Posted on 12/09/2005 12:35:22 PM PST by doug from upland
After Years Outside Law, Diplomats Come In From Cold
POSTED: 12:43 pm EST December 9, 2005
NEW YORK -- For years, United Nations diplomats were notorious for running up millions of dollars in parking tickets -- then laughing off New York City's attempts to collect.
Diplomatic immunity meant there was little U.S. courts could do about it, but the city's thousands of foreign officials have largely changed their ways since a threatened crackdown three years ago.
New York's finance department says diplomats have gotten 90 percent fewer tickets since late 2002, when the U.S. threatened to revoke the plates of scofflaws and subtract however much they owed in fines from the foreign aid their countries received.
Those who do get citations have gotten better about paying the fines.
"When diplomats do receive tickets, they are contesting and paying them just like regular New Yorkers," Commissioner Martha Stark said.
Between April 1997 and October 2002, holders of diplomatic plates racked up more than 205,000 parking tickets in New York. About 18.1 million of those fines have yet to be paid.
The tally so outraged then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, he threatened to tow away diplomatic vehicles and sell them.
His successor, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, made political hay of the issue, too, before cutting a deal with the U.S. State Department in 2002 that implemented some of today's enforcement measures.
If NY would just get rid of the UN building, they wouldn't have this problem.
I wonder if it means that the majority of tickets were issued to diplomats from the second or third world countries, because when being threatened with aid cut, the number of tickets reduced drastically.
keep the building, the rodent infestation in the building is the problem. its prime time coop space overlooking the east river.
I always loved the line from the original Heavy Metal movie..."The UN building, what a dump, it was turned into low rent housing 50 years ago"......
As if we needed yet another reason to withdraw from the UN and toss their commie America-hating asses out of New York.
If San Francisco can ban military recruiters then NYC can and maybe should evict the UN.
A couple of decades back, one citizen took up the war against illegally parked cars with DPL, FC or UN plates in NYC. He would deflate the tires of cars parked at hydrants, in crosswalks and bus stops or double parked.
I like that.
Am I the only one this statment confused?
Great idea!
About 18.1 million of those fines ..... 18.1 millions of dollars in unpaid fines?
Maybe we can take out of the OIL for FOOD profits.
That makes sense.
lmao... anyone remember LethalWeapon? Mel's answer to the bad guy saying "Diplomatic Immunity!!"
Mel: Bang!!!!!
IIRC the NY Daily News called him the "Phantom."
Of course it may have been more than one person. This went on for quite a while.
" On Thursday, the only obvious parking violators near the U.N. appeared to be cars bearing regular New York plates illegally parked in spots reserved for diplomats.
Whatever! Nothing makes New Yorkers more angry than to learn that they are no more special than anyone else in the city, state, country, or world. Where WERE the UN people SUPPOSED to park with ILLEGALS in their spots???
people in glass houses!!!
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