I was running out of the yoga studio, a minute later than usual and spotted the dreaded scene.
“Wait! Stop. Hello.” I was yelling, walking faster and faster to get the parking meter-lady’s attention. She finally looked up.
“I am here. Will you let this go? Please. Mercy. ” I actually pleaded for mercy. Can you believe that? Perhaps it was the “Chineseness” in me creeping out. In Chinese legal concept, there is a popular saying “法律不外 乎人情” – loosely translated as law is not above or beyond human compassion or feelings.
I thought I had a case. She was still writing the ticket, but I arrived! I was going to drive away now and nothing is lost. Right? Wrong.
She looked at me, in a business as usual way – “I’ve been doing this job for 27 years.
What? You’ve been a parking meter-lady for 27 years!? I tried to conceal my disbelief, showing respect for her seniority instead. Silent I stood, waiting for her judgment to come down.
“I used to be able to stop printing or writing the ticket, now I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“The system won’t let me, they don’t let us do that anymore.”
“What can you do? We are talking here on the street. I am waiting for you to finish writing me a parking ticket before I can drive away. This is ridiculous!
I insisted for a response for what she can do within the system, under the circumstances.
“I can make a remark here…”Person arrives before ticket is printed, will dispute.”
She started walking away, I stood in protest to no avail.
I took her the ticket and drove to the Cambridge City Hall and did exactly that – I disputed the ticket.
This may sound rather trivial to you, but what would you do if you were me? Would you fight it? Why fight it?
For me, I fight it because of my sense of fairness. I felt this was unfair. I had been wrongly ticketed. I had arrived at the same time the parking meter expired, and a ticket had not yet been written, not alone issued! I felt it was reasonable expectation on my part that I should be spared. Secondly, I am encouraged to dispute the ticket because it is within my right under the legal system to do so. But what is most surprising to me – is how civil and thorough that veteran parking-meter lady was in explaining the legal process and the system of these new hand-held ticketing meters which limited what she could and couldn’t do. While her hands were tied to pardon me or grant me “Mercy” as I begged, she would lay out for me what was within my legal right and ability to do.
As much as I felt upset – 激氣 (in Cantonese Chinese) I was able to take a deep breath, take a step back and look at the situation objectively. What city in the world would I find this level of civic conduct and conversation on the street between a law enforcement officer and an average citizen like me? One clearly has the authority and power over the other, yet the powerless is empowered and encouraged to fight back? If you were me, would you?