Chicago Parking Ticket Resistance
Donation protected
If you've lived in the City of Chicago for a while, I'm willing to bet you have received at least one bullsh*t parking ticket. I have fallen victim to the City's unfair and unconstitutional parking enforcement rules more than once. And now I'm fighting back.
I am not fighting for myself, I am fighting for everyone. For many Chicagoans, these tickets can be economically disastrous. Imagine the single parent living paycheck to paycheck, or the elderly person on a fixed income trying to pay these tickets? After three unpaid parking tickets, you can lose your car! Losing your car might mean losing your job or your independence. And fighting your ticket can be prohibitively expensive. You might have to take time off of work, or even pay Court filing costs that exceed the cost of the ticket itself. The entire system of parking enforcement is stacked against you, and you're guilty until proven innocent.
In July of 2016, I received a ticket for $60 for parking during street sweeping. As the City did not appropriately post no-parking signs in advance, I contested this ticket. As an attorney, I was able to represent myself throughout the proceedings. I was shocked to learn that the current state of the law allows the City to post temporary no parking signs with almost no notice! They can "legally" post a no parking sign at 10:00 a.m. and issue a ticket one minute later at 10:01 a.m.
I contested my ticket and lost because the Judge said the City had a right to issue notice on the "same day" as ticketing. I then filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago alleging that the City's parking enforcement statute is unconstitutional. Specifically I argued that the City's law as written was vague, and the practice of issuing tickets without appropriate advance notice violated "due process" rights. I lost. Having conducted nearly 100 hours of research, analysis, and writing on this topic, I am convinced the Court is wrong. Now I am appealing the Circuit Court's decision to the Court of Appeals!
Court cases are time consuming and expensive. Although I am a lawyer and have represented myself thus far, I have now enlisted the assistance of attorney Mark Weinberg, a highly acclaimed and accomplished constitutional lawyer. Mr. Weinberg will now see this case through the appeals process and beyond.
If Mr. Weinberg wins, there is a real possibility that the City will be forced to change how they provide notice, and issue tickets. This change will benefit everyone! It is an uphill battle for sure, but it is one worth fighting. And if we put our resources together as a community, we can collectively see that justice is done. I need help paying for the costs of this appeal. Please consider contributing $5 to cover my costs. Together we can make Chicago a better place for all! *
* please note - in the unlikely event that any funds remain at the end of the legal proceedings, I will donate them to charity. I will not personally profit from any donations. Track the progress of Todd Kooperman v. City of Chicago, et. al. 2016-M1-625851 at:
https://courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/FindDock.aspx?NCase=&SearchType=2&Database=3&case_no=&Year=&div=&caseno=&PLtype=1&sname=Todd+Kooperman&CDate=
I am not fighting for myself, I am fighting for everyone. For many Chicagoans, these tickets can be economically disastrous. Imagine the single parent living paycheck to paycheck, or the elderly person on a fixed income trying to pay these tickets? After three unpaid parking tickets, you can lose your car! Losing your car might mean losing your job or your independence. And fighting your ticket can be prohibitively expensive. You might have to take time off of work, or even pay Court filing costs that exceed the cost of the ticket itself. The entire system of parking enforcement is stacked against you, and you're guilty until proven innocent.
In July of 2016, I received a ticket for $60 for parking during street sweeping. As the City did not appropriately post no-parking signs in advance, I contested this ticket. As an attorney, I was able to represent myself throughout the proceedings. I was shocked to learn that the current state of the law allows the City to post temporary no parking signs with almost no notice! They can "legally" post a no parking sign at 10:00 a.m. and issue a ticket one minute later at 10:01 a.m.
I contested my ticket and lost because the Judge said the City had a right to issue notice on the "same day" as ticketing. I then filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago alleging that the City's parking enforcement statute is unconstitutional. Specifically I argued that the City's law as written was vague, and the practice of issuing tickets without appropriate advance notice violated "due process" rights. I lost. Having conducted nearly 100 hours of research, analysis, and writing on this topic, I am convinced the Court is wrong. Now I am appealing the Circuit Court's decision to the Court of Appeals!
Court cases are time consuming and expensive. Although I am a lawyer and have represented myself thus far, I have now enlisted the assistance of attorney Mark Weinberg, a highly acclaimed and accomplished constitutional lawyer. Mr. Weinberg will now see this case through the appeals process and beyond.
If Mr. Weinberg wins, there is a real possibility that the City will be forced to change how they provide notice, and issue tickets. This change will benefit everyone! It is an uphill battle for sure, but it is one worth fighting. And if we put our resources together as a community, we can collectively see that justice is done. I need help paying for the costs of this appeal. Please consider contributing $5 to cover my costs. Together we can make Chicago a better place for all! *
* please note - in the unlikely event that any funds remain at the end of the legal proceedings, I will donate them to charity. I will not personally profit from any donations. Track the progress of Todd Kooperman v. City of Chicago, et. al. 2016-M1-625851 at:
https://courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/FindDock.aspx?NCase=&SearchType=2&Database=3&case_no=&Year=&div=&caseno=&PLtype=1&sname=Todd+Kooperman&CDate=
Organizer
Todd Kooperman
Organizer
Chicago, IL
