Last Wednesday at around 6 p.m. I observed a young man about 6”-4″ in an old Jeep Wagoneer drive in and park in the handicap space next to the front entrance of the Riviera Market. There were at least 20 empty parking spaces in the parking lot. The car did not have a handicap license plate, nor did it have a handicap placard displayed in the window. He sprinted into the market wearing basketball clothes and proceeded to the back of the store. I found the item I was there for and proceeded to get into the cashier”s line. He arrived in line a few moments later carrying three six-packs of beer. He chatted with someone in line that he”d been playing basketball and he was on a beer run. He indicated that the drinking had already started and laughed. I hope the cashier checked his ID because he didn”t look old enough to drink.
Several thoughts come to mind. How did his parents raise him? Did they raise him to respect the law and to respect those people with unfortunate circumstances where they need a designated parking space due to health issues and disabilities? I”m not sure who I”m more upset with; him or whomever raised him. This young man needs the taste of a parking ticket costing nearly $300 in many cities. Hopefully, he will be stopped by the CHP and given a sobriety test before he kills someone on the road because he thinks it”s OK to drink and drive. By the way, a first time DUI conviction can cost more than $8,000. I believe he is still salvageable. He just needs a kick in the pants to get him going in the right direction in life.
Alan West
Kelseyville
