While we are giggling at bureaucratic
clumsiness stupidity, let me tell you a true tale...
Back in the early '90s, My wife (now ex) was singing in a bar in Camarillo, CA, and I was her roadie, so I did spend some time in the
Two Plus Two. Camarillo was a very early adopter to ban smoking in bars.
So one fine night, the local constabulary stormed into the bar and found half a dozen regulars ("barflies") propped up at the bar with "smoking gun" evidence in front of them.
As the city ordinance's ink was barely dry, the cop's official booking tickets did not yet have a check-box choice for "Smoking In A Bar".
So, occupying the moral high ground, the zealous Peelers checked off the "Jaywalking" offense box and made all the wretched miscreants sign the official "Notice To Appear".
Early afternoon the next day, the sober
* barflies congregated, each on their usual bar stool, and discussed the predicament. A highly intelligent lady who cannot be named provided advice.
The upshot was that the barflies fronted up to the judge, and testified for each other that they were in a Bar, so they could not have possibly been out Jaywalking. Perfect alibis!
The judge (I'm sure with a private grin) dismissed all the matters.
Several years later, after I had moved to Fresno, I had occasion to be back in Cam Town. Went to the Two Plus Two and found each and every barfly on the usual bar stool, smoking away...
* Soon to be rectified.
