i was wrongfully terminated in a way that seems to be a first of its kind PLEASE HELP

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the_universe

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My jurisdiction is: Texas

Dear to whom it concerns,

This letter concerns the complete disregard of my rights and the corruption of the National Park Service law enforcement division, and how they screwed up my life by getting me fired from my job working as a concessionaire at Chisos Mountain Lodge located in the heart of Big Bend National Park. In this letter I'll give a time line of the events starting on Nov 9 that led up to my termination that's resulted in me being homeless for about 3 weeks now. Well Nov 9 was one of my days off work and some of my friends from work were all going to go hike up to Emory Peak although before we went hiking my friend Tim and I decided to explore some of the back country roads past my campsite and when we were retuning we saw a Park Ranger parked out front of my campsite looking through my campsite so we pulled up behind him, got out of the car and we engaged him in conversation for about 10 minutes. Initially he told us he was headed past our campsite to investigate some campers that were supposedly camping without a permit that they had observed using photographs that surveillance planes had taken. Then he asked me if he could see my cars registration. I went to go through my car to find it digging through my documents when he told me he knew I didn't have it, because he already knew it had expired 3 days ago. Since my car was further back than his truck was and since he didn't walk behind my car to see my license plate I was wondering how he already knew that and then I became skeptical that he had just stopped at my campsite to make sure everything was ok like he had initially told us. I started cleverly asking how he knew it was expired because he didn't even see my plates or look it up on his computer or anything. Then I finally got him to admit that he had checked my camping permit which the park service ask you to give your license plate number and drivers license number for safety reasons. Typical example of giving up freedoms for a sense of security and losing both instead. Anyways back to my story it also turned out that my driver's license had also expired 3 days previously also. Then I saw him go back to his Park Ranger truck to write me tickets for expired license and tag which took me by surprise, because I thought I was in the clear for the moment since I wasn't even pulled over. I also know that usually law enforcement won't do computer checks of driver's paperwork issues and go to their homes and wait for them to get back to give them a ticket for it. Well I saw him about to write me tickets for it so I walked over to his truck and asked him if he was writing me a ticket. He told me to go sit back down and then before I went to go sit back down I asked a couple times if I could get a warning instead since it just expired a couple days ago and since I am from Georgia making it much hard to keep up with paper work issues. Plus Big Bend National park is like 90 miles from the nearest city Alpine if you would even consider that a city. I go sit back down and I guess he had called in backup judging by another Park Ranger showing up. The Park Ranger that I had been dealing with so far names was Park Ranger Phil Basak. He apparently didn't know how to write a warning and even told me that we don't write these. Phil Basak had to ask his backup a question about how to write the warning. Phil told me I have a week to get it taken care of and that I had to come back within the week to either his office or call his cell phone to show him the updated paperwork, or he was going to come find me. This traffic stop on Nov 9 of my parked car was far from over, but it's not critical to my complaint. After I was finally allowed to leave I drove straight to the Visitors Center and started asking questions nicely like "Hey I wasn't aware that when I gave yall my license plate number that you were going to do background checks to see what you can ticket me for since you tell everyone it's for their own safety. I asked if I could see a book with the laws, rules, and regulations of the park. They initially told me no and we can answer whatever questions you have. After I explained my situation to them they said that I shouldn't have been breaking the law. To me that sounded like a completely scripted answer that someone told them to respond to the public with and it didn't fit my situation at all since I wasn't complaining about a ticket or any form of punishment. I then said I had received a warning and not a ticket which I was met with the response of then if you're not in trouble why are you even complaining. I then asked to see a book of laws which was denied to me, although they did let me look at a copy of their compendium. Neither of us found anything about using someone's license plate number from their camping permit to enforce traffic violations. Finally they told me I couldn't stay in the visitor's center and that it was online so I could find it on there. I thanked them and left.

