire city and feed expired parking meters for strangers has been hit with a harassment lawsuit.
The city of Keene says its three parking inspectors have been taunted, insulted and followed by the group — to the point that one of them says he has suffered heart palpitations and is thinking about quitting his job.
In its lawsuit, the city is asking a court to order the group not to come within 50 feet of the parking inspectors.
The suit names six defendants, most of them bloggers for Free Keene, which describes itself on its Facebook page as “your connection to the liberty activism movement in New Hampshire.”
One of the six, Ian Freeman, told NBC News that “The Robin Hooders have always been courteous in my experience” and pointed out that the city has not charged them criminally with harassment.
“The city is upset because they are losing revenue and are coming up with anything they can to try to stop it,” he said.
He also noted that the city’s job description for parking inspectors, included as part of the lawsuit, requires that inspectors “endure verbal and mental abuse when confronted with the hostile views and opinions of the public.”
The city attorney in Keene did not immediately respond to a call for comment from NBC News.
After they feed a meter, members of the group place a card on the windshield of the car that says: “We saved you from the king’s tariffs. Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Please consider paying it forward.” The card features the Disney depiction of Robin Hood as a fox.
May 18, 2013 at 2:51 pm
IDK, they shouldn't be harassing or taunting the parking attendants. That's not right. Feeding the meters should be fine, but no need to be mean.
May 18, 2013 at 4:41 pm
Agreed. But something tells me that the real problem the city has with these people is that they're feeding the meters. And do we really believe that people don't yell at parking attendants. Why single this group out?
May 18, 2013 at 5:16 pm
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May 18, 2013 at 6:29 pm
Still. This is one of those cases where they will get further by silently feeding the meters and leaving that card on the windshield. Saying anything defeats their mission and they risk marginalizing themselves amongst the already deep waters of whiny complainers this world is filled with.
For example, as I read about them in the past. Great sympathy and they won me over. As they grew verbally abusive. I now no longer care about this issue at all. It's psych101. Probably, the same reasons saints being burnt alive, silently bearing their suffering caused the conversion of more people than those persons shouting foul obscenities.
May 18, 2013 at 8:26 pm
One concludes that both the meter readers and the Merry Meter Men / Persons lead lives of leisure.
Julie is exactly right, though; harassment is not only self-defeating, it is wrong in itself. One does not yell at the nice lady carrying the mail on her route simply because the fuhrership of the the postal service is an *ss. One does not call the fellow cutting ditches with the motor grader (I live in a rural area) bad names in order to get back at the precinct commissioner.
– Mack in Texas
May 19, 2013 at 12:02 am
…beloved peers,…;)
In my city, you are "not" allowed to remain in the metered parking space after two hours, even if you "catch" the meter and put more money in it before it runs out!
If lovely rita, meter maid catches you, she'll write you a calling card, a $47.00 ticket, even if there is time left on the meter, and you still have to move your vehicle!
…some personal transactions take longer than two hours.
….sooo, when transactions are being done, you have to take someone along to sit in the car, and remove the "chalk" mark off the tire and covertly, keep feeding the beast!
Meter feeders are not cheaters!
…and by the way, be verbally abusive to rita, your collared, cuffed and off to jail!
City managers don't want their "big" revenue stream impeded, after all, they have six figure pensions to maintain!
May 19, 2013 at 12:08 am
…and, Oh Yeah,
….the Robins' are not "hoods"!
May 19, 2013 at 4:09 am
I have mixed feelings about this story. On one hand, people occupying a metered space for long periods of time is bad for local retail stores because it decreases the flow of customers.
However, I think it's a dangerous road of having rulings apply to entire groups rather than holding individuals accountable for their actions. The sex defendants, if found guilty, should be the only ones punished, not the group.
Ruling againsts groups sets a dangerous precedent. If I was to get out of hand and break a law, should my parish be punished as well? Should my employer? How about my Facebook group?
May 19, 2013 at 12:58 pm
Brent,
I think you mean "six" defendants. Sex defendants adds a whole new aspect to the story. 🙂
May 19, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Surprised Disney isn't suing too