Stoop Drinker's Case Dismissed
Sterling VanRy
Kimber VanRy sits on his stoop, where he was ticketed last year for drinking a Sierra Nevada.
Kimber VanRy's fight for the right to "stoop it" went on far too long.
The Prospect Heights father of two had his ticket for drinking a beer on his stoop dismissed Tuesday by a judge who said the whole process just "took too long."
In what may have been the final nail in the city's legal coffin, VanRy's case was delayed again last Tuesday when a judge excused himself for being too familiar with the proceedings, blaming the Brooklyn Paper's stellar reporting on the issue.
The dismissal of the petty charge comes as a relief for VanRy. However, his goal in preventing cops from issuing tickets to people who drink beer on their stoops was not fully realized. VanRy told the Brooklyn Paper that his victory "feels a little hollow.”
“This dismissal doesn’t allow us to drink on the stoop, which was the purpose of this case,” VanRy said.
"Why are we here," Brooklynites are left to ponder, "if we can't even enjoy a stoop brew?" Existence, it seems, is futile.
But with the District Attorney's office telling the Paper they don't "typically prosecute summonses charging violations," and essentially never really cared, beer aficionados could potentially see this as a green light to crack open a cold one outdoors come spring.
“I’m not sure I’ll drink on my stoop,” VanRy admitted before letting loose a smirk. "I’ll see when the weather turns nice.”
VanRy summed it all up with a quote on his Facebook page: "I fought the law and I won."
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