Skokie to consider compromise on taxi parking ban

Responding to an outpouring of angry protests by Skokie taxi drivers, the Village Board has agreed to consider amending a new ban that would prohibit cabs from parking in the village.

[reza santorini]

It's not a racist decision, it is a quality of life decision. I don't like looking out my window and feeling like I am living in the middle of a mall lot, or industrial parking area. I take great pride in how my home, back and front yard look.

The Village regulates how tall my grass should be, etc. All to accomodate those of us that care. This is a nice middle class suburb not a small village where people park old cars and such on their lots, or store old motor vehicles. I don't think it is racist but cultural.

And, the statement regarding "working" people or lower class just validates the belief that poor people don't care about where they live. I resent that. I work hard for my money, saved for my house and want it to look and feel like I am not in a slum.

[reza santorini]

Leroy Brown wrote:

Skokie .......... Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahah aahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!!!!!

Leroy ... Skokie is very black and brown and
culturally integrated. Just drive by the
Niles High School...it is something to be proud of.

[Crazy George]

Those crazy goofy Skokie skokes.

[Mister B]

I think that banning cabs, pickup trucks and commercial vans from parking in Skokie IS regressive.

I want to live in a mixed community--seems like these regulations are meant to keep Skokie in some type of Beaver Cleaver 1950's suburb where no one has a blue collar job.

[reza santorini]

Mister B. You live in a mixed community it just isn't a farm town, or a redneck area.

If you like a mixed community and you don't mean religion and color, than
move to the south of Illinois. We have some wonderful towns down south...great schools too. And the taxes are cheaper.

Hey have you considered building a garage or driveway for your equipment.

[Anonymous]

reza santorini wrote:

It's not a racist decision, it is a quality of life decision. I don't like looking out my window and feeling like I am living in the middle of a mall lot, or industrial parking area. I take great pride in how my home, back and front yard look.
The Village regulates how tall my grass should be, etc. All to accomodate those of us that care. This is a nice middle class suburb not a small village where people park old cars and such on their lots, or store old motor vehicles. I don't think it is racist but cultural.
And, the statement regarding "working" people or lower class just validates the belief that poor people don't care about where they live. I resent that. I work hard for my money, saved for my house and want it to look and feel like I am not in a slum.

Apparently you don't realize the strict regulations on taxi cabs. By law, taxis are required to be regularly inspected by the city, and even something minor like a small scratch can cause the cab to fail. And a taxi must be retired after 5 years or so.
If they're an eyesore, then so are buses, trucks, pizza delivery cars, and all the other vehicles with ads and stuff on them. It's totally racist.

[reza santorini]

Racist...what race owns the taxi business.

And, if there was any regulation for taxis it would be that the drivers could speak my language and know the city. Additionally, buses, delivery cars and trucks are not allowed to park on streets in non-business areas. Is it racist to choose to live where business is not the driving force..or not live next to a bar or brothel or even the Social Security office. It is a life style choice and I choose not to live where people don't respect the "look" of their neighborhood. And, by the way, my house is smaller and not as post because I chose to live in this area that has these attributes. So move to a place that allows you to live as you want and let me live as I want, I pay taxes and premium rents which is a value I choose.

[Mr Tang]

IS THIS A NEW STORY????

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...

Flossmoor Journal; For Pickup, No Parking In Its Own Driveway

By DIRK JOHNSON, SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: November 13, 1989

When they pass Jim Minx's driveway, some people scoff and roll their eyes. Others lament the decline of standards. One resident became so incensed that he took pictures of the awful sight to Village Hall, demanding action at once.
''But gee,'' said Mr. Minx,''it's only a pickup truck.''
A pickup truck, indeed, parked blatantly in the driveway, a clear violation of law in this affluent Chicago suburb.
Mr. Minx said he found it puzzling that Flossmoor residents were not offended by the presence of pickup trucks owned by carpenters, bricklayers and plumbers who come into the village to do repairs.
''I guess it's all right to hire tradesmen,'' he said,''just so that they don't live here.''

