Photo by jsmjr
D.C. Council member Kwame Brown’s car was towed Monday afternoon, and he’s promised to go ahead and pay the $100 fine — even though by law, Council members, much like members of Congress, are exempt from parking fines inside the District.
“I’m going to pay it, because that’s my responsibility,” said Brown, an At-large member of the council. “It was rush hour. I should have known.”
Environmental consultant Adam Landsman was glad to hear Brown intended to pay up. Landsman, 27, was heading back to his office near Metro Center at around 4:30 p.m. when he saw a black Mercedes Benz loaded up on the back of a truck, in the process of being towed. He might not have payed the vehicle any mind had he not earlier taken notice of the “D.C. Council At-large” license plate it sported. When the car’s alarm started going off, creating a bit of a commotion on the busy corner, Landsman couldn’t resist approaching the two truck operators who were busy trying to tow the vehicle.
“You realize you’re towing a council member’s car, right?” Landsman said he asked the driver. “And he just said, ‘the rules apply to everyone.'”
When he got back to his office, Landsman decided to play detective. He just had to know which At-large Council member the car belonged to, and whether they’d really end up paying a tow fine, so he started calling all four At-large offices. He said he wasn’t sure which one he called first, but by the time he called Kwame Brown’s, Brown’s staff indicated they had already heard about Landsman’s inquiries from others inside the John A. Wilson Building. Brown’s office confirmed that their boss did indeed drive a black Mercedes, so Landsman fired off an email to the man himself.
“If the rules really do apply to everyone, will you, commit to paying the ticket, or will he get it quashed, effectively saying to the public that the city council is above the law?” Landsman wrote. “As a voting, tax-paying, car-owning resident of the District, I would appreciate your response.”
Brown managed to respond just over an hour later.
