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An Orwellian Drive Through Barstow
The key scene in Terry Gilliam’s seminal film Brazil involves an office worker squashing a bug on an official document transforming the name “Buttle” to “Tuttle.” The absurd clerical error leads to the persecution of an innocent man by a merciless bureaucracy. A few years ago, I experienced a similar event.
Driving through Barstow, California on the way to Arizona, I was pulled over by the highway patrol and ticketed for driving 85 mph in a 70 mph zone. Once back in Los Angeles, I mailed off a $325 check to cover the ticket. The check cleared and the incident was behind me. Or so I thought.
Two months later, I received a letter from the San Bernardino Superior Court stating the citation had gone to warrant for “failure to pay.” According to the letter, I owed $1350 for the ticket and I was ordered to appear at the Barstow Courthouse to resolve the issue. In addition, I received a second letter from the California DMV indicating my car registration was up for renewal but my account was on hold until I resolved the delinquent speeding ticket. I called the DMV and was told if I were pulled over by police for any reason I’d go straight to jail.
I called the Barstow Courthouse and an automated message said the court was only open on Tuesdays. The message indicated a web address where all citations could be paid online. I contacted the…
