There's No Special Snowflake Parking Exemption For Religion
The fire trucks needing to get through to some guy with a heart attack aren't going to get through better if you illegally double parked because you're Muslim and it's Ramadan.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn writes at The Blaze, some Muslim cab drivers seem to be shocked and irate that officers actually enforced the parking codes.
Hundreds of cab drivers parked illegally in New York City received tickets on Friday while they were inside a mosque praying during Ramadan.According to the New York Post, one police officer was seen doling out at least 100 tickets outside of the Islamic Cultural Center on the Upper West Side to cab drivers who double parked while they were inside praying.
..."This is a special prayer time, a time for religion. We double park here every Friday and they [allow it], but today they gave us all tickets, almost 100 cabs," cab driver Mohammad Zaman told the New York Post.
"I can't help but to think they are being prejudiced," he said. "They don't understand. We have to be here."
Maybe, snowflake, you need to park downtown and carpool or -- wow, here's an idea -- take a cab.
Amy, I'm shocked at you.
You could have suggested Uber.
I R A Darth Aggie at June 29, 2015 6:53 AM
Minor quibble: I've visited NYC many times and yes, I would HATE to drive a fire truck or ambulance on those streets. All too often, traffic is tight and there's very little that even the most compliant drivers can do to let huge emergency vehicles get past.
So, in the case of a heart attack, why does one necessarily SEND an entire fire truck in the first place? Why not send one or two crew members on motorcycles? Chances are it would be much faster.
I seem to remember a similar situation when a thieving little preschooler got her hand caught in a gumball machine. It hardly made sense to take the fire truck AWAY from any fires that might suddenly start!
lenona at June 29, 2015 8:18 AM
"I've visited NYC many times and yes, I would HATE to drive a fire truck or ambulance on those streets. All too often, traffic is tight and there's very little that even the most compliant drivers can do to let huge emergency vehicles get past. "
Exactly. I was there a few weeks ago. I told my wife: "If I'm going to have a heart attack here, I guess I'd better do it between midnight and 6 AM".
Cousin Dave at June 29, 2015 10:49 AM
I'm a NYC cab driver, Amy. I've always found it curious that these cab-drivers were getting away with this, more and more. It's not just the mosque on Riverside drive. Guys are double (and triple) parking on the blocks around at least dozen mosques throughout the city. Political correctness has enabled this behavior for several years now. At no point would I (a Roman Catholic) be allowed to double park in front of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, while I popped in for an hour to attend Mass.
Joe Hurley at June 29, 2015 1:46 PM
I've always found it curious that these cab-drivers were getting away with this, more and more.
Turns out the beheading of the first five people who complained about it was a very effective tactic.
JD at June 29, 2015 9:47 PM
lenona, I remember that story. I think after hours with the jaws of life and extensive property damage, the girl was freed from the gumball machine. Only then did they discover that had she just let go of the gumball her hand would have slid right out.
Goo at June 30, 2015 12:47 PM
Welcome to America. This nation's what's known as a Democracy. And while we often fail to attain this attitude to perfection, one of the mottoes of democracy is "Equal rights for all; special privileges for none."
What this means is, observance of your religious faith does not give you a special exemption from the law. You break it; you pay the price.
Patrick at July 1, 2015 3:52 AM
...or an Uber
peter at July 3, 2015 1:34 PM
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