Ocean Grover senior citizen saves a space for him and his wife. Would you call the police? Blogfinger photo. Summer, 2021.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.
Some of you may be familiar with NextDoor, an app for people who live around here. Today a Grover named Jim Douglas posted a picture of an OG home with two cones in front. He doesn’t like the idea of saving spaces in this manner, but that’s not the point of this post.
We have published many articles about the cone issue. And in those articles we beat this topic to death. But If you must rehash this subject, go to the links below which contain many citizen opinions.
The bottom line is that Grovers have innovated a variety of ways to save parking spaces and a variety of reasons to do so. Most are taxpayers and residents who do it as self-defense against tourist glut and unavailable parking at times.
The ultimate way to save spaces is to offer parking permits to residents.
However, among the NextDoor cone commenters today is Andy Levine, the leader of the Ocean Grove Better Parking Alliance, who, amazingly, advocates calling the police anonymously if you see a Grover saving a space with cones.
This is his quote: from NextDoor: “The placement of cones, garbage cans, or other items to save parking spaces is illegal. The best way to address a violation is to call the Neptune Police Department. You can report the problem anonymously if desired.”
As you know, there are many reasons why someone might use cones such as a medical emergency, an urgent need to get to the pharmacy or grocery or doctors office, debility and age limitations; and saving a snow space that you personally shoveled out or paid to have done. These sorts of issues become more acute when there is parking glut or a snowstorm in town.
Local rules and ordinances are often violated in the Grove and most of them are ignored. And we Grovers usually don’t call the police to resolve our issues with neighbors.
Unless there is a life at stake or some dire emergency, no resident should be calling the police about their neighbors’ cones, and if they do, they should not do so anonymously.
That a person who puts himself out as fair, knowledgeable, and a fine citizen would offer this suggestion is not only shocking, but he should resign immediately from his self-appointed position as a community leader.
HOT SARDINES: this is for Andy, a guy whose footprint is too big.
Andy Levine: We don’t deny the ordinance, so there is no reason to repeat it here. We already quoted you from NextDoor. And we did not advocate “negotiating” with anybody.
We did advocate not reporting neighbors to the police.
The fact is that Neptune fails to enforce that ordinance and many others in the Grove such as not posting fliers on poles or ticketing a diagonally parked large truck that sticks out onto a street or blocking a space with construction materials.
So if we don’t get equal justice under the law, then why go after our neighbors, the Coneheads?
Going after the Coneheads will not improve parking here one iota; it is small potatoes—-low hanging fruit and not worth the time of the NTPD who have real crimes to contend with.
Let those who would report Coneheads to the police also report other ordinance deniers as well. They are found all over town.
Here’s the actual ordinance. If you choose to attempt to negotiate a solution with your neighbor, that’s fine. But when that is not possible, the next option is to report the violation directly. Again, you can use your name or report anonymously. That’s your choice.
§ 13-3.1
Permit Required.
[Ord. No. 151 § 1]
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to display, exhibit, deposit or maintain or cause to be displayed, exhibited, deposited or maintained in or on any of the streets, avenues, highways or sidewalks of the Township any goods, wares, merchandise, building materials, encroachments, encumbrances or obstructions of any kind or character without first obtaining from the Township Committee, or its duly authorized agent, a permit so to do.
Retribution is a concern when reporting neighbors. Negotiation does not always work. People can be selfish in OG often cloaking themselves in Christianity. The noise makers and parking hogs can always find ways to justify their behavior at the expense of others.
The moral answer is this: It’s not your space. It is the public property of Neptune Township, open to the public, and free to anyone to use.
Any private use cones are a deception designed to provide space for private use,without government authority. The deceptions of cones just hurts credibility working toward real, sustainable and lasting solutions. It just makes us looks like cranks.
Parking permits for residents. That’s it.
RE: Anonymous calls to police. On the South side of OG not once but twice, police were called on me anonymously for “illegal dumping” in town’s public garbage cans.
The first time was for hedge clippings. An armful. Second time was for broken up pieces of sheet rock: about 6x 1’x1.5′ pieces. Wow! Guess I did not meet persons definition of garbage .
Fortunately police did not give me a ticket.
Anonymous calls are cowardly. I thought in America one had the right to know and face their accuser; guess not in OG.