Then came Nov 11 and I went back to work. While at work my General Manager Jerry pulled me aside and asked if I wanted to switch roommates. The job is to far away from anywhere to live so everyone who works in the park lives in it. I told them no, because I like my roommate. Then Jerry told me to go back and live in the trailer and to stop camping. Jerry then said that the rangers came to talk to him about telling me to stop camping. He also told me that I needed to lay low multiple times through the initial conversation. Then about 10 to 15 minutes later I asked Jerry who was still in the dining room if I could talk to him again. I told him that the real reason the park rangers might have wanted me to stop camping was because I had gone to the visitors center and was asking some questions about illegal police conduct. Jerry was then like "Yea yea I know LEAVE IT ALONE." I was like well they did something illegal. Jerry was like I don't care just leave it alone. The park rangers see this as you taking on the entire park service. Anyways our second conversation was pretty repetitive, although Jerry also told me that he promised the park rangers he'd shut me up which is probably why he told me to lay low. Jerry wouldn't even listen to my side of the story and whenever I tried to tell him he kept saying "LEAVE IT ALONE."(angrily) Told me that the park rangers could shut down Forever Resorts for whatever reason they wanted and if I didn't stay out of this situation the park rangers would shut down Forever resorts and get everyone fired and that they can't have me working for them if I didn't "leave it alone". I just wanted to keep my job and enjoy the park so I became a victim of Jerrys pathetic threat. The Park Rangers violated my Right to Privacy. I lost my sense of security in my own home since my right to freedom of speech and whistle blower rights were violated. Couldn't use freedom of speech towards law enforcement through fear I'd lose my job. I lost the ability to defend myself against illegal law enforcement.

A week after the warning I still wasn't able to get my license and tags transferred to Texas, because I had to get my some of my information sent to me like my social security card and a copy of my birth certificate sent to me since my driver's license apparently didn't count as a valid form of identification since it was expired. I called Park Ranger Phil Basak to let him know the situation of what happened when I went to the dmv and that if he wanted to find me I'd be working up at the restaurant if he wanted to know where he could find me. I figured since Phil told me that the warning would turn into a ticket in a week and he was going to come find me and write me tickets. I knew the restaurant would be a safe location with plenty of witnesses and also that you can't give someone a traffic citation while their working and if their car is parked out front. I was right about that one when he showed up and I explained what happened when I went to the Dmv and that I was waiting for my other forms of identification to come in the mail so I got another week to get my paperwork taken care of or else I would be arrested and the tickets would be finalized. I also mentioned that I saw his footprints around my new campsite and he told me that it wasn't him who was out there looking around my campsite for me while I was at work, but he did say that another park ranger apparently was sent to my camp site to find me.
 
Then on Tuesday the 18th of November around 11am I was pulling out of my parking lot I lived in and got in the tinniest fender bender with some government vehicle that was going for a joy ride during work. I was not at fault in the accident. I guess at this point someone had appointed Park Ranger Phil Basak in charge of all affairs relating to me, because of course we waited awhile for a park ranger to show up and of course I bet you can guess which park ranger showed up. Park Ranger Phil Basak had back up show up which seemed to be recurring theme of all incidents involving me. Park Ranger Phil Basak let the government official leave the scene of the accident. I mentioned to him that we must be soul mates, because our paths keep bringing us together. Phil told me I know we've been running into each other too much and that's a problem. Then he told me that he was going to do me a favor by impounding my car to keep me from getting in anymore trouble. Phil told me that once I brought proof of insurance and a valid driver's license to the impound lot they would release my car to me for no fee. Then told me after two weeks that if I didn't bring a valid driver's license and proof of insurance they would apparently send my car to the impound lot outside the park which would cost me about 500 just to get it towed there plus whatever the impound lot would charge. After he gave me a chance to get my belongings out of my car he drove it over to the impound lot. When he got back he handed me 3 tickets which I wasn't asked to sign any of them. He told me that if I corrected the violations written on the tickets before the 2 weeks ran up they would be thrown out, but if I didn't they would send them in also to be processed which I would have to pay in addition to the impound fees. Told me it's illegal to drive with an invalid driver's license and that I was lucky they were choosing not to arrest me. My forms of identification showed up in the mail the day after the accident which was what I had been waiting for so I could get my license taken care of.

So now I didn't have a car and living about 9 miles from work and 90 miles from the closest dmv caused a lot of stress not having transportation in the middle of nowhere and loosing hours at work, because of transportation issues. Well upon getting back to work the General Manager "Jerry" and manager below him "Danny" told me that the park rangers complained about me again. Jerry told me that if you're caught driving again you will be fired from here because we have contract with the park and driving illegally violates your work contract or something like that. I was like well my cars impounded so I don't get why the park rangers would have made an issue about that to yall.

