It's official: We suck. Boston Police report seven cases of post-blizzard parking-space vandalism across the city this week.
In most of the cases, tires were slashed. In one case, a window was smashed. In another, a plastic sawhorse was heaved at a car door. Two examples:
About 10:49AM, on Tuesday, February 12, 2013, officers from District D-14 (Brighton) responded to a radio call involving vandalism on Litchfield Street. On arrival, the victim told officers someone slashed one of her tires. Officers observed the victim’s car to be parked legally in a shoveled out spot in the area of 10 Litchfield Street. Victim stated that there were items placed in the empty parking space in an effort to “save†the spot which the victim says she moved prior to parking.
About 9:30AM, on February 12, 2013, officers from District A-7 (East Boston) responded to 163 Byron Street for a vandalism report. On arrival, the victim told officers that on Monday, February 11, 2013, he moved a chair from a parking space and then parked his car in the empty spot. When he returned to his car the next day, he discovered two flat/slashed tires on his car.
Incidents were reported in Dorchester, East Boston, Brighton, Charlestown and Roxbury, police say.
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Comments
What civility?
By polarbare
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 3:31pm
Look at the responses from pro-space savers. It's our tradition and if you take my hard earned (read as 10 minutes of my time shoveling) space then I might/will vandalize your car/beat you up/slash your tires/break your windows/etc.
The right thing to do is to shovel out your car and then realize that you park in a public spot and that EVERYONE has a right to park there that is equal to yours. If you don't like it, don't move your car.
Someone will get shot over this one day and it'll be a "gun issue" and not a "culture" issue. Some of you will twist logic well past its extremes to try to rationalize the fact that you don't get any special treatment for shoveling out your car..
BOO friggin HOO.
10?
By Marsha Scorsese
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 11:19pm
10 minutes? Have you ever shoveled?
A few points:1) If anything,
By Finn
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 12:16pm
A few points:
1) If anything, this illustrates the need for more investment in public and bike transportation, to the point where more people (like myself) can leave their car in place under the snow until it melts and go car-free if they feel they can make it work.
2) I am doubtful that space-saving occurs nowhere else in the U.S. except for Boston's neighborhoods. I can easily see this happening in NY or Chicago. How do those cities handle large amounts of snow? Do they plow to the curb and ban all parking on all streets, including side streets, while they do it? Do they have an absolute 'no-space saver' policy?
3) Vandalism is never justified - what if the person who took your shoveled space lost their shoveled space to someone else and felt they had no choice? One car coming late to the scene would cause a domino effect, then before you know it, everyone's tires are slashed! (I would think if you were to do anything, you could write a note or if you're more daring, double-park the offender in if the street were to allow it)
4) If it is totally impractical for the city to remove all snow from all residential streets in order to return the street to its unblocked condition, it is equally impractical (not to mention sanctimonious) to expect some people to not to have a problem giving up their shoveled space (though again, nothing justifies vandalism as redress for this grievance) . While I understand it is still a public street, it is only human nature to feel cheated if one puts a good deal of physical work into an accommodation only to lose it to someone who may not have - it goes against every person's innate sense of fair play.
It is not unreasonable to me that many would feel that their private sweat put into returning a portion of the public street (which is the city's responsibility to keep clear) to an accessible condition entitles them to some implied recompense from the city, namely parking rights for that section cleared, for at least as long as the rest of the street continues to be in an inaccessible condition for parking. So while the law may be on the side of the space-usurper, that does not necessarily make the taking of the space morally right.
5) I would very much like to hear from the 'no space saver crowd' how they would deal with the hypothetical case of a person who lives and parks his/her car in South Boston, digs out and saves a space on a street that has had the number of spaces effectively halved by the storm, commutes to work in an area not served by public transportation (let's say Maynard), works late and drives back to South Boston find his/her space taken, and no other spaces within walking distance available. What would you recommend? I suppose that person could drive downtown, pay an exorbitant amount to park in garage overnight, wait 20 minutes for a bus in the cold and get dropped off 5 blocks away from their home and repeat the process in the morning, and possibly for days on end. Or they can save their space.
6) I say, if you must leave a space saver, make it a shovel with a note attached reading 'I have already cleaned this space for my car. Please feel free to use this shovel to make your own space.'
5)
By anon²
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 2:14pm
there is always free road parking in Southie. It's what makes this all the more amusing and pointless.
I've moved my car right after snow storms and have always found parking, at all times of day.
Is it sometimes more than a few blocks away? Yes. Is it always outside my house? No.
