Nobody likes getting a parking ticket. And while motorists may have strong feelings, Tuesday was the first time I've heard someone equate parking tickets with the Nazi genocide of 12 million people.
At Tuesday's city council meeting, Emeryville Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Canter, urged the city council to act cautiously. "You've heard the Holocaust parking stories from some of our neighboring cities, especially in the Lakeshore area of Oakland," Cantor said while addressing the City Council about meters.
Now, I hate parking tickets a lot. I've gotten three in over 20 years of driving. Two of them were flimsy and unfair, I thought. People may have colorful words to describe meter maids but likening parking tickets to the Holocaust is beyond the realm of decency. It cheapens the deaths of 12 million people, killed for being Jewish, Soviet Prisoners of War, Gay, Romani (Gypsy), Disabled, Polish, Jehovah's Witnesses or Freemasons.
Perhaps worst of all, our council said nothing. Not a peep or gasp, despite the fact that four of them are among groups sent to Hitler's gas chambers.
I believe Mr. Cantor misspoke and used a word he didn't intend. I do not believe that Mr. Cantor is prejudiced. This misstep should not be blown out of proportion. I am not calling for his resignation. Mr. Canter does a fantastic job representing his members, even if I rarely agree with him.
I am calling for a public apology.
It would be nice to hear one by HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY, which falls on Sunday April 11 this year.
You can find the video here click on the video for the April 6 meeting, advance the stream to 36:30 to hear Mr. Cantor.
Here is a longer excerpt from Mr. Cantor's comment
"...let's learn a lesson from our neighbors to the north of us and especially to the south of us on what not to do. Certainly we need to enforce the meters and violations. If someone is parked and expired they need to be cited. If they haven't paid at all they need to be cited. Let's do it fairly and reasonably. You've heard the Holocaust parking stories from some of our neighboring cities, especially in the Lakeshore area..."
do the city council members read the tattler?
ReplyDeletethe chamber of commerce members?
If I am expired, do i still get a ticket? I thought i was dead.
ReplyDeleteI heard gasps but they came from the audience, not the dais.
ReplyDeleteI heard gasps, but they came from the audience, not the dais.
ReplyDeleteThis time you bloggers have gone too far. You'll be sorry. Accidents happen.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHolocaust does not mean Nazi extermination of the Jews exclusively, the word has OTHER meanings that existed WELL before the Nazis.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/holocaust
The word holocaust may have existed before the Nazis but it's kinda funny how it's now come to mean what the Nazis did to the Jews in WWll. You could look the word up in the dictionary and it could show there are other meanings of the word and yet even still this word holocaust strangely, has come to mean the Nazi extermination of the Jews. Somehow mass genocide has taken control of the meaning of the word and made all other connections to it subside.
ReplyDeleteSince this word has been taken over by the gassing of six million humans, it might be seen as sort of insensitive to apply it to parking, especially by survivors and their kin.