Drinking in Public Fine (Camden Show) $533 Unreal!!!

pjroo3

Boomer wrote:

appeal.

I think an appeal would cause more court costs. Plus I would probably have to get an attorney.

5882300

DiRtYyELLoWoCeAn wrote:

Camden is the the worst city in America along with Hartford.

Amen Brother!

JaneNY

pjroo3 wrote:

Does anyone know why they were allowed to change everyone's ticket from "drinking in public" to "inapropriate behavior". I would say 100% of the people at the courthouse anticipated paying the $78 fine that was posted right on the ticket. Everyone of us had to pay $500 plus court fees instead.

It was hundreds and hundreds of people too.

That was my question on a previous page which no one answered. Didn't you have to sign something when you got your ticket? I just don't see how they can change it like this without telling you until you show up. Didn't anyone ask?

blacknapkins

jimbojones1138 wrote:

...some of the best pearl jam shows i have seen were in camden

True ... but that's due to the band, not the city. I DREAD going over there and am always grateful to have gotten back home without incident.

pjroo3

JaneNY wrote:

That was my question on a previous page which no one answered. Didn't you have to sign something when you got your ticket? I just don't see how they can change it like this without telling you until you show up. Didn't anyone ask?

Nothing was signed on the ticket. No clear answer was given to anyone as to why they raised the fine. I don't think anyone pressed the issue because they weren't treating anyone kindly.

vedder_soup

doin'the-evolution wrote:

i have a question...
say they caught me (only 20 years old) drinking... and i'm not from your country...

would i be like kicked outta your country for a felony or something? i've always wondered what will happen if i get caught...

...which also didnt stop me from taking a photo of me holding a beer (in a bottle, near the police) under the sign that says no drinking :rolleyes:

well you didnt get caught, and you drank with us in some bars that you could get into, so don't worry
next time you will be legal anyway!

satansbedbugs

The band must burn rubber after the show to get the hell out of town at these shitty places...

jubilairesjl

Another good example of the police wasting their time with stupid "illegal" activities....they should be out catching real criminals

tybird

Ralph wrote:

Those two statements contradict each other...

Public intoxication means that you are impaired....and field tests were conducted. There are laws in many locales about drinking in public...which is deemed a crime.

Eliot Rosewater

pjroo3 wrote:

Wow... Camden is now my least favorite place in the universe. Went to Camden 1 and was tailgating along with everyone else. I was on my second beer when a policewoman grabbed my beer and proceeded to write me a ticket (along with about 1000 other people). She checked a box that made it a mandatory court appearance. Well, today was the court date for everyone at the June 19 show. Tons of PJ fans at the court house. The fine for "Drinking in Public" was $78 which sucks, but no biggie. Well.... when they read us our fines today, they say that they have been amended and it has now been changed to "Inappropriate Behavior" which is $500 plus $33 court fees. I was shocked! Big bummer for anyone caught up in this crappy situation. I will never attend another show in that city! Well unless PJ is there and I will not enjoy myself in the parking lot.

Uhhh..have you voted on this thread?

http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=293568

WindowPaine

don't know if this has been said but if the woman wrote you a ticket, did she ask for ID first? if not then how would they know WHO they wrote the ticket to and why bothering showing up or anything if that's the case.

Yellow Bedwetter

over_bends wrote:

With all the shit that goes on in Camden, good to see law enforcement doing their duty of raking money out of out of towners who are trying to get buzzed in a parking lot before they see a show.

+1 for the police on this one.

LMFAO!!

pjroo3

WindowPaine wrote:

don't know if this has been said but if the woman wrote you a ticket, did she ask for ID first? if not then how would they know WHO they wrote the ticket to and why bothering showing up or anything if that's the case.

Yes... She asked for my ID. The ticket has my name on it.

pjroo3

pjroo3 wrote:

Yes... She asked for my ID. The ticket has my name on it.

Well... I got my answer. It turns out the ticket for "drinking in Public" says the offense is $78 on the back.

It turns out that dollar amount is only a recommendation. The court has the right to change it as they see fit.

They are tired of people drinking in public in their city. I guess I can understand that. I wouldn't want a bunch of people walking around my house drinking. My only thought is that it was at a concert. Everyone was tailgating. Who knew that was illegal?

Well I won't be drinking for a looooonnnggg time. I also won't be going to any more concerts in Camden. So I guess they made their point and it worked.

Now I can move on and enjoy my new baby! Now that I'm a dad, i need to be as responsible as possible anyways.

brainofPJ

faithful227 wrote:

What a bunch of shit. That's ridiculous. Way to take advantage of the situation. Bastards!!!

if i was a poliiiiicemaaaan i would do the same thing.

whether you get caught or not, you're breaking the law....as i think the ones selling beer to those standing in line are also.

TrixieCat

:eek:
Seriously??!?
That is crazy!

They were very lenient in Hartford (what everyone says is the shithole of the concert universe :rolleyes: )
We were standing by the ticket line passing around a bottle of homemade Bailey's. Thanx Steve. Yummy.

chromiam

to the OP, tailgating occurs in designated areas (parking lots and whatnot) not on city streets (where you stated you were when you got the ticket) and public consumption of alcohol is against the law in almost every city in the country.

pjbiz- it is a fairly well known law to people who live in and around NJ that they can cite you for having an open container of alcohol even if they only find a bottle cap or empty can or bottle.

my2hands

its funny... when we got there for the 2nd show we walked up to the ticket office to pick up our 10c tickets (because we are cool like that)... i put my beer in a plastic cup (because this is not my first rodeo) and my friends just walked with their open containers... so we are leaving the lot to cross to the venue and a cop directing traffic said "WHOAAAAAAA... you guys better chug those in the lot or your going to get cited... you wouldnt want a $500 fine for a fuckin miller lite would you?" the cop was totally cool about it

i had mine in a cup so i kept walking, and i wasnt drinking miller lite, because i hate it


moral to the story... dont be a rookie... and miller lite sucks :cool:

jasonw

panthergirl wrote:

this is sort of related...

and i haven't seen anything about it on the board...

but at MSG2... there was a really nice guy sitting next to me
who had been sitting near me at two previous shows (west palm and tampa)
we chatted a bit and about half-way thu the show he sat down for a moment to smoke a bit of pot...
there was this HORRIBLE, RUDE security guard who saw him
and came into our row and physically removed him from his seat
and I imagine, the venue.

it was really upsetting.

yeah, he shouldn;t have been smoking.... but c'mon!! could he not have warned him and taken it away or something??
i've been going to concerts for 25 years (eek!) and this is the first time i've seen this happen.

the guard was such a jerk.. the whole nite he was watching people's feet, making sure those on the aisle seats on the floor didn;t step over the pink taped line on the floor....

I'm somewhat cool with this, i don't think is pot is bad (although i do think people who let it become a part of their persona or smoke after a certain age are the lamest of the lame), but this dude was using an illegal drug in a public place, what else should he expect? Back in my high school days i smoked at concerts and looking back i would have been pissed off if i got in trouble for it, but i would have deserved it. Getting through out of a concert is much better than what would have happened to him if he was smoking in most other public venues. I know it feels like all laws are void during concerts, but it's really not true

yeah that was some rambling and might not have made perfect sense....sorry

pjroo3

agreed