If you've ever owned a car in Chicago, you're probably aware of the tyrannous company known at Lincoln Towing Service. The company's drivers are notorious for patrolling parking spaces around town and towing unsanctioned vehicles to one of their two lots in the city—sometimes even when the car is parked completely legally.
The company made headlines in September when a pair of its drivers were charged with aggravated battery for allegedly knocking a man off of a 16-foot ladder in order to tow his car, breaking his leg in the process. Since then, 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar has threatened to shut down the company's Uptown lot, which operates at 4882 N Clark St. Most recently, a North Side family said that Lincoln Towing unlawfully took their car, which was legally parked behind their home and hadn't been moved in months.
The company is now the subject of a class action lawsuit for its fraudulent practices, and a petition to Pawar's office has surfaced on Change.org calling for a suspension of Lincoln Towing's business license. "The city's residents should benefit from the local businesses," the petition reads, "not live in fear of illegal, costly, and dangerous predatory tactics."
If Pawar and the rest of the City Council come down on Lincoln Towing, it would be a pretty cathartic for anyone who's been victimized by the company over the years. After all, not everyone is fortunate enough to escape the clutches of one of their tow trucks like that Jeep driver last spring.