Posted on 04/27/2002 10:13:38 PM PDT by tgslTakoma
It's now been a week and a day since The Patriots Rally for America, and Gore_ War_ Vet's truck is still MIA somewhere in our nations capital; thanks to some unknown tow truck driver on the city of DC payroll.
Gore_ War_ Vet and I had unloaded all our rally supplies from our vehicles at the rally site on Constitution Avenue at 7:30am last Saturday, April 20th, and we then headed off to find parking. Parking on Constitution Avenue is usually allowed, but the street was marked with "Emergency - No Parking" signs because the radical left's pro-intifada demonstration was going to culminate in a march down that street.
I left the rally site to find a spot for my truck on a side street and found one on 15th street, just north of the Constitution Avenue intersection. There was one other spot still open at that location so I called up Angelwood and told her to let Gore_ War_ Vet know. He parked the truck, we both double-checked to see that there were no restrictions on parking there and that the meters did not need to be fed on a Saturday. All was well, or so we thought.
Apparently someone within the DC Government decided, after we had parked there, that they should have posted those "Emergency - No Parking" signs on 15th Street. So at some point during the day they did just that. And our vehicles were towed.
I found out that my truck was missing after I got back from walking Niger Innis to Trueblackman's car (and then driving him in Tbm's car to Union Station to catch his train back to NYC). I then began my search for my vehicle, not knowing that Gore_ War_ Vet had already been searching (in vain) for his truck as well.
I spoke to a DC cop who said that Park Service did all the towing on that area's streets, so I went up to a Park Police officer... who gave me a phone number to call at Park Police HQ. I called them and they said, "Nope, it wasn't us. It was DC." So then I go back to another DC officer who tells me that they usually just tow cars a few blocks away and leave them; and he gives me yet another phone number to a DC office, which it turns out is closed on weekends. By this time word has gotten back to the FReeper cleanup crew that GWV has also "lost" his truck, so BufordP, Taxman and others begin to cruise nearby streets looking for the missing vehicles. Angelwood loaned me her car and I found a wonderful, helpful, friendly, compassionate lady DC cop (praise the Lord!) who made a few calls and found out just who did what, and she gave me a number to call that had a real person on the other end of the line!
The woman I spoke with got my tag info from me, corrected me when I said the car had been towed ("No ma'am. Your car wasn't towed. It was moved") and told me where I could find my truck (800 block of Constitution Ave, by the Archives); so off we went to find it. Taxman drove me and GWV to get our vehicles. You see, we had figured that since we were parked only two cars away from one another, that they'd be in close proximity to one another at the drop site. Silly us! I found my truck right where the woman said it was, but GWV's was nowhere to be found. Taxman drove him around for another half hour or so, and still no truck.
Gore_ War_ Vet had left his vehicle papers in his vehicle, so he didn't have tag info to give the DC folks to get specific location info; that he had to do after he got to his home...much, much later. He did end up speaking with a few members of MPD who were sympathetic to his plight, and they sheepishly suggested that the only way they could look for the truck would be if he reported it stolen! They knew how absurd that sounded, but they also knew how DC Government "organization" works.
We were tired and hungry, so we reconnoitered at the Hotel Washington for dinner. After dinner, BufordP drove GWV around all over downtown DC looking for the missing truck, with no luck. So Buford drove GWV home (a couple-hour drive, thank you BufordP for being the good guy you are).
The rest of the specifics of the story can be filled in by Gore _ War_ Vet, because it really is a doozy, and he knows it all too well. The short of it is that his truck is still missing. DC has no idea where it is. They gave him two different locations... but no truck there.
So, while no persons were injured or arrested during the Patriots Rally, it does appear that we did have one casualty. And the topper is that DC doesn't seem to be too terribly interested in helping GWV find his vehicle - that they misplaced!
It was truly an honor.
But that would make sense.
Leni
I have sent a message to Chief Ramsey, hope your truck shows up soon!
I refuse to speak on the grounds that it might tend to incriminate me.
This in reference to your Email dated April 28, 2002, requesting assistance for your friend in recovery of their vehicle. If the vehicle was towed by the Metropolitan Police Department every effort is made to contact the owner to advise of the location and how to retrieve their vehicle. Your friend may begin by calling our Tele-Communications Branch on 202-727-2226. Advise your friend to have all vehicle descriptive and registration information availble to assist in checking for a log of the vehicle's relocation.
Thank for taking the time to forward your request and the opportunity to be of assistance.
Charles H. Ramsey
Chief of Poli
Go figure. Gotta make a few calls now.
I swear on my honour as a member in good standing of the DC Chapter of FreeRepublic.com
The number is not in service
Unbelievable! You must be so frustrated, I feel for you GWV!
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