But make no mistake, you can always find a spot. 1st street is always a good place to start. This is just a bunch of entitlement from a bunch of a-holes
I don't believe I said
By Finn
Sat, 02/16/2013 - 12:07am
I don't believe I said parking isn't free in Southie, but there is always parking? In the evening? After a snowstorm like this? I am afraid I haven't had your luck, when I lived near Telegraph Hill. I don't expect a space right outside my house, but I don't expect to traverse the entire neighborhood either. And your loose use of invective undermines your 'entitlement' charge. However, am glad things are working out for you.
if you took my space.......
By bostnkid
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 1:15pm
i usually would only use the space i shoveled out for a day or two until snow started melting. if someone took my spot shortly after the storm? my friends and i would get our shovels back out and bury the car and i mean really bury it. now YOU can shovel too.snow karma.
Nice
By anon
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 1:53pm
What an asshole way to treat the ER nurse who worked a double shift during the storm, drove home exhausted, and parked in a legal public space.
i knew my neighbors
By bostnkid
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 2:43pm
if it was an er nurse working a double shift tehn i probaly knew her and the spot was all hers. if it was some douchebag neu kid with a tricked toyota? he got buried. it used to be fun to watch these idiots trying to shovel out without shovels.
er nurse? do you think i care? i work pretty fuckin hard myself skippy. idiot.
Doesn't matter how hard you work
By anon
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 2:56pm
You seem incapable of grasping the very simple concept that a street parking space does not belong to you in any way, shape, or form.
It's called CIVILITY and community
By anon
Sat, 02/16/2013 - 10:46am
You share congested streets, neighborhoods, city with fellow neighbors, and out of civility [and showing a little class] you respect their spot that they shoveled our, while apparently you didn't bother. Maybe you aren't properly socialized, grew up a spoiled kid or isolated somehow and never learned to get along with others. This seems to be getting more and more a problem in America.
YES, you can legally say this thing or do this thing, but of course other factors come into play. If everybody behaved in a sociopathic manner, did whatever they wanted, trolled because it's legally their right to troll, our world would be far worse than it is now.
Ok, so you judge people based
By anon
Mon, 02/18/2013 - 3:35pm
Ok, so you judge people based on your own prejudicial stereotypes when deciding to commit antisocial and illegal acts against them. You sound like a wonderful person.
i am a wonderful person, thanks!
By bostnkid
Tue, 02/19/2013 - 8:03am
i grew up in the city. we saved spaces. if i shoveled it was my space for a few days. i didnt invent the process. if you took my space then instead of slashing your tires (which i saw a lot of older, more responsible people doing) i would get my shovel and bury your car in. now you have to shovel too. i didnt hurt your car and i didnt base it on any prejudicial stereotypes. i di it because you took my spot. boston rules. i think i mentioned that i would not do this to little old ladies with canes or er nurses pulling double shifts, lol. i would do it to one of the countless assholes, that lived in my neighborhood in 10 month shifts, and acted like it was there personal playground. antisocial? maybe. illegal? i dont think so.
4 easy steps
By pierce
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 1:40pm
1. place a few undercover cops in strategic locations in the neighborhoods listed above from 7am - 9am
2. watch someone pull their car out, set a space saver, and drive away
3. when they get to the end of the block hand them a $100 ticket
4. tip the herald so they can report it
do this a couple times and word will get around.
1 easy step
By BlackKat
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 4:26pm
1. Put napalm in all gasoline. No more cars.
Napalm is a gasoline thickener
By SwirlyGrrl
Sat, 02/16/2013 - 11:16am
All that would do would turn the tank to jelly.
If you are saying blow up all the cars, though, I'm not sure that would work too well because nobody would bother cleaning up the mess.
And if they DID clean up the mess...
By Sarcastic Sam
Sat, 02/16/2013 - 10:13pm
...some local hero would chase the truck down and demand they throw all the debris back into the street.
We are not alone
By adamg
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 2:02pm
Chicago Dibs.
???
By Marsha Scorsese
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 3:21pm
But all the UHub commenters led me to believe only WT Townies from Southie did this.
Incitement
By anon
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 3:48pm
Southie baiting, Southie bashing. Everyday. From day one. Boorish. I wonder what the late Len Zakheem say about this stereotypical nonsense being trotted out all the time? Broad brushes and all that. Sad really.
Q.E.D.
By Finn
Sat, 02/16/2013 - 12:09am
Q.E.D.
Referendum question
By anon
Sat, 02/16/2013 - 8:06am
I think the space saving debate should be put on the ballot in the next election. You would see that it would pass with flying colors. there are a few outspoken "tough guys" who claim to be against this practice, but in reality are "closeted" space savers themselves. On my block 99.9% of the residents (Yuppies also!) put out space savers.
Put it to a vote and end this stupid debate.
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