Man Fined for Sitting on Grass
- 11 years ago
Most people don’t think twice about sitting on the grass in a public park, especially if there’s no sign warning them not to. However, a Montreal man learned differently when he sat under a tree in Serge Garant Park.
Most people don’t think twice about sitting on the grass in a public park, especially if there’s no sign warning them not to. However, a Montreal man learned differently when he sat under a tree in a city park.
Police nicely asked Francois Gendron to find another seat. According to Francois, “They told me we do not have the right to sit on the grass in Montreal parks…I accepted to move but 10 minutes later the police left so I returned because I wasn’t comfortable in the sunshine." When police saw he ignored their warning, they gave him a ticket for $147.
Police say they try to protect the grass from damage, and most people they warn go along with the law. They also want to be fair in giving tickets to everyone since they ticket the homeless youth. The neighborhood is reportedly troubled by drugs and violence.
Local youth say police are harassing them by giving too many tickets for minor offenses. One former homeless teen estimated he got more than $2,000 in fines within 2 weeks while another homeless pregnant woman said her last fine was $356 for spitting.
Are police going overboard or are their actions justified?
Most people don’t think twice about sitting on the grass in a public park, especially if there’s no sign warning them not to. However, a Montreal man learned differently when he sat under a tree in a city park.
Police nicely asked Francois Gendron to find another seat. According to Francois, “They told me we do not have the right to sit on the grass in Montreal parks…I accepted to move but 10 minutes later the police left so I returned because I wasn’t comfortable in the sunshine." When police saw he ignored their warning, they gave him a ticket for $147.
Police say they try to protect the grass from damage, and most people they warn go along with the law. They also want to be fair in giving tickets to everyone since they ticket the homeless youth. The neighborhood is reportedly troubled by drugs and violence.
Local youth say police are harassing them by giving too many tickets for minor offenses. One former homeless teen estimated he got more than $2,000 in fines within 2 weeks while another homeless pregnant woman said her last fine was $356 for spitting.
Are police going overboard or are their actions justified?