The tourist trap run by Frank Parlato over on Niagara Street teamed up with the State Parks Police, whose habit of harassing motorists in our fair city has gotten completely out of hand, to ruin the vacation of a doctor visiting from Allentown, Pa., who brought his young sons on a trip of 300 miles in order to see one of the world's natural wonders.
Dr. Dale Dangleben, a trauma surgeon at Allentown's Lehigh Valley Hospital, made the six-hour drive to the Falls to celebrate the first birthday of his youngest son. The older boys told their father they were hungry, and the good doctor realized he was as well. He sighted the Hard Rock Cafe and thought he'd stop there for lunch, and pulled over after he saw a young woman standing in the street and directing traffic into Parlato's One Niagara parking lot, directly across from the restaurant.
"This was before we even checked into the hotel," he said. "As I pulled up, she told me the lot was not for the Hard Rock, and that it cost $10 to park there."
Dangleben balked and began to pull away. He hadn't gotten 10 feet down the road when he was pulled over by the State Parks police, lights flashing and siren blaring.
"The officer asked me for my license and then began walking back to his car with it, when he turned and came back to ask in a condescending way whether I owned the vehicle," Dangleben said. "I said yes, and he asked for my insurance card and went back to his vehicle.
"I sat there for 20 minutes with my baby crying and my other sons asking why we were waiting," he added. "He returned and handed me a ticket, charging me with failing to yield while entering the roadway, even though I had never gotten off the roadway."
At this point it might be mentioned that Dangleben was driving a brand new Lincoln Navigator, as befitting a man of his accomplishment. It might also be mentioned he stands six-foot-five and happens to be a black guy. In his work, Dangleben deals with police officers every day in often-stressful situations. But the State Parks cop who was, for some reason, patrolling our city's streets that day was clearly out of line, he said.
"Never in my life have I been asked whether I owned the car I was driving. I think that speaks for itself. The worst part was that my older sons had to see that and I had to explain the situation later on," he added.
To Dangleben, it seemed a clear instance of racial profiling.
"I never play the race card. I love this country and believe there is more good than bad. But let's not bury our heads in the sand when it comes to racial profiling. I worked hard to earn that vehicle and what the officer did was demeaning and insulting," he said.
I told the doctor that in my years here I've heard horror stories from visitors of all races, nationalities and regions of the country. That's about the best you can do in defending Niagara Falls these days, assure someone that the sharks and predators like Parlato and the State Parks Police are ready, willing and able to ruin vacations and gouge tourists at every opportunity.
But that's cold comfort to someone who's just become the latest victim.
"The real crime that day was that there were two young women standing in the street, directing traffic into the lot," Dangleben said. "There were no signs stating it cost $10 to park there. It's a shame because we opted to stay on the American side even though everyone told us the Canadian side was better."
The doctor is now faced with making another six-hour drive to the Falls for the opportunity to defend himself in court, or paying the ticket, getting the points on his license and living with the knowledge that he was taken advantage of. Tough call.
But at least he has a choice. The people of this city, who must suffer the consequences of having politically protected bloodsuckers among us, do not.
"If the officer had given me a chance, I would have told him that I literally had just arrived in the city after a six-hour drive and had three hungry young kids in the back. Instead, he wanted to know whether I owned my car. This was my welcome in Niagara Falls."
In all likelihood, Dr. Dangleben will pay his ticket and get on with his life. It's probably a safe bet that he won't come back here any time soon for a relaxing visit. The money he'd have brought with him to spend is gone.
And if, over the next three decades or so, after a round of golf at the Lehigh Country Club or having dinner with friends at the Bay Leaf, La Piazza or one of Allentown's other fine restaurants, someone should say they've been thinking about making the trip to Niagara Falls themselves, it's also a pretty safe bet what advice the good doctor will dispense.
Stay on the Canadian side.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | July 24 2007 |