Scott LoBaido, a Staten Island provocateur, has a long history of defying traffic laws and protesting speed enforcement cameras. He recently began obstructing these cameras with flower bouquets, risking public safety. Despite his repeated offenses, local authorities, including District Attorney Mike McMahon, have shown reluctance to penalize him adequately. LoBaido's lifelong antics, which range from political protests to culture war theatrics, reflect a deeply ingrained belief in car culture that clouds judgment and endangers the community.
Bob Dylan once said that "patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings," but the case of Staten Island conservative and neighbor-endangering provocateur Scott LoBaido proves that a scoundrel can also cling to the corruptive influence of car culture.
LoBaido, a recidivist scofflaw with four-dozen camera-issued tickets on his truck, has long protested the city's speed-enforcement cameras as a "money grab" (well, the "money" part is definitely true in LoBaido's case; he's paid $4,000 in these easily avoidable fines).
Now, I've been covering LoBaido's antics since he protested supposedly anti-Christian artwork at the Brooklyn Museum in 1999. And he's always been a piece of work, a Trumpist before Trump who turned everything into a culture war.
Given LoBaido's horrendous driving record, one would think that District Attorney Mike McMahon would have taken the opportunity to honor his oath of office to keep Richmond County residents safe and at least mete out a small amount of punishment to such a clear and present danger.
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