Takin' It To The Streets! (With Soap)

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 26 January 2015)


Naci, on right, takes rug protest downtown. Wet & wild.

In Oltu district of  Erzurum province, Naci Polat (38), the
married father of three children, earns his living by washing
carpets. However, to protest  a raft of tickets issued on his
vehicle by traffic police, he has taken to washing the rugs
in Hukumet Square, opposite the statue of Ataturk.

Polat never got the proper license for his minibus, on which
'Oltu Carpet Cleaning' is written.  Consequently, the minibus,
which he uses to transport the carpets from his home to his
workplace, has been ticketed four times in three months for
fines totaling 517 TL (about $250).

Polat explained the situation as follows: "I spent 1,000 TL to
publicize my store and to have 'Oltu Carpet Cleaning' written
on my minibus.  My income situation is not good and because
the winter months are slow I didn't get the proper license."

"The police ticketed me four times. I paid a 400 TL fine and erased
the sign from my minibus.  The police came to my store to get
their rugs cleaned and because I didn't give them a discount they
harass me with these tickets.  I complained about the police to the
public prosecutor twice. I'll continue my protest until justice is
done."


Oltu district is in the far north of Erzurum province.