ULOG #8: Fighting for My Rights

Let me start out by saying that some of my best friends are police officers and I have the utmost respect for police officers and the work that they do.

With that being said, yesterday was difficult and it gets frustrating having to fight for my rights in daily life when living with PTSD.

I was pulled over by a police officer early afternoon yesterday for running a red light.

I was behind a public school bus and the driver ran a light that was already red and I was behind him so I followed behind him.

I didn’t realize the light was red until I was already in the intersection so there wasn’t anything I could’ve done at that point.

That particular intersection has been complained about many times for how low the traffic lights hang.

The police officer claims that I am the only one that ran the light and he never saw the bus in front of me. Ok fine.

Photo by Heather Mount on Unsplash

Calling the Courthouse

If I am found guilty of running the light and the judge determines that I deserve the ticket, that’s fine I guess and I will accept it.

Here’s the problem:

I live in a city that has a courthouse far smaller than we actually need and when you have a court appearance they pack as many people into the courtroom as possible during your time slot.

I don’t often bring up the fact that I have PTSD to complete strangers but there is absolutely no way that I can sit in a courtroom packed with strangers for who knows how long.

When I brought this up to the customer service rep on the phone for the courthouse, her answer was that I could prepay the fine and never step foot into the courthouse, I could write the judge a letter, or I could bring someone with me for emotional support the day of court.

Literally none of those options work for me because I feel that I have a right to be heard, just like every other American.

The rep told me that they have no options available for anyone that wants to plead their case but can’t sit in a crowded courtroom.

I literally spent hours on the phone with them yesterday offering multiple solutions but found no resolution.

The judge in charge of traffic court told me that I have to provide documentation from my doctor of my condition and limitations and then she will approach the local Supreme Court to determine what can be done.

The problem is that they may want me to sit in on the Supreme Court hearing. So, you want me to sit in a courtroom twice when I don’t want to sit in one once?

That doesn’t really make sense to me.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

To Pay or Not to Pay?

My sister wants me to just pay the fine and be done with it but I feel almost like I should stand for the rights of others like me that have just been bullied into paying the fines without having been heard.

So, do I pay or do I fight it?

That is the question right now.

I’d be okay with paying the fine but at this point I kinda want to fight to fix the system.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Ivy

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