Dear Mayor Allen,
I am an attorney, but I write you today as a native of Concordia Parish and as a grand-daughter.
Months ago, my grandfather was ticketed for speeding through your town. My grandfather insists that he was not driving over the 35mph speed limit, but was stopped just the same. The fine for such an offense is less than $200, but my grandfather insisted that he was not speeding so I encouraged him to request a hearing in lieu of paying the fine. I offered to attend the hearing with my grandfather, but was called to court on another matter. Attempts to reschedule the hearing were not successful, and I assured my grandfather that everything would be just fine. After all, he was simply going before the Mayor's Court to contest a speeding ticket. For added assurance, I advised my grandfather to call me should he have questions about the proceedings or the instructions he receives from the Court.
On the day of the hearing, my grandfather called me very upset. He tells me that the hearing did not go at all as I had told him it would and that the officers are telling him he's going to jail. As he describes these events to me, an officer takes the phone from him and tells me that everything my grandfather said to me is a lie. I apologize to the officer for any confusion; explain that I am an attorney and had hoped that I could be present for the hearing since my grandfather has little experience with the law; and asked that the officer help me understand the preceding events so that I can explain everything to my grandfather. The officer tells me that I am wasting his time and that they are going to arrest my grandfather if he tries to leave the courtroom without paying his fine. I explain to him (what my grandfather had just explained to me) that my grandfather did not have $160 cash and he was not carrying a checkbook. The officer quickly told me that they would just take my grandfather to jail. I then asked the officer for his name. The officer told me it was none of my business and handed the phone back to my grandfather. As my grandfather nervously asked me 'What do I do? Am I going to jail?' The officer standing over my grandfather says 'Times up. Hang up the phone.' (I would later learn that my seventy-six year old grandfather was held by the Court until my seventy-four year old grandmother was able to get the money and pay the fine.)
My grandfather is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, a hard-working christian, and most of all - my grandfather. He, like many people in your rural parish, does not know his legal rights and innocently believes that 'right is right' and 'wrong is wrong'. The way my grandfather was treated is offensive because your Court violated his legal rights; but more importantly, it is offensive because your Court treated an honorable man with an untarnished view of justice and the legal system like a nuisance and a common criminal. Though my grandfather has had to work hard for every dollar he comes by, he'll live without the $160 and one day he'll even forget how much he paid. But he will not forget how your Court - your officers - treated him and neither will I.
Although I no longer live in Concordia Parish, I visit family there often. Yours is a beautiful town full of interesting stories and quality people, some of whom - like my grandfather - know a lot about hard work and only a little about the law. Whether Ferriday is - what many accuse it of being - a speed trap where people of a certain age, race, or status are unfairly targeted, or whether it is not, I hope that you are shocked and offended by the way my grandfather was treated within the four walls of your Court and that you take the necessary steps to prevent other elderly citizens from being similarly mistreated. I hope that now and in the future others like my grandfather will be treated with the dignity and respect that they have earned over a lifetime of hard work and service.
Sincerely,
Proud Grand-daughter
