Keene sues six parking meter 'Robin Hoods' who put money in expired meters

[Silent_Bob]

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20130514/NEWS06/130519663

KEENE - The city has filed a lawsuit against six citizens, part of a group dubbed Robin Hood of Keene that patrols downtown armed with video cameras and pockets full of change to fill expired parking meters.

Also known as Robin Hooders, the six are associated with the Free Keene group.

"They say video recording or talking to them is harassing them, but I don't agree with that," "Robin Hooder" James Cleaveland said of parking enforcement officers. "So they want to establish a safety zone of fifty feet."

Members of the group place cards under windshield wipers that read, "Your meter expired; however, we saved you from the king's tariffs, Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Please consider paying it forward," and includes an address where donations can be sent.

The group says the suit was filed because the city is losing revenue from parking tickets. The city says the activists are harassing its employees.

In the case filed May 2, the city asks the court to prohibit residents Kate Ager, Ian Bernard aka Ian Freeman, James Cleaveland, Graham Colson, Garrett Ean and Peter Eyre from coming within 50 feet of the city's three parking enforcement officers "during the performance of their employment duties for the city."

According to the suit, the residents "regularly, repeatedly and intentionally taunted, interfered with, harassed, and intimidated" the officers starting last December, "surrounding, touching or nearly touching, and otherwise taunting and harassing" the officers.

Cleaveland said the group has prevented the officers from issuing about 4,000 tickets.

In the filing, parking enforcement officer Linda Desruisseaux said, "Besides following me, crowding around me, making video recordings of my activities, and placing coins in expired meters to prevent me from writing tickets, these individuals repeatedly taunt and harass me, asking why I am stealing peoples' money and telling me to get another job ... In particular, Graham Colson likes to taunt me by saying, 'Linda, guess what you're not going to do today - write tickets.' ... The taunting and harassment tends to get worse when there is a group, as they try to one-up each other at my expense."

The lawsuit does not deny group members' right to videotape and takes no issue with them filling expired parking meters, but said there is a concern that the three parking enforcement officers will quit. The suit states the city would suffer financially from having to hire and train new employees, and might have difficulty filling the positions.

According to parking enforcement officer Alan E. Givetz in the suit, the "constant harassment" has made him "feel very stressed and anxious."

"In addition, I have begun to suffer physical effects due to the stress, including coming home from work with a red face, feeling heart palpitations, and having dreams related to this activity."

Cleaveland and Garrett said they were served with the suit Thursday and have 30 days to answer the complaint.

"I basically feel like it's slander. I did not harass or intimidate anyone," Garrett said.

Cleaveland said he speaks to the officers less than 90 percent of the time, and when he does, he is not harassing or intimidating.

He said the Robin Hooders try to be about 20 feet ahead of the officer, but the officers cross the street, zigzag, or hide behind buildings if they see a Robin Hooder.

"If they see us in front of them, they will try to alter their path," Cleaveland said.

The two said the video recordings of their "Robin Hooding" will vindicate them in court.

[Russell Kanning]

will they go to the county seat or will they have to search sherwood forest for these rascals?

[Tom Sawyer]

Daily Mail in the UK
Parking meter 'Robin Hoods' sued by town officials for feeding expired parking meters and 'harassing officers'
Robin Hood and his Merry Men appear alive and well in Keene, New Hampshire but city officials hope to put a stop to their rapscallion ways


Comment from an angry anti-Free Keener

These "Robin Hooders" are a scourge on this community. They smoke marijuana in the center of town, walk around topless (male and female) on city streets in front of small children, and claim they have the right to film people inside the local courthouse, including sexual assault victims. One of them recently ran for the local school board, on the platform that we should remove ALL government funding from the public schools and let the employees run the schools themselves. For all of their brilliant ideas, this lot isn't even capable of grasping the concept that the government funding pays those employees, as well as purchases the supplies and pays the utilities necessary to keep a school open. These people are nothing more than a bunch of trust fund kids with nothing better to do with their time than harass innocent people, litter the city with their propaganda and solicitations for money, and get high. It's pathetic.

