Parking extortion?! I need some good advice

[gettin'wet]

I'm hoping some of you guys can help me sort this out, and if any of you LEOs out there have any input that would be most appreciated.

I am being extorted for money by a neighbor with an ugly car/trailer. He's parked his car in front of my house (which is for sale) and he's refusing to move it without me paying him 'a couple hundred dollars'.

Here's the long version...

I'm trying to sell my parents' home for them as they have been going through a hard time. There's a guy who lives somewhere in our neighborhood who has these two beat-up old hobby cats on a trailer hitched up to an old beater van. It's been parked in various spots on my street for the last 6 or 7 years. I always figured the guy had nowhere to put them so I never made a fuss.

Well, last week for the first time since we've lived there, he moved the rig and parked it directly in front of my house. Between the van, the trailer, and the hobby cats hanging off the back (a good 40' in length)... it's basically taking up the whole length of my curb except for the driveway.

It's a huge eyesore and it's really hurting my marketing of the house. And he's done this on purpose. I left him a polite note explaining that I am trying to sell the house and that I would really appreciate it if he could move the rig down the street or at least across the street. He responded with a note of his own in which he said he needed 'a couple hundred bucks' to do that.

I don't take kindly to this kind of B.S. I am pretty certain that if I call this guy I will just blow my top and make it worse. I have about a thousand things I'd like to say/do to this A-hole that I would never mention on the internet. You can imagine how frustrating it is to have this P.O.S. person trying to take advantage of me like this. I know that the easiest thing to do is to just give in and pay him, but then I don't have any assurance that he won't ask for more money again in a week or two. :(

I need to know what recourse I have. I know there's an ordinance in L.A. County that requires the car to be moved every 3 days, but what if he just moves it a few feet each day? Does this P.O.S. really have me by the balls or is there something I can do here?

Help me guys, I need to get rid of this guy right away. My family has too much hinging on this sale, I can't afford this complication.

[2859Tim]

I'm hoping some of you guys can help me sort this out, and if any of you LEOs out there have any input that would be most appreciated.

I am being extorted for money by a neighbor with an ugly car/trailer. He's parked his car in front of my house (which is for sale) and he's refusing to move it without me paying him 'a couple hundred dollars'.

Here's the long version...

I'm trying to sell my parents' home for them as they have been going through a hard time. There's a guy who lives somewhere in our neighborhood who has these two beat-up old hobby cats on a trailer hitched up to an old beater van. It's been parked in various spots on my street for the last 6 or 7 years. I always figured the guy had nowhere to put them so I never made a fuss.

Well, last week for the first time since we've lived there, he moved the rig and parked it directly in front of my house. Between the van, the trailer, and the hobby cats hanging off the back (a good 40' in length)... it's basically taking up the whole length of my curb except for the driveway.

It's a huge eyesore and it's really hurting my marketing of the house. And he's done this on purpose. I left him a polite note explaining that I am trying to sell the house and that I would really appreciate it if he could move the rig down the street or at least across the street. He responded with a note of his own in which he said he needed 'a couple hundred bucks' to do that.

I don't take kindly to this kind of B.S. I am pretty certain that if I call this guy I will just blow my top and make it worse. I have about a thousand things I'd like to say/do to this A-hole that I would never mention on the internet. You can imagine how frustrating it is to have this P.O.S. person trying to take advantage of me like this. I know that the easiest thing to do is to just give in and pay him, but then I don't have any assurance that he won't ask for more money again in a week or two. :(

I need to know what recourse I have. I know there's an ordinance in L.A. County that requires the car to be moved every 3 days, but what if he just moves it a few feet each day? Does this P.O.S. really have me by the balls or is there something I can do here?

Help me guys, I need to get rid of this guy right away. My family has too much hinging on this sale, I can't afford this complication.

Very tough to resolve a situation like that. I saw this type thing happen in my neighborhood many years ago..The house for sale was vacant...In that situation it was a scumbag neighbor's motorhome (back before the typical no RV Laws were put in place)...It ended up solving itself without conflict as the motorhome ended up catching fire somehow..Sometimes things just work themselves out..Hope things work out for you.

[Nerka]

Is the registration current? Yes he needs to move it every 2-3 days depending on your area, normally they have to move it at least 0.1 miles. I'd suggest start photographing the car and trailer and record the mileage. Then call your local police station, ask to speak with a parking supervisor and explain the situation including the extortion claim. You best bet is to get a hold of the highest ranking police official you can and bug the sh*t out of them until this thing gets moved. If your parents have any neighbors that would be willing to call in that would help too.

[Hungry1]

File a complaint with local PD - they will come out and put a notice for him to move it within 72 hours....a few feet will not be acceptable.

[Myrran]

Call it in as an abandoned vehicle. Say you have seen it parked in the same spot for a couple weeks. They will come and tow it promptly, then he will have to get it out of impound, and if he wants his money back he has to go to court to plead his case that it was not abandoned. Trust me bro, it will work.

[Nerka]

Call it in as an abandoned vehicle. Say you have seen it parked in the same spot for a couple weeks. They will come and tow it promptly, then he will have to get it out of impound, and if he wants his money back he has to go to court to plead his case that it was not abandoned. Trust me bro, it will work.

