As you may know, we've been having major student protests in Montreal which started this Spring (they're now on vacation, because it is after all vacation time!). For a while, every night the students were marching the streets of the city, blocking streets, banging pots in unison. It was quite something. It was also a real pain in the ass if like us, you lived downtown. What started out as students protesting the raise of their tuition fees turned into many other things for many Québécois.
Some marches turned ugly. The police got involved. What started out peacefully didn't quite end that way. A few people got hurt, many were arrested (with or without just cause), but since then the Montreal Police lost a lot of feathers in the public opinion.
I wanted to be a cop. Maybe because I was raised by a very authoritarian father, but having rules and making sure they're respected was always of interest. It might of been due to the fear I had towards authority (read my father), or maybe it was my respect of discipline (I guess 20+ years of karate will do that to you), but I do believe that rules and laws are there for a reason.
We live in a condo, and our garage pit gives access to two garages (ours which we share with a moron, and the other which is also shared between two condos). A few months ago (there was still snow on the ground), we came home late one night to find a mini-van parked in our driveway, blocking our entrance. We couldn't get in our garage. We did call the police, who basically told us they couldn't have it towed because it wasn't for an emergency. We could park on the street. We were both furious. We managed to find parking two streets over, but couldn't believe we had no rights. We couldn't get home and park our car inside because of an idiot driver who left their vehicle in front of out driveway. The cops did leave a parking ticket and that was that.
On Thursday morning, Hubby and I left together. As we pulled out of our garage, we noticed a car parked further down in the garage entrance, which Hubby had seen there the day before. The Audi was parked along the wall, in front of the other door. That area is a no parking zone. We can't even leave friggin' garbage there, so imagine a car.
On Thursday night when I got home and saw the car still there, I did call the cops. What a waste of time. It rubbed me the wrong way when after I've placed my call, I was called back by the officer who came by to answer the call who asked to speak with Stinky, not Mrs Paw, but Stinky, as if he knew me! When I came out to see him in the driveway, I realized I was old enough to be his mother! I'm sure he noticed as well. He was standing there looking at the Audi and asked what the problem was. I explained it was a no parking zone, the car had been there for more than a day, etc. There was nothing he could do because it wasn't blocking our garage entrance and maybe he was given permission by the other co-owners. I did explained out condo rules, and started to get pissed off when he mentioned the car wasn't on our property. Really? In a fucking condo syndicate everything is ours except the inside of each condos (and even that)! He understood, and all but there was nothing he could do. He wouldn't even give them a parking ticket! I was livid. He saw it. They couldn't do fuck all a few months ago when we were blocked out, and couldn't do fuck all again. Our tax dollars at work! What a useless bunch.
On one hand they abuse their power (check out this video, this is walking distance from our place, and I've seen this guy every time I've walked by, don't know the whole story as to why, but still it looks bad), they take themselves too seriously and on the other hand they do sweet nothing when something should be done. Useless I tell you! OK, I'm done motivating you for today!
4 comments:
I watched the video, but since everything's in French I can't tell what's going on, but at least down here as soon as the street performer evaded the attempts to arrest him, and then attacked one of the police officers, they seemed perfectly justified in subduing him. As for your police problems, I'm sorry to hear how useless they, and your condo association, are.
Marius: Even in French I can't really tell what went on - something about him not having the right permit...
The condo ass. is also very useless indeed, just like the cops!
A couple times I have had to belong to a condo association and ended up being disappointed in the association as it was ruled by one person who continued to run it for years. The condo assoc is supposed to enforce the rules and protect the rights of the homeowners, not just the people in the association. I hear your frustration and it is true that the situations your describe were not treated fairly. It takes a lot of time and effort to search out the person who owns the car and to find out who the owner of the condo is and most times they don't care anyway, just renting to someone or letting their family live in the condo or whatever. Sorry you are having to deal with the rude people who park where they want and get away with it.
CiCi: Our condo association hired an outside firm to manage us all... we only elect 3 directors for a year and bitch the rest of the time. It is always the same people who attend the meetings and do get involve, it's sad, but the reality of condo living I take it.
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