Car got towed from apartments for expired license plate sticker (Chicago: tenants, quality of life)

[MSchemist80]

It is not about being a good citizen. God that is so ridiculous. Joe is a bad citizen he was a few weeks late getting a sticker because it slipped his mind. It is about not living in an Fin fascist police state. I already gather the idea of living in a place where people actually have private property rights, and the government has boundaries, there aren't cameras on every corner looking to catch you in a mistake and mail you a $100 ticket is foreign to you and most Chicago democrats so I am wasting my time as you will never understand.

I am just reminding people that their are places in America outside of the People's Dysfunctional Republic of Chicago where can park your car and not have to feed a parking box $10, that you can drive without slamming on the brakes at every yellow light out of fear of a camera machine sending you a ticket, you can park your car outside your home and not have to worry about tow trucks constantly on the prowl for an excuse to tow you.

Allowing the government full reign to have you under a microscope 24/7 even in your own home is no way to live.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

It is not about being a good citizen. God that is so ridiculous. Joe is a bad citizen he was a few weeks late getting a sticker because it slipped his mind. It is about not living in an Fin fascist police state. I already gather the idea of living in a place where people actually have private property rights, and the government has boundaries, there aren't cameras on every corner looking to catch you in a mistake and mail you a $100 ticket is foreign to you and most Chicago democrats so I am wasting my time as you will never understand.

I am just reminding people that their are places in America outside of the People's Dysfunctional Republic of Chicago where can park your car and not have to feed a parking box $10, that you can drive without slamming on the brakes at every yellow light out of fear of a camera machine sending you a ticket, you can park your car outside your home and not have to worry about tow trucks constantly on the prowl for an excuse to tow you.

Allowing the government full reign to have you under a microscope 24/7 even in your own home is no way to live.

those red light cameras make a lot of people nervous, people slam on their brakes coming to a light because they might get a red light ticket. even if you go over the line and stop you will get a red light ticket.

it is nice to go to a place where there are no parking meters. when I was in Michigan, I rode down to the beach, no parking meters, it was really a Twilight Zone feeling.

but still, tell me this - if you get your sticker on time, which you have to do, and that is being a good citizen, wont that prevent you from all this hassle? You still haven't admitted the OP's responsibility in this. if you don't admit that, then I don't know what. I guess you will always complain because everyone has to pay taxes and stuff haha try not paying your taxes for one! theres a lot of misuse of your taxes that come out of your paycheck!

I don't think Chicago is as 1984 Orwellian as you are describing, not yet!

[MSchemist80]

Chicago is more and more turning into the 1984 Orwellian city with the red-light cameras now speed cameras, I'm sure the govt will think of more ways to stick it to residents.

The govt claimed it was safety and that legal drivers didn't need to worry (the typical only criminals need to fear a police state argument). Do you know what happened. Most of the tickets issued wound up being right turners on red. They started enforcing a technicality that motorists making a legal right turn on red needed to stop at the stop line for a 5 sec or whatever count before creeping up to be able to have a clear view of oncoming traffic. Also several municipalities got caught shortening yellow lights to generate more tickets and a Chicago transportation official was arrested for bribery in regard to the cameras. Also there was an increase in rear-end accidents with people slamming on the brakes out of fear.

Yes the OP was responsible and should have recieved a late fee or been ticketed by a police officer. What should not have happened is a private company towed his vehicle from his home in the middle of the night. That is Orwellian. It was none of HOA or Apartments business and the tow truck driver wasn't even enforcing the state law. They probably didn't send a dime to the state for the violation. They just towed him because the association agreed they could use that as a pretext for stealing and holding his car hostage.

[ChicagoMeO]

yeah well I agree with you on the red light cameras!

[Vasily]

At the last complex where I lived, some residents would park their junkers with expired plates and they'd sit there for months. Also, outsiders would occasionally get rid of their cars by dumping them in the parking lot. Eventually the owners wised up and required parking stickers; they towed cars if they violated the rules.

That's fine with me. I like landlords who want to keep people from eating up parking spaces with junk, and setting boundaries that keep the place nice. If anyone else doesn't, fine; don't live there. But don't complain about the rules if you do live there and get caught violating them.

By the way, "fascist" doesn't mean anyone who doesn't let me do my thing ... It's a specific description of a political system. If you're wanting the government to dictate to private companies the rules for running their businesses ... Now THAT'S fascism!

