New York's Video Vigilante, Scourge of Parking Enforcers

The Washington Post ^ | 03 Aug 2008 | Keith B. Richburg

[BGHater]

He calls himself "Jimmy Justice," a self-styled "cop-arazzi," armed only with a video camera as he prowls the streets of New York looking for law enforcement officers who are breaking the law. His targets are illegally parked city government vehicles -- particularly cars of traffic cops blocking bus stops, sitting in "no parking" zones or double-parked.

Cop cars blocking fire hydrants make him particularly incensed.

"Something like that is just despicable," Jimmy fumed, pointing to a police enforcement vehicle parked next to a fire hydrant on 33rd Street on Manhattan's West Side on a muggy July afternoon. "They're never allowed to block a fire hydrant -- but they do it."

He posts his best videos on YouTube and sends regular e-mail to the union representing the city's traffic enforcement agents, pointing out the most egregious parking offenses. And he has gotten results, he said, with some parking enforcers being fined because of his videos.

"I'm using a video camera as a weapon," he said. "I believe a video does not lie."

He is a fairly big, stocky guy, and with his brusque and hectoring manner, he has been described as obnoxious, self-righteous and worse.

The man who calls himself "Jimmy Justice" roams New York with a video camera to find illegally parked government cars. He puts his videos online, trying to shame parking enforcers into obeying laws they ticket others for violating.

[BGHater]

"You can call it a vendetta if you want, because that's what it is," Jimmy said. "It's about the city's predatory policy of ticketing to raise revenue." When traffic enforcers park illegally, he said, "it's an unfair double standard."

'"We can have him arrested for menacing or stalking," Huntley said of Jimmy, signaling a possible new confrontation in the streets. "For too long, we've been abused by the public and the media. We're not going to be a punching bag anymore in New York City."'

Wow.

[thecabal]

'"We can have him arrested for menacing or stalking," Huntley said of Jimmy, signaling a possible new confrontation in the streets. "For too long, we've been abused by the public and the media. We're not going to be a punching bag anymore in New York City."'

Holy crap! That, to me, seems to be an admission that they plan on depriving Jimmy of his right of redress of grievances (as enumerated in the Constitution) under color of law.

Something similar happened here in the Portland area. A lawyer filed a citizen's complaint against a cop who was illegally parked so he could get the best parking spot for lunch. The cop's defense was that he had to park there in case he had to leave quickly on a call. The lawyer took the case all the way to court and won. The police union spokesmoron was foaming at the mouth on TV how this ruling was going to endanger everyone, and that people might end up dead after calling 911 because of all of the extra response time since Johnny Law couldn't park in the red zone at the local all-you-can-eat buffet anymore. Here's an idea, if those extra seconds really mattered (*snort* yeah right) then maybe they should be required to pack a lunch and eat it while sitting at the wheel, with the engine running (don't tell the greenies about that part).

[6SJ7]

'"We can have him arrested for menacing or stalking," Huntley said of Jimmy, signaling a possible new confrontation in the streets. "For too long, we've been abused by the public and the media. We're not going to be a punching bag anymore in New York City."'

Translation: laws are for the little people, and you're little people. Now shut the bleep up and pay!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said there will soon be a way for people with videos of crimes -- and incidents of police misconduct -- to send them directly to the police through 911.

Never to be seen again.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

"The use of force sometimes looks violent," said Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.

You couldn't make this stuff up.

[JoJo Gunn]

Herr Huntley’s getting a little too big for his britches.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Looks to me like somebody’s asking for a good tasering.

/FR JBT apologists

[mainestategop]

"We can have him arrested for menacing or stalking," Huntley said of Jimmy, signaling a possible new confrontation in the streets. "For too long, we've been abused by the public and the media. We're not going to be a punching bag anymore in New York City."'

Translation: We need to arrest him for exposing our hypocrisy and corruption Huntley said Jimmy, signaling a possible new confrontation on the streets. "for too long, we've been exposed by the public and the media. We're not going to be accountable anymore in New York City."

That's better. This dumb cop would make an excellent chief of police in Bangor Maine. The police there are complete wimps and softies and the left love them.

[Rome2000]

He's a moron.

The smartest thing he could do is buy a one way plane ticket to a free state and let those socialist animals eat each other alive.

King Bloombergs handmaidens from hell will end up suing him any day now.

He will change nothing, only a nuke blast and a fresh start can save that city.

[JZelle]

I saw his work a few weeks ago.

http://www.break.com/index/dumb-woman-cop-busted.html

[longtermmemmory]

the problem is that for certain types of business (financial etc.) you essentially have to be located in NYC to be relevant.

What we need more of is a technology solution to make physical location in NYC irrelevant.

[longtermmemmory]

the problem is that for certain types of business (financial etc.) you essentially have to be located in NYC to be relevant.

What we need more of is a technology solution to make physical location in NYC irrelevant.

[JoJo Gunn]

The more I think about it, the more it’s apparent that the self anointed “vigilante” is a showboating idiot. Instead of grasping the concept of letting the images speak for themselves, he wants to sometimes go in restaurants, etc, and make noise.

[B-Chan]

I feel sorry for this guy. He’s right, of course — cops consider themselves above the law — but that won’t save him. You don’t disrespect the Blue Gang and get away with it.

[kublia khan]

If General David Dinkens was still running the city this young fellow would be in the fish kill landfill and his damn camera would be erased clean sitting in the corner pawn shop or if it was a really good one in some cops house.