My ticket got dismissed y'all, YES!
After parking in what I later found out to be a spot reserved for motorcycles only, and being skipped in line because of a broken number machine (you know, the pick a number and wait to get called system), either that or workers not doing their work like they were supposed to which ended in me staying for close to 2 hours instead of 45 minutes, which meant I had to keep feeding the meter for longer than expected, I was finally called to go in front of the adjudicator along with two other gentlemen.
I the first person to be called and I was asked to sit at the end of a table and look directly into a tv monitor with an attached camera...definitely not what I was expecting. I was in the hot seat. Well the adjudicator proceeded swear me in, read me my rights and violations and ask me for what I was pleading (not sure of the technical term here) and then he proceeded to pull A VIDEO FILE of the events from that faithful day. I must admit, my heart skipped approximately 10 beats when he mentioned the video. All I kept thinking at the time was OH CRAP. Then came the moment of truth when he asked me to provide an explanation as to why I shouldn't have to pay. So I told him exactly why I shouldn't have to pay. I said: BECAUSE I GOT CAUGHT IN THE RED LIGHT. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE VIDEO, THE LIGHT TURNS YELLOW RIGHT AS I APPROACH THE CROSSWALK BUT I DID STOP!!! I DID NOT RUN THE RED LIGHT. I was also thinking about saying GEEZ, CUT ME SOME SLACK. WE ALL KNOW DC TRAFFIC/PARKING TICKETS ARE DESIGNED TO RIP OFF PEOPLE ANYWAY WITH YOUR PHONY WORKERS AND TRICKS, HENCE THE REASON WHY YOU BROKE A RECORD IN THE NATION BY MAKING $120 MILLION IN PARKING TICKETS ALONE LAST YEAR. YEAH I KNOW THIS HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH MY MOVING VIOLATION BUT I JUST NEEDED TO REITERATE. Well, I didn't say it in those exact words but it was close enough. I was then asked about my driving history, whether I had any other tickets from the past two years. Answer: NO. So, he agreed that though I was in the crosswalk, I did stop and since I had no previous tickets I wouldn't have to pay up.
He then wrote me the dismissal letter, handed me a copy and I was out of that building so fast. It was such a relief to know I didn't have to pay that ticket.
