How would you like an illegally parked car blocking your street access for a month?
Acivists at GoPetition petitioned St. John's Newfoundland Mayor Dennis O'Keefe and the City Council Members to order a tow truck to remove and impound the illegally-parked vehicle that was blocking a disabled St. John's man's private residence driveway.
"We, the undersigned, believe this month-long blocked access prevents all City of St. John's Emergency First Responders (e.g., ambulance, EMS, fire, police, etc.) from rendering aid to this disabled St. John's man and taxpayer and is, therefore, unconscionable and inexcusable.
Finally, we, the undersigned, demand that the City of St. John's Newfoundland stand by its affirmative, legal fiduciary obligations stated in BY-LAW NO. 1466, AMENDMENT NO. 1482, TOWING AND IMPOUNDING OF VEHICLES BY-LAW, PASSED BY COUNCIL ON January 19, 2004, and order the illegally-parked vehicle to be immediately towed & impounded (time is of the essence as this represents a clear and present danger)."
Well, sure enough, on Sep 21, 2015, within 24 hours of filing the petition, a result was imminent. The petition's author, Michael Eugene Shaner, remarked, "Thank you, everyone, who read, liked, responded, or signed this ePetition. Amazingly, I received emails from the local news station (NTV), as well as from individuals across St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and from City of St. John's Deputy Mayor Ron Ellsworth. Deputy Mayor Ellsworth personally reached out today to this disabled St. John's Man/His Family. He assured me that the illegally-parked vehicle had been towed, too. This warms my heart today. #DisabledLivesMatterToo"
This proves that only a few signatures can move the right people to make the right decision.