Fair Cop

Over the past days, all I am reading about is a supposed vigilante who haunts Bulevar Revolucije and metes out justice against the Parking Offenders along that Belgrade thoroughfare. According to various blogs, internet forums, and RTS television reporters, he cruises down the street in a Vengeance Mobile (this is my name for it) and spray-paints the rows of double parked cars and those brilliant drivers who park in the middle of the street.

[As a note: how can someone in their right mind think it should be FEASIBLE to simply stop his car anywhere in the flow of traffic to chit-chat with a friend in the next car over? Is he related to the woman who arrives at a red light, puts on her emergency lights, and goes shopping?]

My theory is that he could be a policeman. No amount of tickets, warnings, or verbal abuse seems enough to stop drivers from doing this. Moreover, for every car that is sanctimoniously towed away, another two come to replace it. The exponential calculus required here is mind-boggling.

Questions which leap to mind: 1) Is there NO protection from Bad Parking in Belgrade? 2) Are there NO LAWS governing said parking? 3) Why do I bother each time driving around Bulevar for 53 minutes looking for a "good place" to park? 4) What about taking the bus?

The answer to the Double Jeopardy question - as you already surmised Intuitive Readers - is the key to why a vigilante should crop up in our midst. The questions themselves show how a man might be driven to take the law into his own hands and run amok with it.

Fatalism.

The fact is that we DO have laws and there ARE legal protections against these Bad Parkers. The problem is that most people, under the circumstances, respond by throwing up their hands. They are fatalistic. They sigh and mumble under their breath and honk their horns, but they move along. Another common reaction is to say: If THEY are doing it, why shouldn't I? And they proceed to double park or block traffic fifty meters further down the road.

People do not expect justice, fair play, or the righting of wrongs when wrongdoers impinge their rights. People do not even get excessively angry about it (well, most people). Given this, can we not imagine how it is possible that someone finally gets fed up enough to play Judge and Jury with the offenders? To hit the streets and impose the sentences needed in spray paint?

Why I think he is a cop is for the key reason that a cop cannot REALLY be a vigilante as his job is to uphold the law. And furthermore, a cop is the best one to see how NO ONE IS LISTENING to him.

I applaud the vigilante! I think he should get to work in other areas in the city immediately! Hit Branko's Bridge please and stop people from merging three lanes to cut me off. Vandalize my local market for never having my brand of cigarettes!

As a final note: if they ever catch this guy, have him call me. I will do his PR!