Seattle judge rules man's truck is his home...

[ZoNiE]

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...-rules-seattle-homeless-mans-truck-is-a-home/

 

[sephson]

I'm of two minds on this one. On the one hand a city absolutely should have the right to enforce parking ordinances such as the 72 hour rule which is the standard for most cities. On the other hand $900 in impound fees is more than just a little excessive. Even the decreased $557 impound fees are too high to be considered reasonable.

Something we all need to remember when we're "urban boondocking" is that no matter where we park, we are guests in the area, and uninvited ones at that. As such we need to be on our best behavior at all times. Yes, I understand that the man in the article was having mechanical issues, but mechanical issues do not extend parking limits. As for whether or not they should, the parking enforcement officers do have some discretion in enforcing parking regulations, but that discretion is not unlimited. There comes a point where, regardless of compassion, they have to enforce the rules.

 

[ZoNiE]

I did a little research regarding homesteading, but it only seems to apply to land...

 

[lenny flank]

According to other press reports, he had been living on that street for five months.

(sigh) It's dumbasses like that who provoke all the laws against dwelling and parking.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Washington state law already had definitions on place saying that *anything* you reside in is your "home"... cardboard box, tent, car, whatever. That home can even be defended with lethal force and is constitutionally protected under the 4th amendment. It is no surprise that the judge re-affirmed state law in this traffic law case. Im happy to hear someone decided to stand up and sue... good for him.

 

[lenny flank]

I'm not seeing anything new in this case. The case law on vehicles as a home is already all over the map--some jurisdictions consider a vehicle to be a "domicile" and some don't--and some consider an RV a "domicile" but not other vehicles.

Until some Federal court rules on the issue, it will remain all over the map.

 

[sephson]

Thank you for the clarification Van-Tramp. I was not aware of this law. That somewhat shifts my opinion in favor of the man who's vehicle was impounded, not completely though.

I still believe that regardless of laws that may allow vehicle dwellers to park longer than would otherwise be allowed, we all have a responsibility to act as good neighbors and guests when we stay in any given area. Part of that responsibility is to not outstay our welcome.

 

[lenny flank]

I'm not seeing anything that allows anyone to park beyond the limits, or prevents anyone from being towed for doing so. The ruling says that they couldn't charge fees that were too high, and that they couldn't sell the vehicle if the fees were not paid.

And I quite agree with you--to a vandweller, ANYTHING that attracts attention to you is a bad idea.

 

[[email protected]]

My hometown of Denison Texas makes quite a tidy profit from impounding Towing and then auction and cars. That's part of the reason I left, the place is just over policed! As far as I can tell many towns in Texas are based around the prison industry!

If you have a limited income and you travel to Texas I recommend that you stay away from urban areas.

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[lenny flank]

I dunno--I spent several months in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, and had no problems in any of them.

 

[[email protected]]

Google "Texas debtors prisons". The current law in Texas is that if you are accused of a misdemeanor they may put you on "conditions of bond" and retain you in the state for 2 years. It is the craziest thing I've ever seen. This is really happening to people, it happened to me and I've met many other people that it's happened to. Of course it doesn't happen to everyone that goes to Texas!

I am a native-born Texan
by the way, I am speaking from actual experience.

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[Rayd888]

"For now, Long is unsure about his long-term plans. The high cost of living has put him off finding another apartment. “I don’t really like to pay rent anymore,” he said."

More and more people I know who live in "normal housing" tell me they feel exactly the same about paying rent - and utilities too.

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[DLTooley]

‘It’ happened to me in Seattle, the only Town that has had a US Attorney assasinated. Tom Wales was also a neighborhood leader in addition to being a senior white collar prosecutor. It is quite curious how none of the right wing white collar defenders have been investigated.

Even the best courts are still corrupt.