The Towing Fiasco

A couple Saturdays ago, Meezy and I went to a friend's condo off McKinney to celebrate his 30th birthday. We parked on Clyde Street, which runs along the backside of the State Thomas Ravello apartments.  You are free to park along that street, but it's usually hard to find a space.  We drove all the way down the street, and I passed a spot and noticed it was open.  It was the first open space before you reach a driveway that leads into the complex.  I knew I wasn't allowed to block the driveway, but there was definitely enough room for me to park along the curb, so it was all good.  There was a truck parked up ahead in front of where I wanted to park, and the driver must've been a worker delivering some things or working on a unit, because he had equipment strewn across the driveway.  Meezy got out and moved a couple of the items so I could have an easier time parallel parking into the spot, and then he moved them back when I was done.  I wasn't infringing on his work space, and I wasn't parked in front of the driveway.  Sweet.  Off to my friend's condo.

Fast forward 4 hours, and we make the trek down Clyde street to get my car.  We walk and walk and never see my car.  "Wasn't it parked right here? We didn't pass it, right?" After a couple minutes of checking and double-checking, it was pretty clear.  My car wasn't where I left it.  Holy crap.  That's never happened to me before.  We look around and notice a sign that says this:

 
How did I not see that before??  Well, the reason I didn't see it was because one of the signs was in front of the work truck, so it was blocked from my view.  The other sign was behind my car, because I parallel parked into the spot, so I never saw it.  Dang it!  I was so mad at myself.  I remembered making sure to not park in front of the driveway, because I knew that wouldn't be allowed, but I didn't realize the complex had put up these signs a couple space lengths in front of and behind the driveway, to make sure nobody parked anywhere near it.  It really was an honest oversight on my part.  I wouldn't have seen these signs unless I had gotten out of the driver's side and walked over to the passenger side before walking back down the street.  That wouldn't make sense because my friend's condo was down the street, on the driver's side, so I literally never had the occasion to see them.  I accepted my fate and figured I better go reclaim my car.

Wait a second.  Where was my car, though?  Nowhere on the sign above did it tell me what to do if my car had been towed.  It didn't even say "Unauthorized vehicles will be towed at owner's expense."  It just had a picture of a tow truck on it.  Had my car really been towed, or was this just like a warning sign put up by the complex in hopes that people wouldn't park there?  I was quite confused, so I called 311.  They told me to call the police, because if it was the city that had towed me, they would have a record of my car in one of their storage lots.  That would make sense, because I was on a public street, not actually inside the complex.  I called the police; they couldn't find my car.  They asked why I thought I had been towed, and I told them about the sign, but that it didn't have any contact info on it.  They said it should tell me where to find my car if it wasn't a city sign.  I agreed!  I wasn't sure what to do next, so I called the actual apartment complex.  It was after 5pm on a Saturday, so it went to their answering service.  I told them that I thought someone from their complex had gotten me towed, and they told me they had no idea which company would've been called.  Well, that's helpful.

I sat there for a few minutes, really at a loss.  Luckily some friends that had also been at the party drove by right then, so we flagged them down.  They were nice enough to drive us the 11 miles back to our house, which was completely out of their way, and took 30 minutes because we had to stay off the highway.  (They have a truck, and their 3 kids were in the backseat, so Meezy and the other husband had to ride in the bed while me and the wife rode in the front seats).  Once we got home, I tried the police again, just to see if there had been a delay from when I would've gotten towed, to when it showed up in their system.  Still no luck finding my car.  I called my sister, a former DPD officer, and asked for her advice.  She told me that if it was the city, they would've had a record of my car in their lot by then.  She also said if it had been towed by a private company, they are required to put their contact info on the sign, and also alert the police.  I started to get pretty nervous.  Had my car been stolen?  My sister contacted a couple of her former coworkers who were still active officers, and they double-checked the system.  Still nothing.  By this time, I was pretty confused.  What was I supposed to do?!?  She told me my best bet was reporting it stolen as soon as possible.  Yikes.  I called the police again and this time said I needed to report a stolen vehicle.  I started filing the report over the phone, and partway in the dispatcher said, "Oh, looks like I have found your vehicle.  It's been repossessed."  What??  You can imagine my surprise.  I was like, "Ummm, that's not possible.  I am set up on auto-pay for my loan, and those payments are definitely getting drafted each month!"  She said, "Well, you'll need to contact your lender about that."  I was flabbergasted.  I've never even been late on a payment, let alone miss one.  Come to think of it, we pay so much extra on principal each month that they technically consider us pre-paid by a few months.  I also thought to myself, "How the heck would they have known I was at a friend's condo, to come and repossess it there?" Lol.  The irrelevant thoughts I have.  Anyways, back on track, I told the dispatcher, "That really must not be the case.  Are you sure?"  After a couple of seconds she said, "Oops, my mistake.  I read that wrong.  You're right - it was towed.  Here's the name and phone number of where you can pick it up."  Goodness gracious.  More than two hours later, I have finally located my car.  I went from thinking it had been towed, to thinking it was stolen, then thinking it was mistakenly repossessed, and now I finally have affirmation that it was towed at the behest of the apartment complex.