So after work I was trying to plan how I was going to get my license and registration in two weeks because my car was impounded which meant that I couldn't get it taken to have a safety check which is required in Texas to get Texas plates. To get the drivers license I had to take the written and driving test again without a car. That wasn't so important because you can't get a driver's license without having your registration in hand at the dmv and when your cars locked up in a cage it makes it impossible to get the car checked out for safety so once I figured out the catch 22 I went to talk to the park rangers about releasing my car. When I went to talk to them they told me that Phil wouldn't be back until tomorrow so I would need to come back. I asked them to speak to someone else and finally they got some other park ranger on the phone for me to discuss my situation with. He told me to tell the dmv of the situation I was in and a bunch of other useless advice that I had already tried. He told me I needed to wait for tomorrow for Phil to get back and discuss it with him.

The next day when I went to talk to Phil he told me that I also needed to tell the dmv of my situation with my car being impounded and they would understand. Then also suggested that I try a different dmv that would overlook the fact that I had a car so I wouldn't have to have registration when I went to get my drivers license. After several other bad suggestions I told him that I wasn't going to do anything illegal to get my license. Phil said he would call the dmv tomorrow when it opened and work it out with them since apparently I wasn't capable of taking care of it. Then I also brought up the issue of the ticket I got for an invalid license which was actually the wrong ticket. An expired license is a paper work issue and not a misdemeanor unlike an invalid license is. An expired license is not a crime and the word expired isn't even mentioned in any of the subsections classifying what a invalid is. So I explained to Phil that it wasn't expired and asked him to write me the correct ticket which he refused to do. Phil said it was an issue to be dealt with in court although since the ticket wouldn't be turned in for 2 weeks it meant that by the time the court case would come around my car would be long gone. Phil got mad at me for teaching him how to do his own job. I got thrown out and Phil told me to come back in the morning. The whole reason I was making such a big deal to get my car back that day was due to the fact that Danny told my roommate Frank and I that we had to move to a new trailer to make some room for some new person. Plus if I was written the correct citation I would not have been stranded in the park. Last thing I asked Phil if he and his ranger friends could stop making threats to my managers at work, because he was slandering my name and what's left of my good reputation. Phil responded immediately that "Were doing nothing illegal."

Driving While License Suspended (Invalid) - Texas Transportation Code Section 521.457
§ 521.457. Driving While license Invalid (Suspended)
(a) A person commits an offense if the person operates a motor vehicle on a highway:
(1) after the person's driver's license has been canceled under this chapter if the person does not have a license that was subsequently issued under this chapter;
(2) during a period that the person's driver's license or privilege is suspended or revoked under any law of this state;
(3) while the person's driver's license is expired if the license expired during a period of suspension; or
(4) after renewal of the person's driver's license has been denied under any law of this state, if the person does not have a driver's license subsequently issued under this chapter.
(b) A person commits an offense if the person is the subject of an order issued under any law of this state that prohibits the person from obtaining a driver's license and the person operates a motor vehicle on a highway.
(c) It is not a defense to prosecution under this section that the person did not receive actual notice of a suspension imposed as a result of a conviction for an offense under Section 521.341.
(d) Except as provided by Subsection (c), it is an affirmative defense to prosecution of an offense, other than an offense under Section 521.341, that the person did not receive actual notice of a cancellation, suspension, revocation, or prohibition order relating to the person's license. For purposes of this section, actual notice is presumed if the notice was mailed in accordance with law.
(e) Except as provided by Subsection (f), an offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by:
(1) a fine of not less than $100 or more than $500; and
(2) confinement in county jail for a term of not less than 72 hours or more than six months.
(f) If it is shown on the trial of an offense under this section that the person has previously been convicted of an offense under this section or an offense under Section 601.371(a), as that law existed before September 1, 2003, the offense is a Class A misdemeanor.
(g) For purposes of this section, a conviction for an offense that involves operation of a motor vehicle after August 31, 1987, is a final conviction, regardless of whether the sentence for the conviction is probated.