[Mr Tang]

Flossmoor Journal; For Pickup, No Parking In Its Own Driveway

By DIRK JOHNSON, SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

Published: November 13, 1989

When they pass Jim Minx's driveway, some people scoff and roll their eyes. Others lament the decline of standards. One resident became so incensed that he took pictures of the awful sight to Village Hall, demanding action at once.

"But gee," said Mr. Minx, "it's only a pickup truck."

A pickup truck, indeed, parked blatantly in the driveway, a clear violation of law in this affluent Chicago suburb.

Flossmoor, an old community of 8,000 people, is known for good schools, well-tended lawns and expensive cars. It is not known for pickup trucks. As a real estate agent fretted, "What will my clients think?"

Until March, it was illegal to keep a pickup truck even in one's own garage. The law was then liberalized so pickups may now be kept in "an enclosed garage."

Mr. Minx said he would be happy to put the truck, a small, well-maintained Mazda, in his garage. "But I'm remodeling the house," he explained, "and my garage is full of furniture."

So he keeps parking the truck in his driveway, and Flossmoor police keep giving him tickets.

But Mr. Minx has not been paying them. Instead, he has filed suit in Federal District Court in Chicago, charging that his civil rights have been violated. "It is my truck and my driveway," he said. "I pay my taxes. I have my rights." The flap over Mr. Minx's truck has stirred passionate debate in Flossmoor, where some houses are valued at more than $1 million.

In the view of many residents, Mr. Minx is destroying an old established sense of esthetics here. They worry that the presence of pickup trucks might hurt property values. The presence of pickups could create "a slum environment," John A. Komer warned in a letter to The Star, the local newspaper.
Mayor Frank Maher said many residents of Flossmoor, once home to executives of the steel companies, simply find pickup trucks "offensive."
"What if somebody's got a truck with wheelbarrows or lumber sticking out of it?'' he said. "Nobody wants to look at that."
Richard Rosenthal, a leader of the anti-truck residents, said he does not so much mind new trucks "when they're nice and shiny." But they inevitably become "rusty and bumpy."
Mr. Minx says such a rationale discriminates against trucks. "What about rusty, bumpy cars?" he asks.
Mr. Rosenthal and others say Mr. Minx misses the point.
"In Flossmoor," Mr. Rosenthal said, "people do not have rusty, bumpy cars."

[Mr Tang]

Have you read about this old story?

Flossmoor Journal; For Pickup, No Parking In Its Own Driveway

By DIRK JOHNSON, SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: November 13, 1989

When they pass Jim Minx's driveway, some people scoff and roll their eyes. Others lament the decline of standards. One resident became so incensed that he took pictures of the awful sight to Village Hall, demanding action at once.

"But gee," said Mr. Minx, "it's only a pickup truck."

A pickup truck, indeed, parked blatantly in the driveway, a clear violation of law in this affluent Chicago suburb.

Flossmoor, an old community of 8,000 people, is known for good schools, well-tended lawns and expensive cars. It is not known for pickup trucks. As a real estate agent fretted, "What will my clients think?"

Until March, it was illegal to keep a pickup truck even in one's own garage. The law was then liberalized so pickups may now be kept in "an enclosed garage."

Mr. Minx said he would be happy to put the truck, a small, well-maintained Mazda, in his garage. "But I'm remodeling the house," he explained, "and my garage is full of furniture."

So he keeps parking the truck in his driveway, and Flossmoor police keep giving him tickets.

[reza santorini]

And, he is breaking the law...

Other people, including the neighbors have rights too. Maybe he should store his furniture, for that is part of the problem.

[Mr Tang]

You might want to read the constitutions again.

http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Opinions/3D05-28...

[Mr Tang]

"There is no lawful basis for this restriction of the freedom of the residents of the City. The City seeks to justify it as an allegedly appropriate exercise of its general police power over the safety, morals and general well-being of its citizens and the particular authority to regulate zoning and land use in the city.... that the only proposed and even arguable rationales for this use of the power entirely fail the requirement for a discernible rational relationship between a municipal regulation and the advancement of a governmental goal the City has a right to promote or the discouragement of what it has a right to restrict.

http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Opinions/3D05-28...

