When Tony Sacco saw a woman get a parking ticket as she took her kids to get ice cream, it was the last straw.
Sacco noticed it happening often.
People would mistakenly park in handicap spots that were apparently not marked clearly. The slip-up cost people $150 in parking tickets.
Sacco co-owns Mootz Pizzeria and Bar, across the street from the spot where the woman parked to get ice cream for her kids.
The pizzeria owner explained to Local 4 that he first became aware of the problem when he got a ticket. Soon, he realized he wasn’t alone. He’s paid for some people’s tickets, including for the single mother and for customers of the pizzeria.
“People come to Detroit, try to support our city and walk away with a $150 ticket, and they feel like they were tricked into it and they kind of were tricked into it,” Sacco told the station.
He further explained to Local 4, “I mentioned it to the people writing the tickets. I said, ‘People don’t understand this is handicapped,’ and they said ‘That’s their problem. They should read the sign.’ That was the attitude.”
Since he didn’t have much luck with city officials, Sacco took matters into his own hands.
He picked up some blue paint and marked the spots himself.
Now that the handicap spots are clearly marked, Sacco says he’s confident that if someone who isn’t handicapped takes one of the spots, “they deserve” the ticket.
The Associated Press noted that, although a traffic engineer was skeptical that Sacco responded appropriately, officials would install additional signs on the street.
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