So Monday morning I wake up to hear Phil banging on my trailer door and I went to go greet him. He told me he had been on the phone with the dmv for over an hour and a half and he was going to make me a new deal about my car. Phil first said he was done dealing with this situation because it was getting really annoying for him. He also told me that the car was never actually going to the impound lot in Alpine, but was actually going to be lit on fire and used for the firefighters to practice on. Those firefighters have been asking all around trying to find a car to light up. He told me to bring someone with a valid and not expired drivers license to the impound lot and they would release the car to them. That person would be my driver of my car who would have to drive me to alpine to get the car up to date. Well turns out a lot of employees who work in the park have expired licenses so I finally found one with a valid drivers license. She drove it to out front my trailer since we had to work in about 10 min. Well I later realized that no one besides me was actually insured to drive my car all the way to alpine and if anyone wrecked it or killed someone I would be held legally responsible for the damage and my insurance wouldn't cover anyone else to drive.
 
Work Friday started off with me getting off the van and lighting up a cigarette before work. Jerry came outside and said its really busy in there you need to clock in and start helping. I put out my cigarette and went in and didn't see why he told me it was so busy when all the tables were clean and the dining room wasn't busy at all. Jerry never helps out in the dining room so I found it a little odd. Jerry was also paying a lot of attention to me and also helping bus tables a little bit. Then our dining room manager Katie kept taking items I was using to bus and clean the tables like my rag to wipe down the tables or the spray bottle of bleach and racing me to the tables which was really annoying because every time I would put down something for a second to pick up something else Katie would keep swiping it from me. I figured she was just trying to show off for our general manager so I kept working at my normal pace. Then Katie kept complaining about how slow I was working and while I may not have been running back and forth stressing myself out like Katie I still worked faster because I only would take one trip to each table while Katie would take multiple trips to get the same amount of work done. So she really went out of her way that day to make me look bad because she asked me to come talk to her and I went. She handed me a write-up that was all lies with Sharron our human resources lady present. Katie also said that I was working hard that day only because Jerry was in the restaurant. I said that the write up was all lies and that I was going to debunk every single thing on the write up Katie had handed me. Once I said that Katie said well lets do it with Jerry present because it would be in my best interest to do it with Jerry present. After I debunked the first 2 out of like 12 of the accusations on the write up I was stopped by Jerry who said that I needed to sign it. On the write up it also said that the next write up would be termination. I refused to sign it because it was all lies. Jerry said that he saw how bad I worked since he was apparently spying on me and wrote on the write up refused to sign. I then decided that if my hard work ethics were going to be slandered like that then I wanted to work a different position. I asked Jerry to transfer me to another position then if he thought I was so bad at bussing tables. He said that well we transferred you over to bussing because you were too slow of a learner to work front desk. I only did front desk for my first 3 days or so and was told that they needed a busser in the dining room and I agreed. I told Jerry that my first 3 days of front desk that no one had time to train me because they were trying to learn the new system that was just installed and they were confused. I also told him that even though no one had time to train me I still absorbed everything and he could test me right that moment and I would have been able to run the front desk. He didn't say anything about that after I dared him to test me at it. Then I asked for a copy of the write up 5 different ways and was refused all 5 times. Then asked why he didn't inform me of my right to fill out a freedom of information act or a privacy policy act which was also met with no response. Jerry then told me that if I mentioned to any member of the staff what happened in the meeting I would be Terminated. He also told me if I went back to work and was the least bit disgruntled I would also be terminated. To me it sounded illegal as hell what he said so after the meeting I clocked out for lunch and bought a phone card to call corporate since corporate would be closing for the weekend in 30 min and I knew that I was being set up to be fired so I asked Jerry if I could call my mom when in reality I was just going to call corporate and Jerry then yelled at me to "Go Clock out and go home" Anyways I hitch hiked back down the mountain to housing and started looking to find another corporate phone number since corporate was already closed for the weekend.
Since corporate was closed after 5 I decided to wait till the next day which was Saturday to get in contact with them. After searching all throughout the internet I finally found the corporate human resources woman's phone number and called her. I told her I had been threatened, I didn't feel safe at work and a lot of what was discussed above. I told her I didn't feel comfortable about going to work today because I knew I was going to be set up to be fired and the last thing that I wanted was to get a lawyer involved so I asked her to take care of the situation. I told her I was trying to do the corporation a favor, because the last thing they needed was a lawsuit. With all the dirty laundry they have in their documents that might get brought up in a lawsuit would bring to surface all their illegal activity. She said she would try and find someone to call me back but it was the weekend so it was hard to find someone. She was the woman who should have dealt with that in the first place. She asked when I worked next and I told her in about and hour. She told me to go to work then if I was scheduled to. No one ever called me back from corporate after that call but I called her way over 10 times.
I showed up for work that day and apparently Jerry had decided to go for a joy ride. Then I went to go clock in and when I walked in the employee area Danny told me to come with him. I was like alright, but let me clock in first. When I was looking for my timecard it was no where to be found. I told him I couldn't find it and he said you aren't clocking in for this. I realized that I was about to be fired so I went into my back pack and pulled out my tape recorder and made sure he knew it, because I assumed that if he saw the tape recorder he wouldn't want to say anything illegal on tape and incriminate himself and wouldn't fire me. So anyways I'll type what was said on the tape recorder which I have possession of.

