Lovely Tameka, Meter Maid
When you read about kats and kat-ettes who go off the very deep end and end up like Bugs Bunny in a pot with Elmer Fudd cutting up the veggies to make some stew, you wonder just what the hell would push someone that far. My ability to wade thru crap is very high so I get off easy in some respects. But some folks just can’t handle the foolishness anymore.
Living in the Quarter since the Russian Whore visited, I know the rules and I choose to abide by them. Some people choose not to and it depends on the level of rule breaking for me to care or not. You wanna go murder some folks? Yeah I will want you in jail forever. Wanna park in a space and not pay a buck for parking? I really don’t care but you better watch out for some of New Orleans finest, the Meter Maids. Now personally, I think the city has more pressing needs than paying someone (or in some cases 3, yes 3 people) to drive around and put tickets on windows but I trust Mayor Nagin 100% (please note sarcasm). And just why does it take Three People to drive around and put tickets on people’s cars? And shouldn’t they be walking? I mean the three I saw each weighed about 300 pounds each, wouldn’t it be better for them if they walked? Lose some of those tires around your waist honey.
So I’m walking the dog, ( don’t ask- I’m pet-sitting for a sick friend) when I see what could best be described as a “tiff”. Some women, parked on the street, was attempting to get in her vehicle and leave the parking space. As she is climbing into her vehicle, a city van speeds up and pulls next to her vehicle, blocking her in. Out jumps one of the three meter maids driving around in a air-conditioned vehicle, slaps a ticket on the women’s window and says loud enough so about 5 of us could hear, ” You’ve been ticketed- Bitch”. The woman in her vehicle was clearly upset. Can’t really blame her, I don’t know any women who likes to be called a bitch. So the woman sticks her head out the window and proceeds to call the Meter Maid (s) every name in the book.
Should have really ended right there but this being New Orleans, it was only the beginning. The meter maid had rolled her fat ass into the van by now but the other 2 lovely meter maids hadn’t had their turn. So they pull up a little, block the woman in and roll down their windows and the catfight has begun. The words fat, worthless, stupid and ignorant are the ones I could make out easily.
Damn I forgot to tell you that it was about 9 pm. Yes 9 pm. The woman actually gets out of the passenger side of her car and it’s officially a rumble. She’s screaming from one side of the car, the meter maids from the street. The dog I’m walking is sitting on his hind legs, like he’s watching TV or something. The homeless man sleeping in an abandoned car rolls out of the back seat to see what’s going on. Then the spit hits the fan.
Yeah it’s not a typo. The woman who has been ticketed decides to give the meter maids a personal shower. She spits on all three of them. I think in the face but I couldn’t be sure. The woman then is smart. She bolts, running down Governor Nicholls in pumps into the darkness of the French Market. The meter maids are way to fat (not PHAT) to chase so they just call the police.
I wanted to stay around and see what happened. So I did. When the police arrived, they asked if I had seen the whole thing and so I told them what I saw. The meter maids at this point were going to try and get this woman in real trouble. One of them told the police that the woman had a knife and that she lunged at her with it. Which was just complete fraud. So the police ask what I saw and I told them the truth. For those who might want to make some racial crap out of this, all parties involved were black.
The point of this is- If city workers, who are paid by city residents and visitors, cannot act more professionally, then how in the world are we ever going to overcome the craziness that is New Orleans right now? Was the woman right in spitting on the meter maids? Of course not. That being said, all those three fools had to do was drive off and let the woman pay her ticket. We can’t expect city government to relieve our stress but damn, can’t they just get out of the freaking way?
As a follow up, I’ve been looking for the woman and spotted her yesterday evening. Her car was towed, the police did not come looking for her but they (meaning the meter maids and the towing part of the city) really stuck it too her. Car was towed to the main lot; the meter maids followed the tow truck, talked to their buddies in the building and got them to impound it for three days at the secondary tow yard. She says the fees and other crap was worth it. Maybe it is for her but I wonder how many others out there have had enough?
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Spitting is my first impulse when I feel threatened.
Laurie
Thanks for making me spit all over my keyboard and monitor in laughter.
It’s a thousand little things like that, that will drive people and businesses right out of here. I could see killing a meter maid. Really, if I was going to make some Nixon-esc list of people to kill meter maids would be added categorically. It’d be nice if for about 3 months out of the year you could hunt them.
Honestly, there has to be something so wrong with you to even want to be a meter maid. What is that thought process like? ‘Lemme see, I’m not very smart, kinda fat, hell, I can barely read. Still I can’t help but think there’s a job out there that really entails no work at all where I can systematically ruin someone’s day’
Paranoid Reactionaries in positions of mock authority! watch for ‘em!
You’re more than welcome.
Laurie
There is no sense in arguing or fighting with a meter maid. They have nothing but contempt for the drivers of New Orleans, and it seems like they stick together in packs (probably for their own safety, as well). She is not going to rip up the ticket, no matter how much you beg, complain, bitch or *spit*. I’ve found a nice smile and a “thank you” really pisses them off more than any of the above actions.
That’s my new favorite catch phrase.
“You’ve been ticketed, bitch!”
this is so sad it’s funny.
but between us, i wish it had been me instead of that woman in the vehicle. heh heh
ya’ll have a good weekend.
termite. ;D
The rules may have changed since the storm, but I know for a fact that the meter maids work for an independant company that is payed by the city to do the dirty work. Also, each meter maid is payed a salary, and gets about .65 cents per written ticket added to their paycheck. They really are out to get you. The more they write, the more they make. Dirty beeeoootches.
I spelled payed wrong twice. paid.
To an Australian, “pay’d”.
Nah, mate, an Englishman would spell it that way sometimes too.
Laurie
I was born in Lafayette and live in Richmond,VA. Damn, all that crap going on, it’s a wonder everyone has not left. I miss my Gumbo! TR.
I cooked the best shrimp gumbo two weeks ago!
No fille’ though, but those “Saltine’s” made up for it.
Laurie