Charlotte Tax Dollars at Work Threatening Jail To Citizen Leaning a Sign Against His Car

Notice the man who is in the center of five policemen and one zoning official, being threatened with arrest. What did he do????Did he brandish a firearm,  threaten the pro-choice crowd,  produce a suicide bomb? No, this valiant show of police force was to subdue the Cities4Life director, Daniel Parks from- GASP - leaning a sign against his car with one edge touching the ground.

You can see why the police needed to be diverted by city officials from whatever they do to confront the rising homicide and violent crime in Charlotte! The CLEAR danger of signs touching the ground while leaned against a car for two hours CANNOT BE OVERSTATED. Daniel was given a choice. Produce his ID so they could write him a $200 citation for his crime or GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL. Please know the policemen were not much happier than we were to be put in this position. They were summoned by the Zoning Official.

Daniel was on the sidewalks with his sign along with our team of Cities4Life volunteers so we could offer the women who felt abortion was their only way out of difficult circumstances resources, supplies, mentorship, training programs, adoption resources, free medical aid, counseling, and anything else that would help them to keep their baby and choose life. You can see why the city would be so incensed,  particularly since the overwhelming bulk of our resources come from churches and other charitable organizations without spending city tax dollars....

...Unlike the taxpayer funded Zoning officials who summoned the five policemen to subdue these dangerous criminals in our fair city.

At first, this brave offer of jail or ID for citation was presented to me. Here is a picture of me in case you think they are soft on crime in Charlotte.

 I may look small, innocuous and safe, but EVEN I have been known to let a sign touch the ground on occasion. I know. SHOCKING.  The Zoning official arrived and I sprinted to the sign. I was not going to let them seize another one of our expensive signs. They asked for my ID. I asked on what basis they could request my ID? They threatened to return with police, and Daniel valiantly told them the sign was not MY sign but HIS. They turned their attention on poor Daniel and I was off the hook.

Daniel refused to show them his ID and they left. They returned with that impressive show of police force just in case things got ugly... I guess. Maybe they were afraid we were going to start throwing scripture at them. We HAVE been known to do that.

Now the police were just doing their job. It was the zoning officials who came to seize our signs and secure a healthy  and sanitary  environment in our city. The ordinance they cited as the impetus to call five policemen to Latrobe Dr. is the Health and Sanitation Ordinance, code 10-212.  You may ask what our signs have to do with Health or Sanitation of city streets. That’s what we are asking...and so are our lawyers.

If the city wanted to nail us for how we use our signs, it would most appropriately come under the sign ordinance for picketers. Unfortunately, there is nothing in that ordinance that would allow them to seize our signs because an edge is touching the street. I bet they stayed up half the night looking for an ordinance they could use that would make our sign usage illegal.

While the picketing ordinance is closer to the mark than the Health and Sanitation ordinance, it is not accurate either. We are not picketing, not by the city’s definition nor by our own. Our signs are showing the two choices  before the women who enter the abortion center. One sign shows an aborted baby, another shows a baby saved from abortion You would think the pro-choice folks would be applauding how we so perfectly visualize the two choices available to the women who enter that place. You would be wrong. The pro-choice folks don’t want women to feel bad if they decide that innocent human life in the womb does not deserve protection. So they and the city officials who don’t want us on the sidewalks offering real choice, real hope, and real help to women in crisis try to manipulate an ordinance that will allow them to seize our property, or even better, throw us in jail and intimidate us so the pro-choice people only have to worry about the presentation of one choice. Abortion. 

When the zoning officials first approached our volunteer, they told him the law says he can have only ONE sign. I read the misapplied ordinance. NOWHERE does it say we can only have one sign. Next, he told Daniel Parks that signs must be within arm’s length. Daniel had him repeat that rule. NOWHERE in the misapplied ordinance does it say a sign must be within arm’s length.

Within arm’s length: LEGAL according to Zoning official statement

Not within arm’s length: ILLEGAL according to Zoning Official’s Statement

OHOH: But the citation for $200 issued to Daniel Parks has nothing to do with arm’s length or not arm’s length but that our sign was touching the ground in the misapplied ordinance. Nor did it have anything to do with having more than one sign as explained to the first volunteer who was merely verbally reprimanded. 

In case you think this is all a spoof just to start your morning with a smile, watch this video to see the Charlotte Zoning Officials in action, keeping Charlotte safe and sanitized of any signs that could threaten the well-fare of our city. Their desire I am sure is PURE, to keep signs that make others uncomfortable LEGAL, SAFE, but RARE. Click on link to view video: https://youtu.be/LXK8EW78l7s

Here is an interesting tidbit in the misapplied ordinance which almost landed Daniel Parks in jail for challenging the legality and overreach of city officials regarding sign code:

The issuance of citations shall be in accordance with section 10-65. If a violator has removed the sign, handbill, advertisement or other matter within seven days of receipt of a citation, then the neighborhood development code enforcement division shall have the authority to declare the citation null and void. In addition, any person shall be subject to all applicable punishment, penalties, and equitable relief provided for in G.S. 160A-175

In other words, every day when we pack up our signs and leave, the citation is null and void. I wonder if the Zoning official knows THAT?

Why did the Zoning officials show up today? MAYBE it is related to the news we discovered when this news truck showed up after the Zoning Officials left. 

We were shocked thinking the news truck showed up to get our statement of why the City sent five policemen to issue a citation to Cities4Life director, Daniel Parks, for the crime of sign-to-ground prohibited interaction. Nope. The newsman wanted our response to the fact that City Council was meeting behind closed doors to discuss whether Latrobe Drive was safe NOT JUST from signs that were not within an arm’s length and touching one edge on the street, but EVEN WORSE, from DANGEROUS TRAFFIC which might necessitate it being zoned NO PARKING. 

The photo above and this photo give you a sense of the dangerous traffic.

OOPS! The only car on the road blocking ALL THAT TRAFFIC AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE is the Zoning Official’s car. I wonder if there is an ordinance whereby they can issue an ordinance citation to themselves??

If you find this all an absurd and even dangerous overreach of government power, as well as a serious infringement on the rights of citizens to peaceable assembly and free speech, please contact City Council. Ask them to stop all attempts to intimidate and misapply sign ordinances in order to seize our signs and property, and to stop any discussion of the ridiculous attempts to zone Latrobe Drive NO PARKING, in the veiled purpose of preventing us or our mobile ultrasound RV from having access to provide hope and help to women in crisis.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts: mayor@charlottenc.gov

Mayor Pro Tem Vi Lyles: vlyles@charlottenc.gov

Julie Eiselt: julie.eiselt@charlottenc.gov

Claire Green Fallon: cfallon@charlottenc.gov

James Mitchell Jr.: james.mitchell@charlottenc.gov

Patsy Kinsey: pkinsey@charlottenc.gov

Carlenia Ivory: carlenia.ivory@charlottenc.gov

LaWana Mayfield; lmayfield@charlottenc.gov

Gregory Phipps: gaphipps@charlottenc.gov

Dimple Ajmera: dimple.ajmera@charlottenc.gov

Kenny Smith: krsmith@charlottenc.gov

Edmund Driggs: edriggs@charlottenc.gov

City Attorney rhagemann@ci.charlotte.nc.us

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Isaiah 5:20 

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter