Does Donald Trump Have Skid Marks?

     Actually, I don't know and I don't care. But it seemed like a good title for this blog. My beef with The Donald dates back to the summer of 1998 during the yearly New York Book Fair on Fifth Avenue. I was there with my friend Paul Hiatt, and he would help me sell my out-of-print books on the sidewalk. For that occasion, the street was closed to traffic from 42nd Street to 57th Street, and authors were permitted to sell their books. Publishers paid to have their stalls on Fifth Avenue and promote new publications.
     On this Sunday the weather was perfect for the crowds of people who attended. My location was in front of Trump Tower on the sidewalk. Sales were brisk for about twenty minutes; then The Donald's security guards approched me, saying: "Sorry. You'll have to pack up and leave this location.The order is from Donald Trump who owns this sidewalk."
     A retired police officer nearby heard their ultimatum and came closer to dispute that command.
"No way," he said. "The sidewalk belongs to the city of New York, not Donald Trump. Besides, this is Book Fair Day and authors and publishers own the right to sell their books anywhere on Fifth Avenue, from 9 am until 5 pm."
     But the security guards weren't deterred. They started putting my books into the boxes and, despite my protests, Paul and I were moved away from Trump Tower. Nor was I about to engage in combat with the beefy security guys, albeit they were ready to battle.
     Paul and I sold more books at other locations on Fifh Avenue but the place in front of Trump Tower had been the best. We packed up early and went to dinner. I told Paul my plan for the next day: Small Claims Court.
     I've been to Small Claims Court over a dozen times during the past several decades. Once when American Airlines lost my box of 500 books on the way to a convention in Dallas. The court issued a judgement for $1,500 in lost sales and they paid up. Another time a British producer stiffed me on a $400 fee promised; I collected in full, plus 15% interest. Now, the court awarded me $900 for lost sales at the Book Fair.
     I received a Default Judgment and Trump's lawyers weren't even in court to contest it. That sum is too small for them to waste their time and they knew I would have difficulty in locating the proper company, among his many, to collect my money. True. That was going to be an almost impossible task. Well, almost.
     My judgement was good for twenty years. So I went to Atlantic City, NJ and visited the Sheriff. I asked him to auction Trump's Taj Mahal Hotel, I would take the first $900 and give him the next 55 million. He called the local newspaper, they ran a story and I received a call from Mr. Diamond, one of Trump's lawyers. He offered me $1,000 to forgive and forget. An excellent idea! Stay tuned.