So, where was my car?  It was taken to a storage facility way down south of us, 30 minutes away.  Great.  Now it's close to 8pm and we have to drive down there with Dutch, get our car, and drive back home.  If someone had told me where it was taken while I was still at the complex, at 5:15pm, we could've gotten a ride from there and it would've only been a 10 minute drive.  Grrrr.  After paying all the bogus fees in the amount of $174, we went home with our car.

That night and the next morning, I was still pretty steamed about the situation.  It just doesn't seem right that someone can tow your car without giving you the slightest hint of who towed it or where they took it.  It's common sense that they have to tell you, right?  I knew that I made a mistake by parking there, but I also knew that if this apartment complex and towing company weren't following the rules, they should be punished as well.  How many other people wasted hours of their time and possibly paid extra in storage fees while they worked at tracking down their car?  The paperwork from the storage facility had some fine print on it that said I could request a tow hearing from a justice of the peace if I felt I had been illegally towed.  Hmmm.  Was it illegal for them to tow me?  I needed to do some research.

A woman on a mission is a pretty powerful force, and these guys didn't know what was about to hit them.  Where to begin?  First off, who regulates these towing companies? They have to be licensed and follow some rules, so let's start there.  They fall under the purview of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which allows you to file a complaint against a licensee if you feel they have acted illegally.  I contacted them and found out that even though the apartment complex is the one who put up the inadequate sign, the towing company is responsible for the act of towing, so they have to make sure a person has their contact information.  Boom, that gives me a basis for filing a complaint against them.  Now, to find the legislative backup for my claim.  The Occupations Code is where you can find the actual statutes related to vehicle towing and booting.  I knew I needed to find out what the towing company's authority was for towing my car, based on the signage present, and Title 14, Subtitle A, Chapter 2308, Subchapter G gave me the answer I needed.  Check out (5) (B) and (7).

(b)  Except as provided by Section 2308.305, an unauthorized vehicle may be towed under Section 2308.252(a)(1) or booted under Section 2308.257 only if each sign prohibiting unauthorized vehicles:

(1)  is made of weather-resistant material;

(2)  is at least 18 inches wide and 24 inches tall;

(3)  contains the international symbol for towing vehicles;

(4)  contains a statement describing who may park in the parking facility and prohibiting all others;

(5)  bears the words, as applicable:

      (A)  "Unauthorized Vehicles Will Be Towed or Booted at Owner's or Operator's Expense";

      (B)  "Unauthorized Vehicles Will Be Towed at Owner's or Operator's Expense"; or

      (C)  "Unauthorized Vehicles Will Be Booted at Owner's or Operator's Expense";

(6)  contains a statement of the days and hours of towing and booting enforcement; and

(7)  contains a number, including the area code, of a telephone that is answered 24 hours a day to enable an owner or operator of a vehicle to locate a towed vehicle or to arrange for removal of a boot from a vehicle.

Take another look at the sign I posted above and you tell me where it says specifically, "Unauthorized vehicles will be towed at owner's or operator's expense" and where it contains a number for me to call.  That's right, it doesn't!  Jackpot.  Those suckers are not following the statutes.  I officially opened a complaint with the TDLR, based on this statute, and submitted photographic evidence of the inadequate signs.  I also drove down to the JP and requested a tow hearing, at a cost of $26.  If, per the statutes, they weren't authorized to tow my car, then I deserve to get my money back.

I spent the next couple of days printing out the relevant statutes, printing out my photographic evidence, and preparing my statements for the hearing.  I was ready for this. Guess what happened?  I got a phone call from the towing company.  They had received notice of my formal complaint with the TDLR and my request for a tow hearing. They offered to refund all my out of pocket expenses.  Well, well, well.  Look who got a little nervous when they got called out on their bullshit.  I told them about my storage retrieval charges and my court filing costs.  I had a check in hand by that afternoon.