Danny: Alright umm now I can't have you working. Your going to have to go back home…

Jonathan: Why

Danny: …Monday

Jonathan: Why

Danny: Cus you know why

Jonathan: No I don't

Danny: What happened yesterday

Jonathan: What happened yesterday

Danny: obviously

Jonathan: uhh

Danny: Well you know you had to work (Muffled but sounded like the he said "the extension") and you still didn't do your job

Jonathan: What do you mean I didn't do my job

-----Danny goes and brings back a writeup----

Danny: comeandread <----(prounced it like that)

Jonathan: hmmh?

Danny: come and read

Jonathan: What happened to the old one (referring to yesterdays write up that I was denied a copy of)

Danny: this is another one after that

Jonathan: (Reading the write up out loud in the office) On return to work after employee meeting relating to employee warning notice Jonathan unable to follow instructions clocked out for dinner on return failed to perform job duties of sweeping floor in dining room ready for dinner hours. (Finished reading write up)

Jonathan: but ya know I was in a meeting with Jerry until at least 4:30 and then when I got clocked back in Sharron wanted me to come talk to her real quick and then I clocked back in but it was already… Dining room was already open. So that's nonsense.

Danny: yea Whatever

Danny: But you'll have to come back Monday

Jonathan: humh?

Danny: your going to have to come back Monday and speak with uh Jerry so your not working until then

Jonathan: I'm not working until Monday?

Danny: mmm hum

Danny: alright

Jonathan: not really

Danny: alright well get you a ride down

---Some internal chatter about getting me a ride down----

Jonathan: Wait can I get a copy of that write up?

Danny: Only if you sign it

Jonathan: Huh?

Danny: Only if you sign it

Jonathan: only if I sign it?

Danny: mmm hum

Jonathan: that's the only way I'm allowed to have a copy?

Danny: mm hum

Jonathan: but that write up shouldn't even be its like a nonsensical write up

Danny: That's your oppinion

Jonathan: No that's a fact

Danny: noo that's your opinion

Jonathan: the fact that I didn't sweep floors cus you kept me in a meeting

Danny: Well I didn't keep you in the meeting cus I wasn't here

Jonathan: well jerry kept me in a meeting till it was too late to sweet the floors anyways

Danny: well not according to them

Jonathan: not according to them?

Danny: mm hum well obviously not according to them (not a type o)

Jonathan: well if you check the clock in time
(Slight interuption)

Jonathan: Well I've already contacted human resources

Danny: do what you have to do buddy

Jonathan: I'll do what I have to do

Danny: yeah yea yea since you think you know the laws so well

Jonathan: I know you…

Danny: Do what you has to do

Jonathan: I do what I have to

Jonathan: So what's this really about?

Danny: Your done buddy that's as simple as that Get it through your head be up here Monday morning and that's the bottom line alright now this conversations over


Waiting for Monday I tried calling the human recourses lady back to tell her that I got fired like I said was going to happen but I just got her voice mail and left a message or 2. Since she didn't do anything to help out my situation I guess she decided to take the chance that I might be bluffing about filing a lawsuit against them rather than help me out.
 
