Sometimes, the hardest part of driving is finding a good parking spot. Parking can be tricky, especially in malls, government buildings, airports, and shopping malls. There is a walk around the place, waiting for someone to walk. Then there is a race to claim the spot before someone else takes it. And there are two cowboys staring down another driver trying to take the same spot. During this event, you may have noticed a parking lot painted purple, and it is not for families or people with disabilities.
Purple Parking Space Initiative
In the United States, purple parking spaces are reserved for military veterans who have been awarded the Purple Heart for combat injuries. Even if a veterinarian qualifies for a general disability facility, there is an unfortunate and unfair stigma associated with it. In gratitude for their sacrifice, some institutions set aside a purple area in their honor.
One version of the Purple Heart parking lot program began in 2015 in Warren, Ohio. Thousands of veterans live there, so the city celebrated them by creating their first purple parking lot outside the municipal building. Although there were places designated for veterans, there were no specific Purple Heart recipients.
The Nebraska-based group Wounded Warriors Family Support started a similar program in 2012. The non-profit organization distributed free parking signs “battle wounded” veterans. This includes those who have not been awarded the Purple Heart. The group has successfully delivered thousands of these signs.
This movement has gradually spread throughout the years. In 2019, the University of South Carolina launched the Purple Heart Parking Initiative with a dedicated parking lot near the World War Memorial building on campus. “Dedicated parking, along with permits, is one small way we can honor and recognize the wounded warriors in the UofSC community,” said Jared Evans, director of health and veterans programs, in a university press release. “…It speaks to the increased commitment we have made to serving those who work.”
“His old war wounds were just getting to him.”
Among the latest launches is the Purple Heart Parking Project by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4442 in West Virginia in 2022. Commander Gerald McMasters was shopping for groceries at Walmart when he saw an elderly man walking through the parking lot. He had a Purple Heart license plate on his truck.“I asked him why he doesn’t have a disability permit,” sto help McMasters. “He told me he wasn’t crippled, that his old war wounds were just getting to him. I felt sorry for this man and started to think. We have a special parking lot for some special needs. Why not our wounded veterans, our Purple Heart recipients?” The organization has successfully established more than 50 purple zones across the region. The first was at Walmart.
Recently, the Virginia DMV joined the Purple Heart Parking Project by adding designated parking spaces to 16 of its customer facilities.
Penalty for Parking in a Purple Parking Lot
In July 2021, Florida lawmakers passed a bill, CS/HB 1029, that authorized “Each state agency or political subdivision that has jurisdiction over on-street parking or publicly owned or operated parking lots may designate Purple Heart recipient parking spaces.“ It explained that these places were meant to honor war-wounded veterans, but they weren’t“lawfully preserved or protected.” In other words, they rely on the honor system. In contrast, legally accessible parking lots require placards, and vehicles without them can be ticketed, fined, or towed. The same does not apply to most purple parking lots, although that depends on the location.
In fact, New Jersey’s Berkeley Heights Township has passed an ordinance protecting parking lots. “for the wounded / Purple Heart veterans.” Anyone who parks there without special vehicle stickers or proof of veteran status can be fined $253 for a first offense. For subsequent offenses, he could be fined $253 and community service.
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“Strengthen pride instead of pity.”
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War-wounded veterans may be eligible for handicap parking spaces, but may be reluctant to use them because they feel guilty or judged by those around them. Meanwhile, the special purple areas “enable a sense of pride,” said Purple Heart recipient Brian Thomas to Reader’s Digest. “I think a lot of disabled veterans are more likely to use a Purple Heart or Veteran facility than a disabled facility. [since] it removes some prejudice and reinforces pride instead of compassion.”
Thomas explained that ex-soldiers can feel isolated as people often don’t understand their physical and emotional struggles. “As veterans, there are two constants: the drive to move forward without asking for help, and the desire for others to understand what you have. the service, what it meant to serve with your brothers and sisters, and the pride that comes from that service,” said Thomas. “If these posts spark curiosity, awareness or a little conversation about that, then they’re serving their purpose.”
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