Robin Hood is real.
The New Hampshire city of Keene is suing “Robin Hood and His Merry Men” — a group known for putting coins in people’s parking meters before parking enforcement agents can issue a ticket, according to the Washington Times.
The New Hampshire Union Leader reported this week that the six “Robin Hooders” named in the suit troll downtown Keene — often tracking parking enforcement officers — in search of cars parked at expired meters.
When they find one, they pay the meter and slip notes under the windshield wiper of the vehicle that says: “Your meter expired; however, we saved you from the king’s tariffs, Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Please consider paying it forward.” The note includes an address where people can send donations for the effort.
The city claims in the lawsuit that the “Robin Hood” groupis taunting and harassing the city’s three parking enforcement officers and causing them so much anxiety and distress that they’ve considered leaving their jobs. The city argues that losing the workers would force the city to pay to hire and train new parking enforcement officers.
The lawsuit claims that since December, the group has “intentionally taunted, interfered with, harassed and intimidated” the parking enforcement officers “by closely following them on foot and in automobiles in groups of one, two or more, often with video camera equipment and coordinating their activities using radio communication.”
In an affidavit, one of the parking enforcement officers said the group has harassed her: “Besides following me, crowding around me, making video recordings of my activities, and placing coins in expired meters to prevent me from writing tickets, these individuals repeatedly taunt and harass me, asking why I am stealing people’s money and telling me to get another job,” the officer said.
