Four updates on predatory towing

Yesterday we published an explainer digging into the predatory towing practices going on at Carr Mill Mall. Since then, we’ve learned the following:

Carrboro Police sent Carr Mill Mall a letter on November 21, 2023 notifying them of violations

You can read the full letter here. (Council Member Sammy Slade shared it on Twitter.) Slade notes that the notice still “misses compliance issues having to do with: 1) sign visibility at the entrances & 2) car data to police (e.g. some license plate numbers).”

The signs are barely visible from the entrance turning into Weaver Street. Also, someone was hospitalized yesterday after his diabetic medicine was towed.

Slade also posted the following horrifying story on Twitter. As you can see, the signs are barely visible from this entrance – and people turning in would not be lo0king in the direction of where the signs are located.

I heard from a Carr Mill mall business customer yesterday who’s car was towed with his diabetic medication in the car. This resulted in him getting hospitalized and almost dying. He entered from this direction, where the signs are very hard to see.

A Reddit user reported how the cameras at Carr Mill Mall may work

A Reddit user detailed how cameras are fed directly to tow trucks. We haven’t independently verified this, but it’s how tows at Panera and McDonald’s also work. You can read the complete thread here.

reddit-comment

You can file a towing complaint with the Town of Carrboro

If you feel like a towing company did not follow proper procedures, you can file a towing complaint with the Town of Carrboro using this form. (This is the town’s ordinance regarding towing.)

Melody Kramer is a Peabody-award winning journalist whose work has appeared on NPR and member stations around the country, as well as in publications ranging from National Geographic to Esquire Magazine....