Florida Highway Patrol wrote Judy Jones a ticket for having vinyl lettering on her truck’s windshield. However, she claims the trooper did it because of her faith.
“First thing he said to me, he said, ‘I want you to know that you are breaking the law.’ And I said, ‘How am I breaking the law, sir?’ He said, ‘With that sign up there, that Jesus thing up there,’” she said.
Jones got a $100 ticket and is fighting her case.
“I’m going to court for Jesus,” said Jones.
Florida law says no one can drive a car that has any signage or material on a windshield that is not transparent. Jones claims her decals are legal.
“It is not obstructing any, my sight at all,” Jones said. “I was picked out to be picked on in the name of Jesus.”
Florida Highway Patrol says that in no way did the officer write Jones the ticket because of its content. They say it was simply in violation of state law.
Okay, I know this is all rather silly, and while driving a Jesus testament truck wouldn’t be my thing, I do question the law here. I’m not in Florida, but I see all manner of vehicles here with sports teams names spelled out, and front and back windows littered with such stuff. I doubt that’s terribly legal here, either, but no one seems to care much. I can’t see how the lettering on Ms. Jones’s truck would obscure her vision any, and I do wonder if the truck was minus the Jesus stuff, and the lettering was sports related, whether she would have been targeted in the first place. A hundred dollars is a hefty ticket, I wouldn’t be happy about having to pay that for not actually doing anything dangerous or wrong. I do wish Ms. Jones good luck in court.
Story and video here.
It’s up at the top where you might have your sunshield on a very bright, sunny day and might actually contribute to shading her eyes.
Why do I think this would have played out differently if she was white?
I think it’s one of those moments when I have to take the law side: You just cannot argue with each and every driver if their particular decoration is obscuring their vision or not. Because people will argue the most ridiculous things and then you spend all time in court wasting everybody’s time and money.
OK, given the US police and judicial system, that would probably be a good thing…
If she seriously wanted that sign in that particular place on her car, all she had to do was to find a sign made from that lotsa dots stuff that covers car and bus windows without obscuring the view. Admittedly, she might still be pulled over because to outsiders those things look solid, but she’d be able to show the cop that she could see through it.
I’m all for decking your car out with whatever you like, as long as it’s not a distraction to other drivers.
This… ah… these decorations on her truck? Totally distracting.
WMDKitty:
Oh, I don’t think it’s all that distracting. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, car decoration was a serious thing, and people would often agree to be mobile billboards for various products. My favourite was the often seen Herbal Essence shampoo VW bug. Panel vans completely covered with various murals were very popular, too. It made driving and being stuck in traffic a whole lot more entertaining. I don’t have a problem with art on cars.
All she has to do is put that decal on her back window. Problem solved. I suspect that if she did that before the court date and showed the judge, the charges would be dropped too. They usually are with these kind of violations. The fact that she’s fighting it, for a measly $100 fine, indicates that she’s more interested in trying to paint herself to be a martyr for Jeebus.
But it’s all for Jesus, so it’s totally worth it to spend the extra time and money for this.
Caine #6
I miss Van Art.
My home town had alot of Sword and Sorcery themes.
Scantily-clad sword-wielding warriors of both* genders.
and the occasional unicorn or space ship
…
*There Can Be Only Two
CC:
I can’t speak for Ms. Jones, but a hundred dollars is not remotely measly to me.
My town had a LittleOldLady™ willing to spend a night in jail for refusing to pay a stupid bylaw violation fine of $10.
The LOL™ was trying to make a point: the bylaw is stupid.
The number of {chest-pounders-with-$10} offering to pay the $10, was astounding.
LOL™ spent her night in jail, made her point and They™ changed the bylaw.
Caine #10
$100 is my phone and electricity ….
oops
missed last month payment…
brb
Chigau:
*nod nod* And every other one had a “Gas, Grass or Ass” bumper sticker.
Well, she had the money to decorate the car like that…
Giliell:
Someone did, certainly. Back in the day, when car decoration was the thing to do, I knew a lot of people who were artistically inclined, who worked out deals to use equipment and do the painting themselves, or worked out other deals with car artists.
For all I know, she could be rolling in money, or be massively in debt. That doesn’t make a hundred dollars a paltry sum. Well, at least not to me.
To me neither, and I know how fucked up the USA is when it comes to turning “measly fines” into soul crushing life destroying debt.