The concept of public parks having curfews is still something kind of new to me. I understand why they're put into place, for my personal safety and to keep people safe from crime among other things.
The other night I was given a "warning" after just trying to casually hang out and lay around the grass of the Metro Parks in Cleveland. It's shocking to realize how people automatically think you're up to the worst. I had no paraphernalia on me, wasn't any kind of intoxicated, up to only the most innocent of activities (sad thing is, I'm being honest. I know it's unbelievable).
Looking like a homeless person with the tons of blankets I was holding, the park rangers asked if I was homeless. I should add in here that I was with a friend of mine. It wasn't just me being some big lanky blonde chick roaming through the pitch black park at night. We were let off with a warning and presumed to lay around on my friend's roof in the cold, instead of where you can get a better view of the sky in the dark of the parks.
During a second attempt to see the sky a little easier, the same friend and I roamed up to Lakewood Park, hopped the fence, strolled down to the water and the rocks, and sat. We were just talking, it was about 12:30. Some kids came by and saw us sitting down there, they panicked and ran away.
Shortly after, a cop comes down. We find out those dumb ass kids left their car in the parking lot, and the officer came down looking for them, not us. But he found us anyway. Took down our information, and wrote us each a ticket. Luckily for us, the ticket was only for being in the park past curfew, and not for trespassing or anything else.
If you were to ask me how much money I would have to pay for a citation for being in a park past curfew, I would've guessed between $15 and $40. I voiced this to my co-ticketed partner, and shrugged and went back to the car parked on a side street.
My ticket, which I called today to find out about, costs $195. Why in the HELL would you charge people almost two hundred dollars to keep them out of a park? I could understand if I was still a minor. I could understand if I was causing mischief and mayhem up in the park. But I wasn't.
In conclusion, donations will be accepted to help me pay for an unreasonably huge ticket.
Not to mention I can't fight it in court, because I'm in cincinnati and it would cost at least half as much as my ticket to appear in court.
A ticket for speeding on the highway is $115. How the fuck do you justify that?
Fuck you, Lakewood.
