'Crosswalk Cathy:' Woman calls the Bureau of Transportation on couple for bad parking job

[Roland99]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/crosswalk-cathy-woman-calls-bureau-transportation-couple-bad-parking-job-224928050.html

Khan and Muhammad told the Portland Mercury Tuesday that while recently waiting for a takeout order from the restaurant Little Big Burger in Portland, they noticed a woman watching their vehicle.

“She looked odd, but it didn’t alarm us,” Muhammad told the Mercury. When the couple returned with their food, Muhammad says the woman was on the phone describing their car and reading off their license plate number.

“I tried to start a conversation, I asked her who she was calling and what was going on,” Muhammad told the publication. “It was clear she was talking to the police.”

...

Muhammed acknowledged his imperfect parking job but tells the website, “She didn’t try to talk to us. She just called the police. Why would people spend the time just trying to make our lives harder instead of talking it out like neighbors?”

[oswaldactedalone]

1. Most likely she figured

they parked funny because they had bombs in the vehicle or assault weapons and in the final stages of carrying out their attack. Chalk it up to 30 years of right wing radio making these already ignorant people even moreso, and Trump fanning the flames of their hate.

[BBG]

2. Was she calling out the car or the couple?

Seems like if you park across a crosswalk your parking should be called out. And if you are not in the car then there are two choices, wait out the returning driver or call parking enforcement. I have tried waiting out drivers but like the proverbial pot/boiling water they didn’t return before my patience ran out. I have parking enforcement on speed dial and do use it. I fail to see the issue here.

[Roland99]

3. Why waste your time waiting for drivers?

Looking for a fight?

Phone it in and move on

[BBG]

5. Agreed on calling it in

But then this story is about calling out someone for calling it in. My personal experience is to do the same. If someone was in the car then approach and engage which is also what I do as recently as this week over standing in a disabled parking space.

[Roland99]

11. In this case, the woman didn't just phone it on.

She was waiting for at least 10min

[BBG]

14. So she tried waiting it out

Been there, done that. And after waiting she finally called for parking enforcement.

[Tarc]

16. You seem to be unable to comprehend what the problem is with her calling the police

Parking over a crosswalk is an offense that can draw a fine. Not a felony, not misdemeanor. When law enforcement is called to a situation, you are introducing guns into the situation. People of color in America have a genuine right and just cause to feel fearful in situations with law enforcement and guns, as things are assumed, cops are trigger-happy, shit goes sideways. Calling the police for a parking violation was dramatic overkill.


Summation; your privilege, check it.

[MissB]

17. She was phoning PBOT not the police.

Or at least that’s what the story says up top.

[WillowTree]

35. I call the police about people.......

…….parking illegally in handicap spots or the adjacent marked access lanes all the time and make no apologies for it. Self-involved people need to get the message that doing that, or parking by fire hydrants or across marked crosswalks is illegal.

[blueinredohio]

4. My town doesn't have its own parking department.

And even if they did I have more things to do than turn in or wait for drivers who are illegally parked.

[BBG]

8. Then your experience isn't relevant

Nt

[LanternWaste]

29. Another unsupported allegation.

[DownriverDem]

19. Did you notice who the couple was?

I think you need to take another look at the story. They weren't calling the parking enforcement. They called the police. Do you think that woman would have called the police if the couple were white? I personally would never call the police for that. We have seen way too many police calls just because someone doesn't like how someone looks. I wish every dumb racist white rightie would have to pay for any police calls that result in unnecessary runs

[WillowTree]

36. I didn't see anyhing in the story that said that she saw them park there and walk away.

So we don't really know if she was aware that the person(s) who left the car illegally parked in a crosswalk weren't white, do we?

Or did I miss something in the story?

[panader0]

27. You have parking enforcement on speed dial?

Good grief!!

[BBG]

39. You don't live in my neighborhood.

Parking is very tight in my neighborhood and two of my neighbors had disabled parking on the street. I take it personally when my neighbors cannot access the designated disabled spot due to a scofflaw camping in it.
Again you don’t know our parking situation in our neighborhood. Plus our parking enforcement don’t carry guns, they are not the police.

[Captain Stern]

6. This one is different than the others.

1) It appears that the people that parked the car actually are in the wrong. The victims in cases similar to this one, weren't doing anything wrong at all.

2) It sounds like she was making the call before she even knew the driver was black (They said she was on the phone already when they walked up), so she probably didn't even know what race the driver was.

[DownriverDem]

20. Still dumb

I would never call the police for that. They were picking up food and leaving. We so many other problems in this country, that is not one of them.

[Captain Stern]

25. It's not clear she was calling the police.

That's just what the people that were illegally parked thought she was doing.

Another source said that she was calling a Portland Bureau of Transportation's hotline. A hotline that solely exists so people can report illegal parking.

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/369564

[marybourg]

34. Reminds of the the time there was a very crowded 2- weekend long estate sale

across the street. Woman parked across my driveway, and when I yelled “Hey” at her, she said “Don’t worry, I’ll only be there for a minute”. It never occurred to her that if everyone was as inconsiderate as her, my driveway would be blocked all day for 4 weekend days. But of course, other people were not allowed to be so inconsiderate. Only her.

