What to do about Trespassing ticket??

[mjavant]

Ok it was a friday night a few weeks back and me and some buddies were hanging out by the local "cruisin" spot in a parking lot. Soon the parking lot begins to fill and before long about 150 people are in this parking just basically having a car show. Now we have sat in this parking lot before on other weekends and sometimes, cops would come by and ask us nicely to leave and we did. But this night was different, there are 2 entrances to this parking lot 4 cops roll in and block both entrances so nobody can get out. They say we are all getting tickets cause the owner is tired of people sitting here on saturday and friday nights and he wrote the police department a letter stating this. the cops say there is a "No Tresspassing" sign in the corner of the lot, which there was (but also happened to be knocked down leaning on its side) but is also was a really small sign. SO for the next 2 hours 150 people waited for eaches tickets and come to find out 150 people all have the same court day at the same time in the same court room. Now i have pictures of the knocked over smallish sign and video evidence of the following week (we were sitting at another parking lot that we had permission to be at) of people sitting in the parking lot and the cops comming and just telling this set of people to leave. Now should i spend $250 or more on a lawyer and i wont have to worry about it or go to court with what i have also including 150 others who will tell the same story as me and probably have to pay nothing because i did a search on google and saw that if the charges are dropped against all of us we can legally sue the city. so what should i do???

[LostRacer]

I think you sould find somewhere else to loiter. Unless you've seen the documents the city has in possession between the owner and the city, that officer has every right to ticket you.

1st night. You were tresspassing. Other officers knew it, but instead of the paper work you were asked to leave. This last time you rolled the dice and crapped out.

2nd time. Produce a document stating you had the ok to be there. thats called evidence. If not. Bend over and take your ticket.

[ND4SPD]

yup... if you were asked to leave before... why show up again?

[mjavant]

the reason we went back is because we can be there until all the businesses in that parking lot are closed and the last one closes at 11 and that usually is when we leave except for the first time we sat there cause we didnt know back in the day... and when we got the ticket the place was still open and the cops came rolling in about 45 mins before they closed.

[jaged]

we just lost our local cruise in spot, well tomorrow is the last night. we had it for 2-3 yrs and people started doing stupid stuff in the lot that they werent supposed to and target had enough.

I always went in and bought at least a pop and kept the reciept so that i would be a "paying customer"

i would talk with some others and see if it would be possible to split a lawyer since you all have the same date/time/ticket

[azbobbybooshay10]

come to find out 150 people all have the same court day at the same time in the same court room.

Car show at the courthouse?

[Habcougar]

Car show at the courthouse?

Hilarious!

[Goldie]

the reason we went back is because we can be there until all the businesses in that parking lot are closed and the last one closes at 11

actually, CUSTOMERS of those businesses can be there until they close at 11. You can be trespassing any time of day. It's a private lot there for customers to use, not an open lot for whoever feels like hanging out. Sign posted or not.
Would you want strangers parking in your driveway? same thing. Pay your ticket. You were given a warning, you it's not like you didn't know.

[PREDATOR]

If there was 150 people there... why not just walk away or all 150 of you guys starts running

[mjavant]

If there was 150 people there... why not just walk away or all 150 of you guys starts running

Didnt wanna pull a fast and furious- "COPS,COPS,COPS,GO!" And magically everyone knows where to go....cause all of us would have been ramming people out of the way