[ChicagoMeO]

aha, thats a thought, if the car parked there in the owner's lot does not have up to date plates and sticker, the landlord might think that it was abandoned, and it adds a bad element to the otherwise nice apartment/condo complex. you make a great point. You probably have to nip it in the bud when it happens because if one car could do it, the next car could do it, until you get what Vasily just mentioned above and that would start to depreciate the place and make it look pretty run down. I think it adds to the pleasant enjoyment when the tenants/condo owners take care of their property from the way they attend to their cars, housework, and the common areas.

[MSchemist80]

A seriously doubt that a vehicle with a license sticker a month or two expired is abandoned. With a leap like that they should be in a Nike commercial. However, if you want to live in a place that has rules for everything and an authoritarian/totalitarian (Better?) view on enforcing them all including towing your vehicle from your home in the middle of the night then fine. I wouldn't ever live in such a place. They can literally use their power over you to beet you into the ground and you have no legal recourse hence all the HOA horror stories. Just think of the most miserable complaining old people you know and ask yourself if you would want to live in a place with a room full of them with unlimited power over what you do with and on your home and or apartment.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

A seriously doubt that a vehicle with a license sticker a month or two expired is abandoned. With a leap like that they should be in a Nike commercial. However, if you want to live in a place that has rules for everything and an authoritarian/totalitarian (Better?) view on enforcing them all including towing your vehicle from your home in the middle of the night then fine. I wouldn't ever live in such a place. They can literally use their power over you to beet you into the ground and you have no legal recourse hence all the HOA horror stories. Just think of the most miserable complaining old people you know and ask yourself if you would want to live in a place with a room full of them with unlimited power over what you do with and on your home and or apartment.

I think you are making it more fascist than it really is. Anyway, its not up to what you or me think, the apartment complex has every right to make the rules and enforce them. Like Fred Sanford says "nip it in the bud". You are right, don't live there if you feel that a place is fascist 1984 Orwellian dictator Nazi's that want to come and beat you across the head for tiptoeing thru their tulips even.

[MSchemist80]

OK let me give you an example I have personal experience with. My grandmother lived in Triumvera in Glenview. They were made famous a few years back for having the association sued for forcing a disabled kid in a wheelchair to only use the back freight entrance and the freight elevator. They have always been terrible. I remember one Passover holliday when I was a kid and the lot overflowed so people were forced to park wherever there was space and it didn't obstruct anything. They then called in a fleet of tow trucks and had a tow fest. Of course the next week when the same thing happened on Easter there were mysteriously no tows. There were many more issues like this.

These are the kind of HOA and apartment complexes that are fascists and need to be avoided.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

OK let me give you an example I have personal experience with. My grandmother lived in Triumvera in Glenview. They were made famous a few years back for having the association sued for forcing a disabled kid in a wheelchair to only use the back freight entrance and the freight elevator. They have always been terrible. I remember one Passover holliday when I was a kid and the lot overflowed so people were forced to park wherever there was space and it didn't obstruct anything. They then called in a fleet of tow trucks and had a tow fest. Of course the next week when the same thing happened on Easter there were mysteriously no tows. There were many more issues like this.

These are the kind of HOA and apartment complexes that are fascists and need to be avoided.

so that's why you are extra sensitive to things like this. did they say why? I think I know why. Because they are worried that the chair will cause a dent or scratch or damage to the regular elevator, and the regular elevator might not fit the wheelchair. but mainly for the worry about the damage, or could be worry that the person might injure themselves trying to get into the elevator. But mainly I bet its the worry about damage.

your other issue about the Passover parking. yeah, I believe it. if I remember right, an apartment complex has rules about guest parking, and in fact provide temporary parking stickers which I always raced to get my guests to put on their car as soon as they came to visit me. some parking lots have reserved parking spaces and no guests can park there, otherwise the person paying for the spot will be out of their paid parking space.

Remember I told you about this one restaurant here nearby? I used to see them tow cars that parked there but did not patronize the restaurant. We think its the homeless people who stand around and are maybe paid to watch for cars that do that. but there are signs clearly posted that warn you. but either people do not see them, or feel they "just want to go to the Walgreens just for a minute" but sorry, they get the Denver boot attached as soon as the spotter sees them leave the parking lot and not go in the restaurant. If you are smart and proactive you will watch for such a thing in order that you don't get in trouble.

I am pretty sure all apartment complexes have rules such as things and they are reasonable. if you get dinged, of course your going to be mad, but I guess get mad in one hand and poop in the other and see which hand fills up first.