Detroit News Host Refuses To Pay $1 For Parking, City Savagely Claps Back

Last week, I did what most of us do when we need to run inside a shop quickly and don't want to pay to park: I ran inside, got my sandwich, and sprinted back out with my fingers crossed, hoping I didn't find a bright yellow ticket on my windshield. It's a gambit many of us play, but it's also one most of us (begrudgingly) accept the consequences for.

This rule applies to all of us, including news anchors, but it seems one news host in Detroit didn't receive the memo when he took to X & Facebook to share the story of how he got a ticket while running inside to get soup. His post generated a lot of buzz online, but the City of Detroit got the last laugh with a fiery reply of its own.

It's up to you to decide: who is in the right?

Ryan Ermanni's Very Expensive Soup

On September 23rd, Ryan Ermanni, the co-host of The Nine on Fox 2 News and a radio host on 760 WJR, took to both X and Facebook to "thank" the city of Detroit for a parking ticket after he ran inside for a quick bowl of soup to go.

His initial Facebook post garnered over 4,000 comments. Still, the most impactful reply came from the City of Detroit itself after it basically called him out for being cheap, stating that using the app or the parking meter is "quick, easy, and affordable at a rate of $1 per hour." His $45 "love letter" wouldn't have happened if he'd just paid his parking.

The saga concluded with Ryan once again responding to the post, stating that surely the city "doesn't need his $1 that bad" and proposing that the city offer one hour of free parking.

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He later clarified in the comments of his original post that he had no problem paying the ticket, as he understood why he got it. Still, he believes that situations like these hurt the businesses more than anything, since people are deterred from parking if they have to pay each time.

Who Is Right?

While Ryan did double down on his belief that paying for parking for such a short trip is ridiculous, the public's response is mixed. Several users on X and Facebook were on Ryan's side, agreeing that paying for a quick errand is silly and that downloading an app to park somewhere is annoying, with some wishing meters were still as easy as inserting a few quarters.

"Why not make the first hour free? No one should have to pay to park for a quick errand. Nothing deters me more from visiting places than having to pay to park my car."

 

"No one wants to download your S*** just to park on the streets that the Tax payers pay for"

 

"Should have free curbside pickup spots - 15 min"

Ultimately, most people were clowning Ryan for making a post "complaining" about getting caught not paying the meter and having to pay $45 in tickets when he could have paid $1 for the meter. Many believed that if you try to play the 'not paying' game, risking a ticket is the price you pay (literally).

"I mean you could have just paid the meter"

 

"Imagine thinking you’re in the right & post to all of your followers because you thought you were too good to pay the meter like everyone else."

 

"I'm no comedian, but it sounds like you're the main act... and the punchline is 'I didn't read the parking sign'"

This entire endeavor raises an interesting argument. While it would take some work to figure it out, does Ryan have a point in arguing that there should be a grace period for quick-trip parking? Or is the City of Detroit already doing people a favor by making one hour of parking cost $1?

Let us know which side you are on.