Rochester, NY Police officer Anthony "Tony" Belliard |
With one of their own officers, Sgt. Anthony Bongiovanni, under investigation for shooting his own friend early Monday morning, drugs, rapes, robberies, and increasing homicides, including a triple murder, you'd think that the Rochester, NY Police department would have better things to do than to harass a hardworking, tax paying city resident and African-American single mother, over parking.
That's right.
Parking.
Here's the story.
The woman who contacted me Tuesday afternoon, asking for my help, and who asked that I not use her name for fear of retaliation by Rochester Police, shared the following with me.
Employed as a professional truck driver whose job includes driving out of state, she has been parking her day cab, (without a trailer), which she takes home every day, in front of her North Winton Road home.
A day cab is smaller than a regular cab as it doesn't have a sleeper compartment.
The woman usually parks her cab in a corner parking lot which is always empty, however with the recent snowfalls, she stopped parking there, in order not to get stuck, since the lot is often not plowed.
That's when she parks in front of her home, where there aren't any " NO PARKING" signs, or any alternate day parking restrictions whatsoever.
In fact, parking is always allowed on both sides of the street.
She has been doing this for several months, with no problem, since September.
Until Monday night.
Around 10:00 p.m.
That's when Rochester, NY Police officer Anthony "Tony" Belliard showed up to her home, where she and her children were asleep, and began pounding on her front door.
When she answered the door, officer Belliard asked if the truck parked in front of her home was her truck.
She replied that it was.
Officer Belliard then told her that she could not park in front of her home.
She explained that she has parked her truck there on and off, depending if her regular parking spot, which is the parking lot has been plowed or not.
She explained to officer Belliard that it's never been a problem.
"Well you can't park there anymore," Belliard said.
The woman then told officer Belliard that she didn't understand why, especially since not only has she parked there for months, without any issues, but also that there aren't any parking restrictions on either side of the street.
She then proceeded to tell officer Belliard that to avoid any issues, she would just park the cab in the parking lot, like she always has.
"No, you can't park there either," replied Belliard.
Belliard then asked the woman for her phone number, and told her that he would call her.
Rochester, NY Police officer Garth Mitchell. |
When she got hone from work, she called but got officer Mitchell's voicemail.
She left a message.
A few hours later, Rochester, NY Police officer Tony Belliard called the woman, who at that point asked Belliard why another officer had come to her home, all over a parking issue.
Belliard told the woman he didn't know.
At that point the woman informed officer Belliard, that not only was all this so petty and ridiculous, all over parking, but that after Friday, it wouldn't matter anyways, since she was moving.
"Where are you moving to?" officer Belliard asked the woman.
The woman did not answer.
Card officer Garth Mitchell left at woman's home. Notice his title: "Crime Prevention Officer" |
"Out of the area," the woman replied.
I asked the woman how she felt that in a city which claims to want to attract people to move into the city, that the Rochester Police department would go out of their way to harass someone, over parking.
"I feel that it's so petty, seeing that it was only temporary due to the fact that I only parked there due to the weather," she said, adding, "I get so sick and tired of seeing cops at coffee shops with their cruisers left running outside while they're inside sucking on coffee and slamming donuts down their throats when they should be out there trying to solve crime."
"Keep in mind, I work hard, I am not on any kind of public assistance, I feel bad because I'm watching my tax dollars at work, so many crimes go unsolved, but yet they have time to sit around or harass people."
So there you have it Rochester, NY taxpayers, your hard earned tax dollars at work, the Rochester Police department harassing hardworking, tax paying, single mothers.
Over parking.
So the next time you call 911 to report open air drug dealing, and you see that the Rochester, NY Police department doesn't respond, now you see why.
They're too busy bullying, and harassing innocent people.
Over petty parking issues.
Click on link below to read my piece on Rochester, NY Police officer Anthony Bongiovanni shooting his friend.
http://davyv.blogspot.com/2014/02/rochester-ny-cop-shoots-friend.html
Over petty parking issues.
Click on link below to read my piece on Rochester, NY Police officer Anthony Bongiovanni shooting his friend.
http://davyv.blogspot.com/2014/02/rochester-ny-cop-shoots-friend.html
Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/davyvara