Some of you may remember the ticket I received for illegally turning left at Girard and Ridge in Philadelphia in November. When giving me the ticket, the police officer said that it was a 3-point offense on my license, plus a $130 fine! Sarah and I tried to point to the extenuating circumstances surrounding the offense (a fire truck came by, forcing me to pull over and made the dark intersection even more difficult to navigate). The officer said that I should contest the ticket, yet when Sarah asked him why he should even give me the ticket, he said, "sorry, not tonight," and walked away. Well, three months later, I had my day in court to defend myself. It was quite the experience!!
First of all, I felt pretty intimidated. The judge certainly had a mission: to stamp out big and small crime in Philadelphia. Of the perhaps 20-25 cases that I saw transpire before I was called up to the stand, only 4 or so were found not guilty! The prosecuting officer said that the offense was a non-point citation, which is different from the original officer. Anyway, the judge heard my case, and said he understood my situation. The verdict? Not guilty. WOO HOO!!!
My joy was dashed--although only momentarily--by the pouring rain outside the police station. My shirt, pants, hair, and undergarments were soaked by the time I got to my car. I made it back to school in time for our staff meeting.
While listening to NPR today, I heard about this website called Politifact.com. They claim to be a non-biased organization simply interested in fact-checking statements, advertisements, and comments made in debates by presidential candidates. It's worth a look-around!
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