Sometimes the news does its job, and actually reports the goings-on of the citizens of the city you happen to live in (and not just the famous ones who play soccer and have lip-syncing wives). One of the local SoCal stations aired a news story that just reeked of elitism, and for the first time in a long time, it wasn’t biased or slanted towards the elite.
On July 10, 2007, 24-year-old Elizabeth Sandoval was crossing Glendale Avenue when she was hit by some maniac in a Mercedes Benz doing about 60 mph. The impact was enough to throw Elizabeth over 75 feet. Thankfully, she died on impact, so it is unlikely that she felt the brunt of the pain. The asshole in the Mercedes took off, and the police began a manhunt for the car and its driver.
Here’s where the elitist part comes in; Mercedes implants GPS tracking devices in all of their vehicles. In the hours that followed Elizabeth’s hit and run death, the Glendale Police Department asked Mercedes to activate the GPS and help them find the person responsible for killing this young woman. Mercedes refused. They told the police that they would have to obtain a court order leaving the seasoned police chief stunned by their lack of response. I guess if you can afford a Mercedes, you don’t have to be culpable for your actions.
On a Lexus chat site there was wide discussion of this story with most of the Lexus owners agreeing with Mercedes’ actions (real shock there). Nearly all of the Lexus owners, in their own special, way claimed that if Mercedes gave the Glendale PD the information they needed to catch this killer, it would be violating their customers’ privacy rights. What about Elizabeth’s right to cross the street without being mowed down by an over-priced car? By the way, do those Lexus owners know that they are essentially driving a Toyota Camry with a different label?
The driver was identified as 20-year-old Ari Grigoryan (am I just smoking crack to think that a 20-year-old has no business driving a Mercedes?). He has repeatedly been pulled over by police for exceeding the speed limit. The police wanted to question him shortly after Elizabeth’s death, but they couldn’t find him or the car. If he was an innocent customer, like Mercedes assumed via their lack of cooperation, then why didn’t he go down to the police station and answer questions?
The police found the car five days later in a shop with the entire front end repaired and the license plates removed, with no help from Mercedes Benz (who violated not one, but two court orders to protect this killer). Grigoryan is no where to be found, and Elizabeth’s family is planning her funeral.
I think there should be a nation-wide boycott of Mercedes Benz. If you are the type that needs a flashy, status symbol car, go get yourself a Lexus. Better yet, with all that money you save trading in your Mercedes Benz, you could buy a swanky, new hybrid and make the world a better place to live. Although the boycott argument will probably fall on deaf ears given that we live in a county that puts more value on a shiny, Mercedes Benz status symbol than they do on the life of a 24-year-old Mexican store clerk, it is something that average folks can do on a grassroots level to show that they don’t appreciate a corporation passing judgment on another person, especially when that judgment is the best bias money can buy.
The longer I live in this country, the more I’m convinced that we really need an attitude adjustment which should start with the de-corporatization of our lives. Quality, affordability, and environmental standards didn’t make Mercedes the luxury label it is today, marketing and product placement did. You don’t buy a Mercedes, because you want a decent car with great gas mileage, you buy a Mercedes to show off your success. However, if having a car or any other material object is the best way you can show your success to others, you’re a big, superficial loser.
Elizabeth’s family said she was a woman who was always happy, and had one of those radiant personalities that just made everyone smile. She had her whole life ahead of her, yet it wasn’t as valuable as a car manufacturer’s obligation to its customer, even if that customer was a lousy coward who went out one night thinking he was cool, speeding down Glendale Avenue in a car he was too young to have purchased himself, and killed a girl who was way more of an asset to society than he was. Maybe if Elizabeth’s father could have afforded to buy a Mercedes this story would have had a much different ending.
4 comments:
I'm stunned speechless, that's the most revolting thing ever. So many people in this country are well on their way to becoming branded billboards.
It's particularly frightening when you know that by caring about this you're in a minority.
Increasingly people only give a shit if they're directly affected.
Am I just getting old or is the world more selfish than ever?
My neighbours son was killed by a merc driver many years ago - he was a very promising boxer. The driver was a diplomat. No charges were ever brought.
So disgusting! It boggles the mind how people can be so awful.
Last summer, my husband was riding his motorcycle home from work and was hit by some old geezer driving a BMW.
My husband is the safest motorcyclist I know. He always wears protective gear head-to-toe and has taken the motorcycle safety course.
When the police arrived at the scene of the accident, my husband unconscious and bleeding and the old guy in the Beemer was perfectly fine. The police decided it was OBVIOUSLY the fault the hooligan on the old bike, rather than the nice rich man in the shiny BMW who had taken the red light.
Good times.
Too many typos! Sorry
I meant warrant, not permit and etc.
Post a Comment