Keep Those License Plates on, or Join the Force!

Let me start at the beginning. During a typical lunch meeting in San Francisco I received a parking ticket... or so I thought. It turns out after weeks of putting it off, I went to pay this unfortunate ticket and discovered I had misunderstood the ticket. The ticket was a correctable citation for having no front license plate. A simple mistake that was soon to be corrected.

In order to take care of this ticket prior to the deadline I had two options:
1) Get the ticket signed by a local police officer and then mail the citation to San Francisco headquarters.
2) Or, knowing what I do about our mail systems, I decided to go to headquarters myself and take care of the situation.

Naively, I traveled towards South Van Ness and arrived at the SFMTA (San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency) location. I figured everything could be taken care of at that one specific location. Not true. I was told I still needed a police officer to sign off on the ticket regardless.

I was left with a new proposal:
1) I could find the local police station in SF.
2) Or, travel down Market Street to find one of the many cops on patrol.

Obviously, I chose the latter.

I headed down Market and luckily ran into a cop. I had noticed that this particular officer was being questioned by another young gentlemen with a piece of paper and I assumed he was in a similar situation. So, I immediately pulled over.

"Hello officer, I believe I might be in the same situation as the gentleman you were just talking to. I have a correctable citation ticket I need to have signed."

The officer responded, "No. He is waiting for someone. Step out of the car."

I eagerly got out of my car, happy to not have to be driving around anymore looking for a cop and also happy to almost be rid of this citation. When I approached the officer I noticed him standing above what appeared to be a member of the homeless community curled up, asleep, on the ground next to a cart full of his belongings.

Another man approached. A worker from the San Francisco Public Works Department questioned the officer if this was everything to be taken away? The officer nodded and the cart began to slowly be hauled away. Just as the cart started to move the homeless guy awoke, surprised and in a grumbling he shouted, "NOOOO!"

Just then, the police officer handed me his booklet, my citation, and everything else that was in his hands and reprimanded the guy on the ground. As the officer continues to hand cuff this man, the man yells at the cop, "This is bullsh*t, you suck-ass! I'll be out in half a day, suck-ass."

The officer laughed, as he retaliated with, "You need to get some new material buddy," again interrupted with another "Suck-ass," from the unruly homeless guy.

As the man sat on the cement sidewalk, the officer came back to me and began examining my car and my newly attached front license plate. Confused, I handed the cop my registration as he had asked while trying not to look directly at the homeless guy for fear of him handing me a button from his winter coat and cursing me, subsequently dragging me to hell.

Before the officer could finish signing my ticket, he kept my information and began yelling at the Public Works worker who was driving away. The worker still needed to provide his information to the cop as well. Before he could finish the exchange another police officer arrived!

Walking towards the homeless guy, "Oh yeah, this guy. I booked him about two weeks ago. Pretty good warrant out for him too. Bout $25,000 now," said the new cop as he approached the handcuffed man on the sidewalk. Both cops drag this homeless guy to their squad car to frisk him and pulled out what appeared to be drugs from his pockets.

It was hard to hear over all of this man's ranting (I'll spare you the colorful details) but I was questioned at this point by an Asian woman walking down the street.

She asked, "What happened?" Puzzled myself, I responded, "I don't know." The woman was most likely confused as to why I was standing so close to all that was happening; as was I. But, the officer still had my registration and citation I needed signed.

After the man was placed into the back of the car. The officer re-approached me and apologized for the inconvenience. I quickly apologized as well, unknowing placing myself in the middle of warranted arrest proceedings on the middle of Market Street.

After I left I headed back to the SFMTA. I waited there for sometime hoping that my current meter outside would not expire and know that I would then have to deal with everything again all too soon. After paying the small correction fee I raced outside. With an expired meter and an amazing story to tell. I got in my car, ticket free, and headed home.