Was this ticket really necessary? I got...

Was this ticket really necessary?

I got a traffic ticket Monday for committing the crime of beeping

my horn in support of striking workers in front of Vons on San

Fernando Boulevard.

Has it really come to this? The police officer said, “Besides,

there’s too much noise in this town anyway,” as he handed me my

citation. It read, “Excessive use of horn: no traffic hazard

present.”

Now I’ve heard of the traffic law that roughly states that one

should only use his or her horn to prevent traffic accidents. But I

haven’t ever heard of that law being used to quell the enthusiasm of

those who wish to demonstrate their support for the weary grocery

store picketers.

Perhaps Burbank is becoming a town a little too fixated on cutting

out the noise, almost in a dictatorial sense. Some of my friends, who

are much hipper than I, make fun of me for being a homeowner in

Burbank, but I have held strong that it is a great place to raise a

family and has a history of creativity and diversity sprouting from

the local entertainment industry.

Even though I went to UC Berkeley, where civil disobedience is a

way of life, I’m not expecting Burbank Police to toss all laws by the

wayside on a whim. But when we hand out traffic citations for

cheering on our workers, the people who literally put food on our

table, have we lost sight of the kind of town we want for our

children? Let me hear you, Burbank residents.

ELAINE AHMAD

Burbank