FOX2: ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WJBK) – When Anthony Sevy got a parking ticket in Royal Oak, he wasn’t pleased. When he went to pay his ticket with pennies, he was turned away, choked, and then defecated himself – his attorney claims.
“I don’t think that in everyday course of business, we poop our pants or go around defecating ourselves,” his attorney Jonathan Marco said.
Let’s back up. Sevy went to pay his $10 parking ticket in Royal Oak’s 44th District Court in February, but was told he’d have a $1.75 surcharge on his credit card. He wasn’t happy and left.
His attorney says he came back to pay with rolls of pennies. He’s on video with the court officers and his bag of pennies making what his attorney called a symbolic protest. watch
I’ve parked in England.
I’ve parked in France.
Before I’d park here, I’d shit in my pants.
Kinda feel bad for the poor guy. He had the right idea by f*cking with the petty bureaucrats but the idea was torpedoed.
I was unaware that the penny was no longer legal currency in this country. Plus, it would be only 20 rolls.
So his crime was annoying some bureaucrat?
And what is the deal with a $1.75 surcharge for using a credit card? I have never heard of that. It sounds like a third world dictatorship.
@PHenry December 1, 2017 at 3:15 pm
Americans have been killed, on video, for less.
h/t Eric Garner
“I don’t think that in everyday course of business, we poop our pants or go around defecating ourselves,” his attorney Jonathan Marco said.
Speak for yourself, Marco. Some people make good money pooping on cue.
The penny is still being minted as “legal tender” is it not? You should be able to use the coinage of the land to pay for “all debts, public or private.”
No recourse but to pursue public censure and humiliation against these wicked public servants gone awry.
This whole country is becoming a banana republic.
I hope he sues them big time. The video is his case.
And it costs more to produce a penny than it is worth. But that doesn’t matter in this case- it is US currency.
Bring back the gallows. Hang a bureautwit everyday until they get the message they work for us!
Just another arrogant government bureaucrat, they’re everywhere.
I’m beginning to think being and asshole is a government hiring criteria.
The clerk should be held personally responsible for his actions. Any judgement should be his to pay (not the taxpayers).
Full disclosure, I retired from state government after 28 years.
My DMV has a handy option to renew online. Great! Except they tell you at checkout there’s a 3% fee for me to pay w my cc and them receiving funds quicker.
I suppose they count on people no longer using checks will grumble but eat it anyway. Wrong on both counts.
How is it relevant or the headline that he shit himself? This can be expected when you are choked unconscious.
LOL cato!….Life led me to take a blue color county job after 30 plus years of working for myself or for others.
I had my properties for sale and I was ready to scoot form Colorado.
I didn’t think I’d be with the County for more then 6 months , maybe 2 years.
After about a year I had 2 or 3 guys in management that were lucky that I never got terminally sick cuz they were going with me too….LOL….
The best anecdote is when the stupid son of bitch called me in to plow snow at 2AM because the snow was starting to stick in the ‘shady’ areas….
Why does this story make me think of Al Roker?
Some people get a badge, and they think they can do what they please. It usually works, too, until a situation like this arises.
P.S. – I seem to recall that they can only legally refuse to accept payment in coin if the amount is over $25.00, but I may be mistaken on this.
jurisdictions have been pulling this refusal of change for decades …. someone needs to sue this all the way the SC …. for any of them to refuse legal tender is bullshit … they’re supposed to be serving us
@PHenry ~ the surcharge is what it costs the gubmint (or business) as a processing fee by the credit card companies. only the gubmint (& a few businesses) still charge the ‘customer’ the fee … ’cause they can (until we protest enough … or revolt)
Officially, coinage is not legal tender. No one is obligated to accept it as payment for debts public or private.
I’m wrong above. Limit that to: No one is obligated to accept it as payment.
“There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services.”
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages/legal-tender.aspx
I had a customer when I delivered the morning newspaper to 50 yrs. ago who always paid me in nickels. Four rolls of $2 worth of nickels every month. And there is a touched (mentally challenged) black guy who is called the penny guy who always pays for his hamburgers at Dick’s hamburgers downtown in pennies. He’s totally harmless and everyone downtown knows him and watches out for him.
There are 20 nickels in a roll so that makes for 2 rolls of nickels that equals $2. Why’d I say 4 unless he paid for months in a row, I don’t remember.