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After getting fired I went to the visitors center where I asked to speak to a park ranger about driving my car out of the park. At this point I wasn't in fear of being shut up about accusing the park rangers of stealing my car and writing the wrong citations. I had to wait a day to talk to Phil because apparently he was the only park ranger I was allowed to discuss the situation. I asked some other park ranger that all I wanted them to show me was where the word expired is even mentioned under the statues under invalid license. They told me I would have to come back and talk to their legal aid who was off that weekend who got back Monday. They kept telling me that waiting for a park ranger in or around the visitors center was considered loitering and I would also be arrested if I kept doing it. I explained that waiting to see a law enforcement ranger was not loitering and I didn't even want to be there. I just wanted to see the law. Finally I came back the next day and waited an hour for Phil to finally show up. I asked him to show me the law. Phil started yelling and throwing a temper tantrum right there outside the visitors center. Then Phil said that he had gone to talk to my manager about me annoying him which was what he told me. I told him I didn't care because I was already fired(well only by Danny but he didn't know that). Then he said that if I came back to the visitors center and was annoying anyone about my car then I would also be arrested. They actually liked me because I applied Gandhi's philosophy towards them on a personal level so they were starting to feel compassion for me after awhile. Also apparently for some reason the park rangers hate concessionaires. There were alot of us who worked in the park that were aware they didn't like us and constantly treated the concessionaires far worse than everyone else.
So anyways Monday came around and Sharon the local human resources lady from came by to pick me up to take me to my meeting. Before the meeting I went trying to find a cigarette because I knew I was going to need one to get me through this situation. Once I got one before I had a chance to light up they told me that we were going to have the meeting first and then I could smoke it. Well I tape recorded the meeting which was also tape recorded.

Jonathan: This is going to be on tape record

Jerry: take that tape recorder outa here We don't do recording devices here take it out take it out or this meetings over right now

Jonathan: Theres no law

Jerry: I'm telling you to take it out of my office take it out now

So I walked out side with it and turned it off so that when jerry came around again I would be able to turn it on again to avoid having to listen to a long period of silence and incase the batteries ran out. Well Jerry came out side and yelled to me your terminated get off this property right now and that's how it went. I ended up apparently getting fired for using the tape recorder. I wish I had a copy of my personal file but apparently I wasn't allowed access to it. If you do get access to it and my 2 write ups you will also find a lot of comment cards about me of all the guests that I went out of my way between cleaning tables to make a real connection with them and I would always have fellow employees and managers telling me that customers were always saying that It was such a pleasure meeting me and that I was such a good worker. My managers used to love me to until November 11. They would always say how glad they were to have me working for them and how I was a team player and that I had really found a place I fit in perfectly. They also loved how good I was with all the guest and how they loved me which is what they wanted in an employee they also used to tell me.
Anyways since I lived on the property in the park I was also being evicted the same day from my trailer. Now I couldn't drive my car since the park rangers were waiting for me to arrest me for driving the car. Also if I didn't leave the property that same day Jerry was going to have me arrested by the park rangers for trespassing… That means that over a thousand square miles of land
(aka the national park) was now off limits. I ended up having to get my car towed out of the park to avoid being arrested. I shouldn't have been threatened to be arrested in the first place if I was written the correct ticket. Once I was out of the park I tried to get an apartment but they required that you have a job and a current residence which I had neither. I couldn't get a job because I didn't have an address so I decided to go camping which has been really cold. Its actually illegal now a days to be homeless and by that I mean its illegal to sleep anywhere in public view. So sleeping become illegal which is why I had to go camping which I have been doing at Davis mountain state park which is draining up my money to quickly since its 14 dollars a night. I had to get food stamps so I wouldn't starve to death. I tried getting unemployment insurance but because I was employed in the wrong quarter I was turned down. Now I'm hiding out in a parking lot behind a hotel trying to type all this up and use their wireless internet connection which has been very hard since when your homeless you have a lot of other things to deal with like trying to stay alive.
 
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I'm no expert on employment law, but I'm not sure you'll get many other replies due to the length of your story. So, IMO, it appears that your termination was legal, although it may not seem fair.
 
Reduce your unreasonably long post to 300 words or less and I will read it. I will not even attempt to review it as it stands.
 
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