Court Opinion

ID: 9636630
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 14:36:07.96561+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:47.548843
License: Public Domain

VINSON, Associate Justice
(dissenting).
Tipp, the appellant, was charged and convicted of violation of Section 19, Arti-ele IV of the Police Regulations of the District of Columbia. The regulation reads as follows: “Sec. 19. That occupation of public space beyond the extent permitted by existing law or regulation, or as those laws or regulations may be amended from time to time, is hereby forbidden; Provided, however, That the customary and necessary use of such space by the occupants of abutting property in handling goods in transit is permitted during business hours only, but this permissible use shall not be construed to authorize an occupation of public space for storage purposes.”
I quote all the evidence in the record. Sergeant Walrodt, of the Metropolitan Police, testified that “on the 4th day of November, 1937, he observed a pile of paper about 4 feet wide and 8 feet long against the building at New Jersey Avenue and N Streets, S.E., where the defendant conducts a junk shop; that he never had the place under observation for any great length of, time but that when he did observe the premises there was a pile of paper on public space adjoining the building; that he did not know whether the pile of paper that he saw from one time to another was composed of the same identical paper and that he did not know how long such identical paper may have remained in that location. However, a pile of paper occupied this space everytime he observed it.”. [Italics supplied.]
The record states that “Officer J. M. Sine testified substantially as Sergeant Walrodt had testified” and, in addition thereto, the following: “This witness when asked whether or not he knew if the merchandise or paper, which he observed, was ever stored in the space it occupied, he answered that he did not know; but that he believed that the pile which he observed, was not continuously the same identical paper, because he also observed employees putting the paper into the building, as well as additional paper being dumped on the pile.” [Italics supplied.]
For the appellant, Walter Koons testified “that between the hours of about 10:00 a. m. and 2:00 p. m. trucks were continuously unloading their merchandise in front of the premises in question and in public space adjoining the defendant’s building; *268that after the merchandise was unloaded into the pile, it was weighted and taken into the building; that sometimes there were as many as four or five trucks unloading at the same time and that any particular merchandise that was unloaded from the trucks never remained in the pile in front of the building for a period longer than 5 or 10 minutes, since the pile was continuously being added to and taken away from in the process of his'business; that after this paper was unloaded onto the pile, it was taken from the pile and put into a bailer; that the bailer is working continuously from opening time in the morning until closing time in the evening; and no merchandise was ever left out side of the building after the close of business for the day.” [Italics supplied.]
It was agreed that two other witnesses would testify substantially as the witness Koons.
I do not think that the evidence either warranted, or can now sustain, a conviction. The language of the regulation is plain. The testimony is clear, and without contradiction. Under the express language of the regulation “the customary and necessary use of such space by the occupants of abutting property in handling goods in transit during business hours only” is permitted. True, this right of use is followed by limiting language that “this permissible use shall not be construed to authorize an occupation of public space for storage purposes.”
The majority opinion admits that the appellant made use of a public space during “business hours only”. Seemingly, it admits that the appellant was engaged “in handling goods in transit”. In any event, I consider it so to be. However, the majority opinion holds that this method of handling goods in transit “constituted ‘an occupation of public space for storage purposes.’ ” Distinguishing between "dead storage” and “live storage”, it admits that it is not “dead storage”, but defines it to be "live storage”. I do not think that it is storage at all.
The majority opinion shows a very proper concern for the rights of other members of the public in the use of the public space. Although the record does not disclose the manner in which they might desire or could legally use it, it is not essential as the question here involved is whether the appellant violated the law in his use of it. It should be understood that the particular public space does not involve the obstruction of the sidewalk for pedestrian use; it is the land situate between the building occupied by the appellant and the edge of the sidewalk nearest to the building.
The majority opinion states that “appellant’s occupation of the public space during business hours, being a continuous one, appropriated it to his sole use.” The record, in my opinion, does not warrant such conclusion, unless the business hours of this junk dealer were from 10:00 a. m to 2:00 p. m. However, if the appellant, during business hours, did make use of the-public space in the manner shown by the record, in my opinion, he did not violate the law. I see no langáuge that would prohibit continuous use by the occupants of the abutting property in handling goods in transit during business hours.
The courts are not the instrumentality of government to amend the regulation and further limit the right of abutting property owners to the use of such public space.
The proviso was inserted in the regulation to preserve and protect the occupants of property abutting public space in the right of ingress and egress. Deprivation of such rights not only could seriously affect the established business of an occupant, but would materially affect the value of the property itself. The regulation recognized such practical consideration and, in my opinion, intended the use of the public space as the appellant used it. I feel the judgment of the lower court should be reversed.