WASHINGTON - Parking in the District is tough everywhere but when people gather for big funerals, the fight for neighborhood parking escalates. Now one council member has a proposal that has some church neighbors angry.

In congested parts of D.C., parking for big funerals can be difficult to find so mourners are often forced to double park.

"For a funeral I got a ticket [for] $50," said Ida Austin, a mourner.

Councilman Michael Brown has introduced a bill that would stop parking enforcement from ticketing cars at funerals.

"As long as you're not blocking a hydrant, a driveway or an alley," he said. "When people are coming to mourn, we don't know if it's appropriate either for them to be running out of the church or their place of worship to make sure to put coins in the meter or make sure the ticket person is not out there giving them a ticket."

The bill would give mourners up to five hours of ticket-free parking which has sparked criticism in gentrifying neighborhood like Shaw.

"Five hours is outrageous," said ANC Commissioner Alexander Padro. "It's the better part of a business day."

Even in old established neighborhoods like the one around Zion Baptist., long-time resident Helena Valentine says her visitors should get five hours too.

"I pay tax to live here. Most of the people that go to this church are from Maryland or from other neighborhoods," she said.

Zion has passed out cones to its neighbors, urging them to protect their spaces during church events. But it's a dilemma for Austin and others at an octogenarian luncheon who cannot walk great distances but still want to remember their friends and loved ones without the burden of tickets.

"It's rough," said Austin. "It's rough -- it's wrong."

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