Hamtramck to Slow Roll: Go away.
You’d think that when 6,000 people are coming to visit your town local officials would welcome them.
Not so in Hamtramck.
Last Monday a group called Slow Roll, a group of people who bicycle in different neighborhoods in the metro area, announced on social media they would be coming to Hamtramck that evening.
There were some city officials who knew earlier in the day that this event was coming up.
How city officials handled it is a textbook example on how to blow a public relations moment.
First thing, though. Yes, the group did not formally notify the city. That was a huge blunder on their part.
But here in Hamtramck city officials did nothing – nothing – to prepare for the visit despite having a heads-up – albeit just several hours beforehand. Instead, it was left up to the Police Department to handle the visit, and department officers did what they are trained to do: enforce the law.
And by enforcing the law we mean handing out over 100 parking tickets to members of Slow Roll who parked their cars illegally on Conant and in lots.
Whenever there is a special event in a city, it’s not unusual for people to be allowed to park where normally parking is not allowed.
A special event that attracts thousands of people means special considerations are made.
That’s what makes a city a friendly host.
Not so in Hamtramck. Officers pounced on the cars parked illegally. You’d think some city official would have taken charge and directed a special policy for the one-of-a-kind event.
But again, not so.
We don’t know what happened that caused this breakdown in communication among city officials who had heard about the oncoming visit and why they failed to pass the word along proper chain of command.
Members of Slow Roll who received tickets were fuming. They were told by Detroit Police and organizers that it was OK to park where they did.
Detroit Police were involved because a majority of the bike ride was in Detroit.
It’s unreasonable to blame the bike riders, many of whom drove to a meet-up location and unloaded their bikes, for not knowing they were technically in Hamtramck.
Most folks don’t know where the boundaries between Detroit and Hamtramck start and stop.
This mass ticketing even made it on to local TV news channels. The upshot is Hamtramck looked like an unwelcoming bully.
We have heard that there were a number of folks here in town who don’t like the bike group and cheered the ticketing.
To this special group of folks we have this to say: That was 6,000 people we just ticked off. Out of those 6,000 people were potential investors and those who might have come back to visit our bars, restaurants and businesses.
What planet are you on to think that it’s a good thing to alienate these folks?
But then again, Hamtramck is a small town, and along with that comes small-minded thinking for some.
What a botched opportunity.
The only thing that could turn this around and make it a public relations victory is for Hamtramck 31st District Court Judge Paul Paruk to announce he will dismiss all the tickets issued.
It’s your move Hamtramck.