The decision mom of four children from new York to breastfeed her hungry 3-week-old baby in a car parked in a commercial area in Manhattan, turned to a fine of $115. The woman strongly disagrees with the actions of the officer who almost towed her car, and intends to challenge given her a fine.
The incident occurred on the morning of April 11, when 30-year-old Guillermina Rodriguez, a mother of four children, tossed her husband to the dentist near times square. The woman was left alone with his young daughter and when she started to cry, Guillermina he panicked and tried to stop the car in the commercial area on 8th Avenue, between 30th and 31st streets, near Penn Station, not finding another Parking place in the busy city centre.
«I almost cried because she was crying, and all I wanted to do at this point is to stop so I could take care of her,» recalls Rodriguez.
The woman says that in that moment, she had no choice.
«I understand that it is the law, but seriously, what was I supposed to do when the baby screamed?», said Guillermina on Friday in an interview with NY Daily News.
The assault on children and families in New York is just shocking! #EnoughAlready https://t.co/z2pKbaSgYO
— Sheila Ealey (@slealey53) April 13, 2019
Rodriguez moved to the back seat of his Toyota SUV Suburban to quickly feed baby Elian.
According to the woman, after two or three minutes after she drove into a commercial area, arrived the employee of traffic police of new York with a tow truck about to tow her car. Then she began to honk from the car to alert the agent that someone’s car is.
Then the police officer looked inside the car.
«He looked inside, and I showed him my Breasts and what I feed my baby. Seeing this, he turned and left the fine,» said Rodriguez.
The woman said that the officer didn’t say a word, he just left the ticket on the windshield, turned around and left.
Guillermina immediately decided to make a video on a mobile phone, perturbed by this incident. She showed herself, Eliza and the tow truck in front of his car and said, «I am here to breast-feed her child, but he still gave me a ticket. Wonderful.»
Rodriguez believes that the presentation of a fine mother in this situation is stupid and inhumane decision, so she asked for help, La Leche League, a nonprofit organization that protects nursing mothers. Her case was assigned to the employee of the organization Laura Beth Gilman.
A mother is fighting a parking ticket she got after she pulled over to breastfeed her baby in New York City. Guillermina Rodriguez was driving through midtown Manhattan Thursday with her hungry three-week-old baby crying in the backseat Via @CBSNews https://t.co/Ite9S6PNjW
— David Thomas Sutton (@DTSutton) April 13, 2019
Gilman said that, in her view, Rodriguez did the right thing and being a good mom, Guillermina could not respond to the cry of his daughter.
«You are genetically predisposed to respond to the cry of your baby. It drives you crazy,» said Gilman in an interview with NY Daily News.
For this reason, Gilman says that the road agents should be better trained and to consider these incidents as an emergency.
«If she had a flat tire, he would write her up? If she was an emergency medical situation … he would have left her up? She had an emergency, — said Gilman. She found the first safe place that I can to resolve an emergency».
And Gilman, and Rodriguez plans to challenge the fine.
«I think she deserves understanding, and a policeman had to say: «of Course, I’ll give you a couple of minutes,» added Gilman reporters abc7ny.
PIX11 was able to contact police and to talk about the incident. The representative of traffic police said that the agent was discharged the penalty before he realized that someone is in the vehicle. But will there be a penalty rejected is still unknown.
