On Sept. 27, Stephen Zapoper was on his way to buy a bottle of booze, happily singing along to C+C Music Factory’s 1990 song
“Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” when he says he heard a police siren blaring behind him.
“I was thinking they wanted to pass so they could go get donuts, but they called on the speaker, ‘Please go to the right side,’” Zapoper told CTV Montreal. “I stopped and four police came, two on each side, and checked the inside of the car. Then they asked me if I was ok. I said, ‘Yes, I was just singing.’”
Zapoper said police checked his licence and registration and then came back with a $149 dollar surprise: a ticket for screaming in public. According to a Montreal bylaw, “to cause disorder by screaming” violates “peace and tranquility” and can be punishable by a fine of $50 to $1,000 for a first offence and $100 to $2,000 for subsequent infractions.
“I don’t know if my voice was very bad and that’s why I got the ticket, but I was very shocked,” Zapoper said. “I understand if they are doing their job, they are allowed to check if everything’s okay, if I kidnapped a kid or if there’s a strong odor of weed, but I would never expect they would give me a ticket for that.”
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