Mike O’Neal says he is tired of seeing cars without permits parking in spaces designated for the disabled.
O’Neal, 73, is originally from Greenwood but now lives in Carroll County. A Vietnam veteran, he said he is disabled and is one example of many whose lives are made easier through accessible parking accommodations.
He said that time and again, he has seen vehicles without the proper registry using parking spaces reserved for the disabled.
“If you don’t look for it, you won’t see it,” he said. “But if you look for it, you’ll see a lot of it.”
He said he attended two events earlier this summer at the Leflore County Civic Center with all the disability parking spaces taken up by vehicles without disability tags or placards.
He said it didn’t bother him personally as much as it did when he saw a woman using a walker who had to travel the distance of the parking lot because there were no spots for the disabled available.
“When the elderly, older than myself, have to walk all the way across the parking lot when they should have been able to park up a little closer, it’s a big hindrance on them,” he said.
He said the accessible parking spots “are put there for a reason for people who have a disability with problems walking or getting in and out of a place.”
Police Chief Terrence Craft said he is in the midst of training officers in enforcing parking regulations, including for disabled-accessible parking.
He said that as long as it takes place on public property such as the Civic Center, police can act and give a violator a ticket.
Private property is different. He said police would require the business owner to call and make a complaint about a violator before police could take any action.
O’Neal said he will continue to watch for people who park in these spaces without having authorization — and “if I happen to see it, I’m going to say something.”
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
