Brickbats.

• Author: Oliver, Charles
• Position: Parking fine, wind farm public meeting, Brazilian jujitsu in Canada

A judge in Providence, Rhode Island, has dismissed a ticket and fine issued to a woman for parking in a spot two seconds before it became legal to park there.

When members of the North Carolina Military Commission saw that press and members of the public had actually showed up to a public meeting where a presentation on a wind farm would be held, they pulled that item from the agenda and told everyone it would be discussed at a later date. Then, after the public and the media left, members of the commission heard the presentation anyway.

For almost a decade, Montreal has hosted the Canadian championship in Brazilian jujitsu. But organizers had to cancel this year's tournament at the last minute after cops told them it would violate a national law banning combat sports not recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The police threatened to arrest every athlete who took part in the event. But the relevant law defines combat sports as those involving striking with the hands or feet. Brazilian jujitsu is a grappling event.

Heather Lindsay and Lexene Charles say the racial slur scrawled on their garage door in Stamford, Connecticut, isn't the first time their home has been vandalized. Police haven't taken the incidents seriously, they complain, so they've vowed not to remove the graffiti until cops properly investigate the matter. City officials have responded by slapping them with a blight citation, which carries a $100-a-day fine.

The Russian government has prohibited children under the age of 16 from seeing the new version of Beauty and the Beast because it has a gay character. Russia bars what it calls "gay propaganda" aimed at minors.

In Prince George's County, Maryland, police officer James Sims has been suspended for one year and sentenced to three years' probation after pleading guilty to taking upskirt photos--reportedly of women he pulled over for traffic stops.

The European Union parliament has voted to remove the immunity of French...