Ke Hai Du. Photo: Daily NewsCheckmate.
In the unofficial battle for the most irresponsible, over-the-top media endorsement of motorist entitlement, the Daily News took the trophy this morning, declaring that drivers are within their rights to run down human beings who stand between their vehicles and on-street parking.
Under an arguably racist headline, News editors claim that sushi chef Ke Hai Du got what he deserved when motorist Paul Todd hit him with his car during a dispute over a Lower Manhattan parking spot on October 9. According to reports, as Du stood in a space to hold it for his boss, Todd nudged his Lincoln into Du's knees, then ran over his foot, breaking it.
To many people accustomed to the norms of civilized society, this would seem a clear case of assault, if not something more serious. But to the News it's a game, which the victim rightfully lost when he challenged the "finders keepers" rule -- or, as News editors put it, "a basic and inviolable tenet of the universe."
What Du did is right up there withstealing a taxi from the person who hailed it, or bringing 15 items tothe "10 items or less" register, or stopping at the top of a subwaystairway to read e-mail, or backing up in an E-ZPass lane.
The lesson is clear: Park your carcass in a parking space, and you may end up as road kill.
