The morning sun was just beginning to hit the asphalt when the sound of a heavy knock on a car window startled David awake. He was a veteran, a man used to harsh conditions, but the confusion of that moment stayed with him all the way to the courtroom.
He wasn’t in a park, and he wasn’t on the street. He was in his own driveway, sitting in his own car.
A Brutal Night
The night before had been unbearable. A massive power outage had hit the neighborhood, and the temperature inside David’s house had climbed to over 100°F (38°C). With no fans and no air conditioning, the house felt like an oven.
“I was just trying to get through the night,” David explained to the judge. “I thought my driveway was the safest place to sleep. My car had a bit of a breeze, and I was on my own land.”
But at 7:00 a.m., a police officer didn’t see a veteran trying to stay cool. He saw a criminal. He arrested David on the spot for “illegal camping” and violating a city ordinance.
The Letter of the Law
In court, the city’s lawyer was cold and unyielding. To him, the situation was black and white.
“The ordinance is clear, Your Honor,” the lawyer argued, pointing at his documents. “Sleeping in vehicles is prohibited. It doesn’t matter if it’s his driveway. The defendant chose to sleep in his car when his house was right there. We can’t make exceptions just because he was ‘too hot’.”
The lawyer spoke with a sneer, dismissing the 100-degree heat as a mere excuse.
The Judge’s Correction
The judge sat quietly as the lawyer spoke, but as she looked closer at the law, her expression changed from patience to irritation. She had heard enough.
“That’s enough, counsel,” the judge interrupted, her voice sharp.
She held up the legal text that the police and the lawyer had conveniently ignored. “The ordinance says it prohibits sleeping in vehicles on public property. Mr. David was on private property. He was in his own driveway.”
The courtroom went quiet. The police had ignored the most important word in the law just to make an arrest.
“This case is dismissed,” the judge declared. David finally walked out of the courtroom, a free man, reminded once again that sometimes, common sense—and a careful reading of the law—is the best defense.
