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Comment by johnchristopher | Hacker News Reader

What is then ?

I don’t mean to advocate vigilantism, but I’m going to:

1. Step one, file claim in small claims court, get your money back / recorded action against the towing company / etc.

2. Carry a tyre valve removal tool with you. Whenever you see one of the offending companies tow trucks parked, and either unoccupied, or the driver is distracted, remove the valves from as many of the trucks tyres as you can.

This shouldn’t damage the tyres, unless they are left deflated for a long period, and it’s extremely inconvenient.

Guerilla style. I like it.

So now I need to carry both a mental and a physical burden, as well as risk jail time? Neat.

Have the individuals involved charged with auto theft and have the entire company seized under civil forfeiture since they are making money off of auto theft. Basically give the company the same treatment that a poor minority would get by the legal system if they tried the same.

Also allow the use of force in defense of property wrongfully seized.

> Also allow the use of force in defense of property wrongfully seized.

Will not end well. The more aggressive towing companies in Atlanta send their operators out in pairs, wearing mirrored sunglasses, body armor and carrying sidearms like they're mercenaries. You're outmanned and outgunned.

It's like they know they're engaged in business that might upset people or something.

The police, with all their training, still shoot civilians accidentally. I really wouldn't want to test the how-not-to-shoot-civilians training of some wannabe-Blackwater towing goon.

So they basically have an armed militia stealing from civilians, with the protection of the government. How did we handle this last time?

Voting for someone who is willing to take this battle at a higher level?

That just sounds like the easy excuse honestly.

What exactly does the election process mean to you then? What value do you see in it if not something like this?

You have 2 choices. The first is the "always do it yourself" fix to other people's mistakes or intentional trespasses. The second is to have the "people in charge" do it for you in a sustainable manner, at scale.

The second option might include repeated litigation. I have no idea how it would work but making them pay more than they earn every time is a strong deterrent.

The election process can be summed up roughly as "Heads, I win; Tales, you lose."

You win the game by controlling who gets to run as a candidate. That way, no matter who wins individually, you still end up with a majority in the legislature who will support policies friendly to you. And you don't need 100% control; some dissenting candidates need to be allowed, to provide an veneer of legitimacy to the process, but not enough to actually sway the votes in Congress.

So many complaints about the system! Call your alderman, get it raised at city council. Local government can be responsive. Band with some others, hire a lawyer. Organize.

Is a functioning democracy a right or a duty?

Or I guess you can just complain and post comments.

This is a national issue. You'd literally be fighting the rest of the country (who are apparently fine with it as it is) every step of the way.

You do realize that I do not live in Minnesota, and neither do I live in Minneapolis. Thus, I have no representative to contact there.

It has worked in the past. Minneapolis has changed a lot of ordinances to restrict towing.

There is no one running on such a platform. Because this is not one of the Big Issues pushed on us by mass media, it does not inspire the electorate to act. If you're not promising handouts for people who identify with your in-group, you're not getting anywhere in politics.

It has worked in the past. Minneapolis has changed a lot of ordinances to restrict towing.

I wouldn't expect mass media to focus on local ordinances.

If you've ever been to a city council town hall, or read a local newspaper in an area where it's a problem, this is brought up regularly.

You get coverage of an example of illegal activity in the news: https://6abc.com/news/alleged-tow-trap-caught-on-camera-in-s...

Response from local politicians: https://www.phillymag.com/citified/2016/05/24/illegal-towing...

Politicians seeking input from their constituents: http://phlcouncil.com/help-stop-predatory-towing

Leading to a new law: https://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/01/26/kenney-bill-illega...

With enforcement of the law: https://patch.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/george-smith-tow...

I don't see any handouts or special interest groups here.

Who are you going to vote for? In the US to get elected for any public office you need external funding, and to raise that you need to demonstrate that you are willing to return favours. No, the swamp isn't going to support those who would drain it.

It has worked in the past. Minneapolis has changed a lot of ordinances to restrict towing.

At the city level you don't need much money. Even state politics often don't need a lot of money. National level does money though.

Agreed in general, although given the reputation of Chicago politics, I’m not sure that would have been the case here.

It has worked in the past. Minneapolis has changed a lot of ordinances to restrict towing.

You do realize that I do not live in Minnesota, and neither do I live in Minneapolis. Thus, I have no representative to contact there.

> the Wisconsin DMV put a flag in the computer system for my license plate. The flag was to remind the Wisconsin DMV to make sure my address was updated next time I came in

I will assume that a flagged car will always be impounded when found. I guess that's the point of flagging it.

If your car was impounded because you were flagged without breaking any rules maybe you can address that somehow. Since your registration was paid up, flagging you car seems excessive, especially when it was just as a "reminder". There must be a way people don't end up in this situation for a "reminder" flag. So you can work on your side to make sure others don't get flagged unless their car really needs to be impounded.

Unless you were you supposed to update your address and check in with them to remove that flag, especially before leaving the state. In which case some more care from your side is required.

I'm not saying "privatizing law enforcement" is good. To a hammer everything looks like a nail and when you pay that private company "per nail" you can bet that's what they'll find at every corner. But you can always grab the issue from your end and try to do something about it. Otherwise next time you might as well have the Police impound your car and pay them for the ride. Same difference.

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