Our guest contributor is Taylor Bunting, a 45-year Berkeley resident and congenital realist
Protest records dating back to the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s have never counted a crowd of the size of last Tuesday’s protest in downtown Berkeley. Both the size of the protest and the participation rate of members of the organization set new records for Berkeley.
The Western Hummer Owners Association’s Berkeley Chapter turned out in force last week to protest their role as Berkeley’s most discriminated against minority. One hundred percent of the members (3) showed up to picket the Police Department before marching on City Hall to register their complaints. This was the smallest protest on record in Berkeley in over 50 years.
Berkeley Hummer owners complain that they are unfairly targeted by Parking Enforcement Officers (PEOs) while parking in legitimate parking spaces and utilizing parking meters correctly. They are frequently charged with parking on or across the lines painted on the street to outline spaces. They feel that this is blatant discrimination, because the City has no spaces wide enough to accommodate a Hummer.
The aggrieved Hummer owners are also the target of other forms of harassment. Lillian Dish, President of the local chapter of WHOA, said that she often comes back to her vehicle only to find a crowd of people expecting to find Arnold or some other celebrity, and who want either to protest or to get an autograph. She says, “When they see a 5-foot two, white-haired, 67-year old lady, they are sorely disappointed and sometimes get surly.” When asked why she drives a Hummer, she responded, “Climbing in and out of the high vehicle keeps me fit and agile.”
Signs carried by the protesters included: We pay; why can’t we park? and It’s a Bummer to own a Hummer in Berkeley. The Police Department responded to the protest by providing two 3-wheeled, PEO meter-minder vehicles to escort the 3 protesters as they marched to City Hall. The protesters came to the march by AC Transit since there are no legal parking places for Hummers in downtown Berkeley.