[Russell Kanning]

funny and sad all at once

[Jim Johnson]

Comment from an angry anti-Free Keener

These "Robin Hooders" are a scourge on this community. They smoke marijuana in the center of town, walk around topless (male and female) on city streets in front of small children, and claim they have the right to film people inside the local courthouse, including sexual assault victims. One of them recently ran for the local school board, on the platform that we should remove ALL government funding from the public schools and let the employees run the schools themselves. For all of their brilliant ideas, this lot isn't even capable of grasping the concept that the government funding pays those employees, as well as purchases the supplies and pays the utilities necessary to keep a school open. These people are nothing more than a bunch of trust fund kids with nothing better to do with their time than harass innocent people, litter the city with their propaganda and solicitations for money, and get high. It's pathetic.

A scourge was a farm tool used for harvesting wheat, then it was used by governments to punish people, then it was used by religious people as self punishment.  Now they are being used on the government, with the knots and nails being replaced by nickles.

[Russell Kanning]

breaking news
johnson reveals robin hood beats meter maid

[Jim Johnson]

breaking news
johnson reveals robin hood beats meter maid

Well?  Not in the bad way.

[Russell Kanning]

the good morning america piece was funny
the link is on freeconcord.com

[Kat Kanning]

wonder how the city of keene likes being a worldwide laughingstock?

[Jim Johnson]

October 05. 2014 8:27PM

Keene takes parking meter 'Robin Hoods' to state supreme court

By MEGHAN PIERCE

http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20141005%2FNEWS03%2F141009469&source=RSS

[Free libertarian]

Don't follow leaders watch parking meters -  Bob Dylan   

[Russell Kanning]

they must be stopped
when I asked merchants .... most wanted the meters removed

[WithoutAPaddle]

Standing by a parking "mita"
When I caught a glimpse of Rita
Filling in a ticket in her little white book

In a cap she looked much older
And the bag across her shoulder
Made her look a little like a milit'ry man

[WithoutAPaddle]

I don't have a link to this story on the internet, but I just heard on WTOP, a Washington, DC all-news station, that a toll both attendant has been fired because when a tractor trailer didn't have enough money to pay the entire toll, the attendant completed the toll payment by donating his own money.

I can see a public benefit to prohibiting uninvolved parties from feeding meters, because the purpose of the meter is at least supposed to be to make sure that short term parking is not used for long term parking, and the fine for overlength use are supposed to discourage such abuse, but in this case, what does the toll agency want?  I mean, the only compliant alternative for the driver might be to back out of the toll gate, park alongside the road, and wait for someone to bring him some money.

The story as I heard it reported was curious.  They said that the toll both attendant was fired because he would not accept shorter hours as his penalty. Must be a union contract involved, because otherwise, when an employer schedules a worker for fewer hours, those simply become his hours, whether he likes it or not.

[KBCraig]

I don't have a link to this story on the internet, but I just heard on WTOP, a Washington, DC all-news station, that a toll both attendant has been fired because when a tractor trailer didn't have enough money to pay the entire toll, the attendant completed the toll payment by donating his own money.

I can see a public benefit to prohibiting uninvolved parties from feeding meters, because the purpose of the meter is at least supposed to be to make sure that short term parking is not used for long term parking, and the fine for overlength use are supposed to discourage such abuse, but in this case, what does the toll agency want?  I mean, the only compliant alternative for the driver might be to back out of the toll gate, park alongside the road, and wait for someone to bring him some money.

The story as I heard it reported was curious.  They said that the toll both attendant was fired because he would not accept shorter hours as his penalty. Must be a union contract involved, because otherwise, when an employer schedules a worker for fewer hours, those simply become his hours, whether he likes it or not.

Close. He realized he had under-charged the driver, and his drawer was short, so he paid the $5.50 dollar shortage; the driver was a regular, and paid him back the next day.

They proposed a suspension, he declined, so they fired him.

http://heavy.com/news/2015/07/sam-samsonov-florida-toll-booth-collector-fired-paying-truck-driver-toll-bridge-boca-raton-gasparilla-island-facebook-photos/


You'd think that after collecting tolls for almost 60 years, the causeway would be paid for by now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boca_Grande_Causeway