Truth be told, I was glad to avoid the hearing.  Even though I was fairly positive I would win, it was still going to be a nerve-wracking experience, and take me away from work. Tow truck companies are synonymous with shady practices, but this time they didn't get away with it.

Towing companies: eleventy bajillion
The little guy: 1

This fight doesn't even put a dent in their armor, but it means something to me.  Maybe they'll think twice before they tow from that complex again.  Maybe someone else will read my post and hold a towing company to the fire if they don't act properly.  All I know is that I got my money back and I didn't lay down and play dead.  My advice to you: if you get towed, take a picture of the sign.  They just might not be authorized to tow your car!  

Food for Thought

You can believe all sorts of wonderful things, but unless you model your behavior after those beliefs, you're just being a hypocrite.  A man is not a good person simply because he believes we should treat others as we'd like to be treated.  He is a good person because he actually does treat others that way.  I have to remind myself of this.

The Content of One's Character

I could write a long paragraph about this video, but I'll let it speak for itself.  My only comments are this:  I wholeheartedly agree with this young man.  Very well said, Zach Wahls.

Washington D.C. - Day Two

This was the day of the big rally, so Meezy and I headed over to the National Mall around 10:30am.  It was already pretty crowded by this time, even though the rally wouldn't technically start until noon.  We walked as far up as we could, to about 4th street, but there was absolutely no more room for us.  We started walking back down the Mall, away from the stage, and got to 7th street before there seemed to be a break in the crowd.  We jumped in and found a spot that would give us a view of the satellite screen and be in earshot of one of the speakers.  Even though we were nowhere near the middle of the Mall, we figured this was good enough.  As it got closer to noon, our area started getting packed and it became shoulder to shoulder.  People were everywhere!  They spilled out onto side streets, and stretched almost down to the Washington Monument.  This was our vantage point, from four blocks away from the actual stage.

 
I had read some tentative schedules listing who would be performing/appearing at the rally, but we weren't sure who would really be there.  When it was all said and done, we had seen Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, The Roots, John Legend, the Mythbusters guys, Sam Waterston (of Law and Order fame), Cat Stevens, Ozzy Osbourne, The O'Jays, Mavis Staples, Jeff Tweedy, Mick Foley, Sheryl Crow, Kidd Rock, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tony Bennett, and the Daily Show Correspondents.  It was a fun show!  The best part was Stewart's speech at the end of the rally. I could embed it here, but since it's 12 minutes long, I'll just include my favorite quotes from it:

"But we live now in hard times, not end times."
"If we amplify everything, we hear nothing."
"You go, then I'll go."

I've Got a Brain (and I'm not afraid to use it!)

 

It was refreshing to hear someone speak about how our country ISN'T headed towards doomsday, and how people work together to get things done "every damn day" despite what some people like to report.  It was also nice to be surrounded by people who are frustrated with the current political and news media climate, but prefer rational discourse over yelling and hyperbole.  Lastly, humor is such a welcome refuge when things seem to get overwhelming or completely unreasonable.  It helps keep us grounded and SANE.  On that note, here are some of my favorite signs from the event:

 

Loudness doesn't equal correctness.

Fox News for Sanity......Just Kidding!

 Islam isn't a threat to my country. Racism and ignorance are.

After the rally was over, Meezy and I grabbed some food so we could rest our tired legs and feet and watch some college football.  It was a nice break after having stood, many times on our tippy toes, for the past 4 hours.  From there, we hopped on the Metro to make our way to my nephew Mark's house in Arlington, VA.  We relaxed and watched the Rangers game for a while, and then headed out to Hard Times Cafe in Clarendon.  They were having a costume contest, and Mark and his friends entered.  I'm not sure exactly why Mark's friend won first place, but here's his costume:

     Arab Lego Man?!?

After the contest ended, we headed back to our hotel to get some rest before our next big touristy day.  There was still so much left to do! 

