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