[WillowTree]

37. And she knew that they were just "picking up food and leaving"...... how?

How was she to know who parked it there or when they parked it there or when they'd be back to move it?

[KY_EnviroGuy]

7. What harm was being done to this woman? n/t

.......... .........

[BBG]

13. Crosswalks are for walking

Not parking.

I was almost hit by a car once when a garbage truck was parked too close to a crosswalk and blocked my and the approaching cars driver could not see each other.

If it’s not clear to anyone what the hazard is then they need to spend some time in a city walking. Learn why we have crosswalks and what the hazards are to pedestrians.

[DownriverDem]

21. Yes but

did this warrant calling the police? No. They weren't even there long. I can't believe there are folks that think this was so bad that the police had to be called.

[BBG]

22. Take a walk in a city

This is about pedestrian safety. And parking enforcement officers are not police officers, the woman didn’t call the police.

[WillowTree]

38. How would she have known how long the car had been there or how much longer it would be?

Or are you saying that this is a law that's not worth enforcing?

[brush]

32. You gotta watch the video. It was not a crosswalk with marked lines delineating it.

It was a sidewalk and the tail end of the car was sticking out into a park of the sidewalk. It was one of those situations where most people would just walk around it and keep going.

Most people.

[violetpastille]

9. The interaction occurs at 1:30

[displacedtexan]

40. I know where that Little Big Burger is. Look where she's standing.

Nothing is keeping her from taking 2 or 3 steps around the car (or even crossing the street behind her and then crossing). There's no traffic, no danger to her for the 10 minutes she says she stood there, no nothing but her need to control those particular people at that particular moment in her obviously nothing-going-on day.

And Little Big Burger has huge storefront glass windows. You can easily see everyone inside.

Little Big Burger is super popular in Portland (there are at least 2 locations that I know of). Everything has a touch of garlic: the meat, fries, dipping sauces, etc.) So you're gonna have some cars trying to find momentary parking for pick up orders. Anyone who lives in a city experiences this constantly.

I have a hard time believing that this young woman is so civic minded that she stops and reports crap like this on a regular basis. Something made her do this, and I can't believe it was a bumper sticking out a few inches across where the sidewalk meets the street. She had plenty of room to cross.

[violetpastille]

46. Is it the Alberta one?

[displacedtexan]

47. Pretty sure it's either that one or the one on 23rd Ave..

They're the ones I know of that are in more residential looking neighborhoods. The one on 10th has those nifty street lamps in front. I just keep thinking of how that woman would react to the double parking situation here in San Francisco. She'd probably bust a gut.

[Takket]

10. Or maybe...

She could do what everyone else does when they see a bad parking job.... roll their eyes, maybe curse if you are looking for a spot, and get on with your life.

[narnian60]

18. Yes.

[BBG]

23. Crosswalks are not parking spaces

It’s the safety, not the inconvenience of sloppy parking.

[LanternWaste]

30. No is arguing crosswalks are parking spaces.

The safety you refer to, is tangential (at best) in this particular case.

But I get it. Good to see ya again.

[watoos]

12. What about the case

my friend told me about a couple of years ago?

He saw a guy park in a handicap slot who wasn't handicapped, he was the Santa Clause going into the mall. My buddy yelled at him but Santa must have been late for work.

[MissB]

15. Watched the video linked in one of the comments.

I don’t see where this is about race. She doesn’t say it’s about race, unlike all the other offensive caught-on-camera racists.

She’s calling out their parking job. If you park into the crosswalk lines, you’ve destroyed the line of sight for the pedestrian.

Sure, Portland has racists. I just don’t see the race component of this interaction.

[Boomer]

24. This is bogus

The couple is butthurt that they've been called out for being assholes. The woman who reported them 1) didn't know their race and 2) wasn't calling the police, she was calling the appropriate authority for enforcing parking.

Way to water down the real injustices that take place in this country.

[progressoid]

26. +1

[ProfessorGAC]

44. I'm With You

For all we know, she is liberal that thought that some dumbass Trump supporter figured the laws don't apply to them.

Lots of speculation going here, so i'm throw some speculation from the other direction.

[sheilahi]

28. some people never change

I bet you anything that she was that same kid in high school that "took names" when the teacher was out of the room.

[Fritz Walter]

33. My response to bad parking? FIDO!

Fuck It, Drive On.
Or FIWO:Fuck It, Walk On.

Maybe leave a note on the windshield if it is blatant (taking up two or more spaces, etc.). My favorite is a cartoon of a turtle with the caption. “Many three-year-olds have trouble staying within the lines. Perhaps if you practiced coloring this drawing of a 🐢, your parking skills will improve.”

It gets the point across without involving the authorities.

[oberliner]

41. What is your take on this?

[Roland99]

42. Thanks for asking.

I think the “victims” felt slighted or profiled. They did admit to a bad parking job

But crosswalk Cathy seemed to be looking for a confrontation. Just call it in and move on

[oberliner]

45. That sounds about right

Pretty much agree with your take.

[kelly1mm]

43. I am fine with that. People need to park correctly. Getting a ticket or being towed

will teach them really quick .....