Detroit Parking Enforcement Returns to Fire Affected Neighborhood

DETROIT - Recovery from the massive fires that gutted a neighborhood is just now beginning. A few residents called FOX 2 Tuesday morning and told us parking enforcement was back in the area, this time booting cars and towing others away. They believe it’s in retaliation for the story we brought you the day after the fires.

It’s the scene no one would have believed if it had not have been captured by FOX 2’s cameras; a meter maid giving parking tickets to people whose homes burned down less than 24 hours earlier. One woman got a ticket because her van was blocking the sidewalk.

Thanks to FOX 2’s story, the city reversed all those tickets. However, parking enforcement was back in the neighborhood less than a week after the devastating fires and people snapped pictures to prove it.

’They’ve been all over the neighborhood,’ said Kevin Mays. ’Tow trucks coming two hours later after they put the boots on the cars towing them away.’

Delores Arnold’s car was one of them, and she was just in the neighborhood visiting her son.

’They said they were told to come out here and see who all owed tickets, and they booted the cars,’ she said.

Arnold thought she paid off her tickets more than two weeks ago, and she showed the meter maid her receipts, but apparently that wasn’t good enough.

’She told me I had to go downtown and pay these tickets, and these tickets are like from 2002 up to 2006. I (have) never been notified,’ said Arnold. ’They said I had to give them $310, and I gave them $310 this morning to get them to un-boot my car.’

’It’s my granddaughter’s birthday, and I was planning on a birthday party with that money for her, so she won’t get a birthday party this year,’ she added.

Neighbors believe all these tickets and tows amount to payback.

’So much media attention that you drew negative attention to them,’ Mays said.

’It’s really unfair,’ Arnold said.

We immediately contacted Mayor Dave Bing’s office to let his staff know what was happening. They tell FOX 2 that parking enforcement managers have now been told to relax enforcement in fire affected areas, and they will be rescinding those fines.