Some Ukrainian Village Residents Fuming Over Parking Tickets Issued Hours After Permit Signs Put Up
Chicago (CBS) -- Kate Freitag said she and her fiance came home from dinner Thursday night to find a less than pleasant surprise attached to the windshield of her white Toyota Corolla -- a parking ticket for $75.
"It was a complete shock to us," Freitag said.
And it wasn't just her car.
"We started walking down the block and on both sides, we saw that every single car had one of these tickets on it," Freitag said. "It was like car after car after car after car."
Every vehicle parked along the two-block stretch of West Ohio in Ukrainian Village had the $75 fine.
"It was a nice surprise, I'm sure, when people woke up the next morning," Freitag said.
Caitlin PenzeyMoog said she also found a ticket on the red Ford Mustang she's borrowing from her aunt.
"We're not going to pay 75 dollars for this," PenzeyMoog said. "She's not going to be responsible for this ticket."
Residents say a few days ago, permit parking signs appeared without any notice.
"Nobody let us know anything. Everyone on this street is livid," Freitag said.
Her anger was amplified after realizing the signs aren't supposed to take effect until April 29, yet her ticket is dated April 19 -- 10 days too early.
"Any reasonable person could only decide that this is not a valid ticket," PenzeyMoog said.
CBS 2 reached out to the Chicago Police Department about the potential error. CPD Spokesperson Officer Michael Carroll said, "12th District supervisors have been made aware of the issue. Anyone who received an infraction can reach out to the 12th district directly and have the tickets rectified."
"It never should've been written in the first place," Freitag said.
Her neighbors agree. A petition to have the signs removed is already being passed around. Over 55 people have added their names in favor of expelling permit parking. They will need written approval from 51 percent of residents before the signs cease to exist.
CPD says the officer who wrote the tickets has only been on the force for a year.
CBS 2 reached out to the office of Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26th Ward) for details on how the parking permit application was approved. We are waiting to hear back.