CANARSIE, Brooklyn (WABC) — A parishioner in Brooklyn says he was punished with parking tickets while attending church, even though Sundays are supposed to be exempt from fines.<\/p>\n
When he couldn’t get the tickets forgiven, he turned to 7 On Your Side for help.<\/p>\n
Churchgoers in Canarsie say they have been ticketed for parking in a bus lane on Sundays, despite street signs indicating it is legal.<\/p>\n
Every Sunday, Hamilton Chrysostom can be found at his church, a place he has attended for more than 40 years.<\/p>\n
He says he routinely parked in the same spot on a nearby side street, arriving early and walking straight into the church. He said it was a bus-only lane except on Sundays, according to the sign.<\/p>\n
The sign clearly states there is no standing from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Sundays.<\/p>\n
Despite that, Chrysostom, a school crossing guard, was stunned to receive parking tickets in the mail for allegedly parking in a bus lane while attending church.<\/p>\n
He said buses would photograph his license plate as they passed, resulting in multiple tickets during the hour he spent in church.<\/p>\n
All of the tickets were issued on Sundays and totaled $939.<\/p>\n
Chrysostom said the fines were so overwhelming that he stopped going to church on Sundays.<\/p>\n
His son, Jerron, then decided to reach out to 7 On Your Side, hoping that public attention would lead to action after repeated appeals went unanswered.<\/p>\n
“We needed to get some light showed up on the situation and hopefully with it being brought to light that some action will be taken because all our pleas were falling on deaf ears,” he said.<\/p>\n
7 On Your Side contacted the city Department of Finance. By the end of the week, in less than three days, Jerron got a call with unexpected news. The department informed them that the issue had been resolved and the tickets were taken care of.<\/p>\n
Chrysostom said he was speechless and grateful, calling it a relief to be free from what he described as parking purgatory, with his record wiped clean.<\/p>\n
“I’m happy. Thank you. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart,” he said.<\/p>\n
The family said the Department of Finance also told them it would investigate whether other parishioners were wrongfully ticketed on Sundays while they were inside attending Mass.<\/p>\n
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