Actually this might be a better approach than what I mentioned. Just say the car is abandoned, no need to muddy the waters with crazy dude's drama.
They will come and mark the tires and leave a courtesy note, remove the note so the crazy doesn't get it. Then wait 72 hours and call back and complain like hell until they tow it away.
See
http://blogging.la/2006/07/05/la-adopts-new-time-limit-on-abandoned-cars/
Los Angeles Municipal Code 80.73.2 requires that a vehicle parked on a public street be driven at least one mile every seventy-two hours. Additionally, California Vehicle Code 22669 allows traffic officers to tow any vehicle which is inoperable and parked on City streets, constituting a public hazard. Traffic officers cannot simply tow a vehicle because a complaint has been made. The traffic officer must first observe the vehicle over a 72 hour period to determine that the vehicle has not been driven. Additionally, as a courtesy, the traffic officer will generally leave a green warning card on the vehicle, notifying the owner that the vehicle must be moved. If the vehicle has not been moved at least one mile after seventy-two hours, the vehicle can be impounded.

To contact the City of Los Angeles: Parking Violations Bureau to report an abandoned car:
Call 1-800-ABANDON (1-800-222-6366) Evenings, weekends and holidays and leave a voice mail message with your name and daytime phone number.

Please provide the following information when you call:
* Vehicle Location Zip Code*
* License Plate
* Vehicle Make
* Vehicle Color
* Vehicle Location (Street, block # and Cross Street)*



http://www.lapdonline.org/west_valley_community_police_station/content_basic_view/8997
Abatement Nuisance - Senior Lead Office - Sergeant Chris Rowland 818-374-7694. This program addresses quality of life issues including abandoned vehicles and vacant buildings.

[gettin'wet]

Thanks for finding that info for me Nerka :up::up: I'm going to do exactly what you suggested. Keep you posted.

[benthosslayer]

The 72 hour rule is enforced if the pd is notified, they'll chalk his tires and the road and if it is not moved....ticked time....looks like he'll get to pay...instead of you. Good luck and keep us posted. We did this to a neighbor and they actually came to our door asking.....do you have any idea who called this in....and we politely stated....must have been us and if you had moved it like we politely requested two months ago....it would not have happened.

[Bill McIntyre]

He responded with a note of his own in which he said he needed 'a couple hundred bucks' to do that.



Do you still have the note? I'm certainly not an attorney, but it would seem that demanding money for use of public streets might actually be extortion, and might be worth reporting to the police.

[gettin'wet]

Bill, I do still have the note and I am considering showing the police, however he has worded it very carefully to protect himself so it may not be something they can really follow up on.

[TaxCollector]

"Actually this might be a better approach than what I mentioned. Just say the car is abandoned, no need to muddy the waters with crazy dude's drama.
They will come and mark the tires and leave a courtesy note, remove the note so the crazy doesn't get it. Then wait 72 hours and call back and complain like hell until they tow it away."

I would never, ever, under any circumstances recommend removing the 'parking notice' from a vehicle. :) If you did that the poor guy would never know he was warned until they towed it.
Usually, vehicles with flat tires or no plates are towed immediately...just saying.

[arice]

I'm with Bill. Demanding money to move a car on public streets might not be illegal but it will CERTAINLY piss off the cops. Also, most municipalities don't allow storage of boats and other trailers on public streets. They're treated differently from normal cars.

[Mobius1]

Yes if the thing has expired tags they will come and impound it if you call them. What was said above is your best bet. Dont cave in to this asshole! good luck

[SEATUX]

"Actually this might be a better approach than what I mentioned. Just say the car is abandoned, no need to muddy the waters with crazy dude's drama.
They will come and mark the tires and leave a courtesy note, remove the note so the crazy doesn't get it. Then wait 72 hours and call back and complain like hell until they tow it away."

I would never, ever, under any circumstances recommend removing the 'parking notice' from a vehicle. :) If you did that the poor guy would never know he was warned until they towed it.
Usually, vehicles with flat tires or no plates are towed immediately...just saying.
I hope no kids steal the plates off that abandoned car, it would muddy the waters..:D

[Iggy]

If its really holding up the sale of the property, it seems logical to just Smile, give the scumbag $100 and be done with it.

Afterall once its towed and he pays the fees where do you think it's getting parked again. Most wars are cheaper if they are never fought.

[miguelitro]

If its really holding up the sale of the property, it seems logical to just Smile, give the scumbag $100 and be done with it.

Afterall once its towed and he pays the fees where do you think it's getting parked again. Most wars are cheaper if they are never fought.

I do not agree at all. pay him once he will do it again, and again.

[gettin'wet]

So the latest update is that I've done nothing so far and he has moved his van/trailer across the street on his own volition and I'm going leave it alone for now to avoid escalating into a feud.

You guys all gave me great advice and made me feel a heck of a lot better just knowing that I'm right to be pissed off and that I DO have some options on how to deal with this guy if it comes back around to that. Thanks a lot SB'ers. I'll keep you posted.

[Markio]

bummer I wanted the POS to pay for being a jerk..