[Mike Foulks]

I attended the meeting in Skokie and I think that the Board made a very good compromise to accomodate as many residents concerns as possible at this time. I'm very impressed with Skokie and the decision reached last night actually surprised me and has me ready to attack any ill-informed notion that Skokie is an us-and-them community. All of Skokie should be proud to have Sayeed Ilyas as a neighbor...if there was no compromise reached...then perhaps a fine man like Sayeed Ilyas would be forced to live someplace else...and that would be a loss for Skokie.

This guy speaks from the heart and isn't only interested in his "view", he's concerned about all the residents of Skokie, including the cabdrivers who weren't accomodated last night, and the legitimate concerns of those opposed to any taxi parking permission.

It's sad that some of the legitimate concerns are muddled by the latent racism and classism apparent to most of those sharp enough to detect it. I think it is important to remember that we are to be considered equally in our Government. Those who object to last night's decision can support different people come Election Day.

I urge all Skokie cabdrivers who were helped by last night's decision to do their civic duty and register to vote as soon as possible if they aren't already, and to write down the names of the Trustees who helped you to be sure to remember them when they are up for your vote.

It would also be nice to send them a hand-written thank you card.

[Sayed Ilyas]

The waiver in the ordinance for taxicab parking was in place for last few decades and there was a reason for that. The taxicab business is not run from the taxis parked in the street, drive way or parking pads. This business has its own uniqueness which separates the cabs from other commercial vehicles and this is a very long debate for which one has to go through all the intricacies involved with running a cab business. If somebody feel taxicabs are eyesores, please go and see an eye doctor or wake up to the realities of new world. If you read those ridiculous complaints upon which the city considered withdrawal of the exemptions for the taxi cabs to park in Streets of the village you will know these people are still living in old ages and want to drive out one particular community from the village. Intentionally or not the impact of the new taxicab ban was falling on a small community of professional cab drivers, who at least have some morals of refusing to even answer the inflammatory remarks mentioned in the complaints. It is not because they are chicken, but the virtues of the good values they have brought along with their cultures prevents them from even entering the field of malice and hatred. Everybody has a right to say his opinion, but if it is based on racial lines or discrimination towards a group either it be because of their profession, economic status or race it is wrong. City has a right promulgate ordinances for all the reasons in the world, but one should remember that the city has also the responsibility to take care of every community residing within its jurisdiction.

[Sayed Ilyas]

Mr. Mike Foulks, Thank you very much for your comments about me. I and my fellow cab drivers truly appreciate and acknowledge your views regarding the taking care of civic duties by cab drivers.

[KST]

discrimination is not the answer, if anyone wanna see only beautiful expensive cars in front of thier home and not any taxis and it is eyesores, then move out of skokie and live in somewhere where there is no taxi anywhere. just don't tell others to move out!what a racism and discriminatory is this!

cab drivers should not be made to walk miles or blocks to park somewhere and go to their home!

low life junk idea to ban such!

[k from bc canada]

reza santorini wrote:

And, he is breaking the law...
Other people, including the neighbors have rights too. Maybe he should store his furniture, for that is part of the problem.

there once was a time when it was illegal for african americans to marry whites and vise versa. There was also a time when beating women and children was considered a family affair and not the business of the law. These are but two examples of bigotry that were it not for the assistance of legislation to change those behaviors, we would still be accepting those events today as a normal part of our lives. Changing behavior through legislation (when there is no other alternative) causes behavior to change thus creating cognitive dissonance resulting in changes in attitudes. Stopping parking of pick up trucks is about more than projecting what may come about. In order to validate ourselves we often need to feel we excell at something or are different in a positive way. It would be nice to feel good about being accepting and respectful to everyone no matter where they work, what their income, color sexual orientation and so on.
This is sent with the utmost respect for readers.
thank you

[OmegaWolf747]

Why do citizens allow bureaucrats to pass laws about what can be done with their own property? If a person wants to park their pickup truck in their driveway, isn't that their right?

[Wanna]

I remember this clown. He lost.