Texas Pride

I bet you thought this post would be about the Texas Rangers, but it's not!  Anywho, on to the real reason I'm writing - sometimes it's frustrating to live in a state that has a reputation for being very conservative and being full of evangelical Christians, when I'm neither of those things.  Whenever articles that mention Texas are shared on major sites (reddit, for example), I read plenty of comments about what people think of us hicks down here in the state that wishes it was its own country.  I'd just like to point out that we're not all gay-hating, creationism-spouting, evolution-denying, Muslim-fearing, pro-life, gun-toting, Bible-thumping, pro-war citizens like some of the rest of the country (and world) like to believe.  Granted, some Texans are all of those things, but there are quite a few of us that are none of those things.  I wish our state would turn away from these stereotypes and start to show a more progressive front.  I know that a lot of our reputation was understandably earned since we had George Bush and Rick Perry as the faces of Texas over the past 15 years, but it's time to move past that.  My hope is that Bill White will become the next Governor of Texas and start pushing us towards a less embarrassing direction.  However, if that doesn't happen, it can start on a smaller scale.

Recently I was shopping on the Human Rights Campaign's website, and found a couple of shirts that I fell in love with.  Here's the first:

That shirt is just hilariously awesome and I immediately wanted to buy it.  Before I could add it to my cart, though, I started worrying about what people would think when they saw me wearing it.  In Texas, it seems to be easier to be loud and proud about being a homophobe, than be vocal about being a homosexual (or ally, as my husband and I are).  The frustrating thing is that this perception is perpetuated when people like me worry about others' opinions when wearing a shirt like this (well, maybe not so far as perpetuating it, but certainly not refuting it).  It's a freaking shirt, for goodness' sakes!  In other words, I'm part of the reason we Texans are stereotyped the way we are, if I don't do anything to change it.  I told Meezy about my dilemma and he didn't skip a beat. "I'd wear it."  Damn, I love that guy.  So, the shirt went in the cart and you can consider it on its way!  Watch out, Texas.

The second shirt I fell in love with was this: 

With the Colbert/Stewart rally coming up in Washington, D.C., I was hoping for a way to show I was from Texas, while also giving a quick glimpse into my beliefs.  I am a supporter of equal rights in Texas, and I shouldn't be embarrassed about saying so.  Unfortunately the shirt won't arrive in time to wear to the rally, but I'll make sure it's put to good use whenever it does arrive.

I am proud to be a Texan, but not because of its infamous reputation.  There are times I have wished I lived on one of the coasts, where people tend to be more open-minded and accepting of those different from themselves.  I always remind myself that there are lots of people in Texas like me, but some of them are just currently afraid to say so.  The longer I stick it out, and the more I speak up, the more the open minded folks will start to show themselves.  I would love to be proud of Texas because of its equal rights stance.  I just hope I'm around long enough to see that day come.

Memorial Day Came Early

As we were waiting to board our flight to Cancun, we saw hundreds of military personnel entering the terminal after getting off their plane.  Time stopped.  Everyone in the area turned towards them and cheered, clapped, waved, etc.  We abandoned our conversations, stopped fidgeting with our phones, and gave our complete attention to showing appreciation.  The servicemen and women just kept coming and coming and the clapping continued.  They smiled and waved, as if they needed to thank US for what WE were doing!  It was beautiful.  I had to fight back tears.  Here I was about to board a plane to take a relaxing beach trip, and these people were coming home from a treacherous situation.  Some of their comrades didn't make it home.  I was humbled.  To all the men and women in uniform, past and present - Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.     

I Heart Jon Stewart

If you've never watched an episode of The Daily Show, you are missing out. Jon Stewart is an incredibly funny, witty broadcaster. He has very intriguing guests on his show, and isn't afraid to ask them tough questions. (If you don't believe me, just get up to speed on the Jim Cramer interviews). He's also not afraid to poke fun at the stupid things going on in the world. If this is where your cynical side comes out ("He's such a Liberal and all he does is make fun of Bush") - you're wrong. He is equally critical of anything and everything, if the situation calls for it. Still don't believe me? Watch this clip. It's well worth 5 minutes of your time.

The initial motivation behind writing this post came after reading an interview he did with Sojourner's Magazine. The transcript can be found here. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from that interview:

"One of the things that’s very important to everybody here is to write jokes about the subjects you actually care about, because it makes going to work worthwhile....there are very strong emotions that fuel the comedy for us, and that’s what makes it exciting for us—and hopefully makes it interesting for the audience."

"Religion makes sense to me. I have trouble with dogma more than I have trouble with religion. I think the best thing religion does is give people a sense of place, purpose, and compassion. My quibble with it is when it’s described as the only way to have those things instilled. You can be moral and not be religious, you can be compassionate, you can be empathetic—you can have all those wonderful qualities. When it begins to be judged as purely based on religion, then you’re suggesting a world where Star Jones goes to heaven but Gandhi doesn’t."

"Like anything else that’s that powerful—that is touching that deep into the epicenter of the human psyche and our fears, it can be misused. I’m probably much more responsive in a bad way to dogma and to extremism than to religion. When people say things like, “I found God and that helped me stop drinking,” I say, “Great! More power to you. Just know that some people stop drinking without it.” It’s when it gets into the realm of “This is the only way to salvation”—that’s when I think, “Okay, now we’re getting into a problem.”"

All in all I think Jon Stewart is a very insightful, intelligent person who has found a way to get me interested in politics, and national and world-wide issues. If you can educate me and make me laugh at the same time, then you're pretty kick-ass. Just sayin'.

Silence is Acceptance

I read an article in the New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof. It can be found here. It relays the tragic reality of mass rape being used as an element of warfare. For instance, it's estimated that during the civil war in Liberia (1989-2003), as many as 75% of women were raped. The real point of the article, though, is the fact that mass rape persists even after wars end.

Kristof shares statistics about the incidence of rape in Liberia since the end of the war - a survey in 2007 showed that 12% of girls 17 and under had been sexually assaulted sometime over the previous 18 months. He also introduces us to a 7-year old girl, who is living in a shelter for survivors of sexual violence. She was raped by a security guard at her school. Her situation is alarmingly common. Between January and April, Doctors Without Borders in Liberia treated 275 new sexual violence cases. About 60% of these women were under age 13 (28% were under age 5). This disgusts me.

I'm not alone in these feelings. Discover Magazine blogger Sheril Kirshenbaum read the article and was moved enough to take action. She's starting an initiative called "Silence is the Enemy." Her goals are to raise funds and raise awareness, in hopes of bringing an end to the rape and abuse of women around the world. Read her story here. She's asking for donations to be made to Doctors Without Borders. She starts by sharing her very personal story of being sexually assaulted. She never expected to blog about it, but she realized the power of her words and influence. She wanted to speak for those who couldn't. In summary, her campaign's purpose is to say "1) this is happening 2) it’s completely monstrous, and 3) we want change."

I'd like to join her cause. So here goes....One night when I was in high school, I was sexually assaulted. I was waiting for my mom to pick me up from the dry cleaner's where I worked. I sat in a chair behind the counter, chatting with the owner. He asked when my mom would be coming, and I told him she'd be there shortly. He came up behind me and put his arms on my shoulders. I immediately felt uncomfortable, but didn't know what to do. He started squeezing my shoulders, in what I felt was a sorta creepy manner. But, he was foreign, so my first thought was maybe he just didn't understand the "American taboo" of invading someone's personal space. Plus, he was my boss, so I didn't want to react harshly. I kept hoping and hoping I'd see my mom's headlights in the window so I could just avoid this awkward situation altogether. And that's when it happened. The owner stuck his hand down the front of my shirt. I jumped up and yelled, "No!" I headed towards the front door as quickly as I could, and my mom was just pulling up. I got in the car in silence. I was in shock. We drove home and I went straight to my room. I didn't know if I should tell someone, or keep it to myself. I was embarrassed. Did I display some sort of behavior that warranted his action? Was it my fault? Replaying the feeling of his hand on my breast almost made me throw up. I started crying and called my boyfriend. I told him what happened and he immediately made me tell my parents. It wasn't an easy conversation to have. They decided the best plan of action was to call the police and file a report. When an officer arrived, I had to relay the uncomfortable story again. I don't know why, but I felt shame. Why was I the one feeling this way? I didn't do anything wrong. I never returned to that job, and I tried to forget the whole situation. When the officer called me in the subsequent weeks, I didn't return his calls. Somehow I thought my best response would be to just pretend it didn't happen. I'm not going to lie, there have definitely been long periods of time where I haven't thought about this experience, and had successfully "forgotten" about it, albeit temporarily. But there have also been too many times where the memory has entered my head and brought that sick feeling back to my stomach. I guess I was "lucky" that my experience wasn't worse though. I can't even imagine the emotional and physical trauma that some women have experienced as a result of their sexual abuse.

I fear there are an enormous amount of unreported sexual assaults in this country, and in the rest of the world. I fear stories like mine, and stories much harsher than mine, are more common than we realize. But that's because we keep quiet. Silence is indeed the enemy. So, I'm fighting back. I'm following Sheril Kirshenbaum's lead. I'm no longer silent. I urge you to get motivated and act. I'll be donating to Doctors Without Borders, and visiting Sheril's page often to keep my thoughts on the goal.