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Vigilante fights against lazy space savers in South Boston

No shovel, no space

Quilayute reports somebody with the nom de neige of Dave went along E. 6 Street last night moving space savers that had been plonked down before most of the snow had even hit.

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Dave here is a message for you. Instead of hiding behind a magic marker, why don't you confront these people face to face? Ohh that’s right you don't your neighbors. I bet you don't even say hi to them. I love how the yuppies shovel in front of their own houses but would never do so in front of a elderly neighbor's home or someone who is away for the weekend. Dave, hurry up and move out. Oops I forgot, there are 10 other Dave's lined up waiting to move in.

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I don't get it.

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says the guy/girl who posted anonymously.
if you look closely the guy clearly put his name and address (dave 451)

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I also live on East 5th, so I'm supposed to know who drives every car on my block? Dave's following the rules of Southie snow parking, you have to earn your spot by shoveling it out.

And as far as this guy being a coward who hides behind a magic marker, I'd be willing to bet the numbers under his name might be his address.

You've made jumps in your statement based on your own agenda that have nothing to do with the story that Adam posted.

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My apologies: Dave was active on E. 6th, not E. 5th.

I need to finally break down and not post pre-coffee.

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I just shot the wrong Dave!!

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I love the back and forth between natives and newbies who both think the other is crazy but, in reality, just can't fathom where the other person is coming from. To answer your question (I'm supposed to know who drives every car on my block?) from the native's perspective, the simple anwer is yes. You are supposed to know who drives every car on your block. Indeed, this should not be hard, as you should be related to some of them and should at least be able to track them down through relatives. South Broadway never used to have a double parking problem because, although people always double parked even worse than they do now, people literally knew whose cars were whose and where that person was likely to be at the moment. So, from the native's perspective, it doesn't make any sense that "Dave" didn't just go knock on Sean's door, or perhaps Sean's cousin's door to ask where Sean was, to talk with him. From the newbies perspective, this simply doesn't make any sense at all because, fundamentally, most newbies (as newbies) come from somewhere else. Moreover, they grow up with the idea, and infact ideal, that you probably won't live where you grew up (or any where near it) so you aren't going to know, or be expected to know, everyone in your neighborhood. From the native's perspective, this is absurd (because you rely on family to get by) and kind of sad too (because its nice to see family and be "from" somewhere). Here, Dave wrote a message on a box. He's not a coward, he was probably just tired of space savers, or of people who don't shovel out and then expect to have a space saved for them. Lets all just get along people. Can we agree to hate space savers together?

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That's the way things are in my area (downhill from the hub of Uhub). Even if I don't know them by name, much like parents and dog owners, I can say that the owner of the tricked out civic lives two doors down with his mom. I can tell you that my next door neighbor parks her minivan in a particular space in front of my house (I have a driveway, so space saving is academic for me, though previously I parked on the street and didn't save as I barely used the car and everyone knew everyone) to the extent that I get miffed when someone else is there, namely the person who usually parks behind her.

Space savers are old hat. I found media coverage of the concept from the 1970s, and in the winter I worked in Southie two decades ago, it was a quaint custom not to be triffled with.

I've said it before, I don't know which side I am on. You work on shoveling, you should have some ownership. It melts, you lose. Suffice to say, if you pull your car out and put a marker in without shoveling, screw you, you didn't shovel, it's not your space.

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I'm not sure but I think Dave listed his address. 451 (E 5th St)? And how do you meet someone face to face when you don't even know who put the space saver there?

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that most of those people parked there are not actually his neighbors.

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Isn't talking face to face.

It means destroying property - slashing tires, bending wipers, etc.

Admit it: this is far too civil for Southie, where violent cowards reign.

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that's a very ignorant generalization you made about people who had the audacity to grow up in The City, and not a small suburban town or rural area like most of the other American white people. I'm not from South Boston, but am from The City, am white, and get sick and tired of the attitude many (not all, of course) so-called yuppies and others who have now decided it's kinda cool and hip to live in The City, most of whom come from absolutely no place worth talking about let alone bragging about, looking down their nose at people who grew up in The City. And God forbid they should have a 'low class' city accent.

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TL;DR - Translation: "CONSTRUCT THE BUBBLE DOME NOW! KEEP THEM OUT AND US IN!!! TROUBLEMAKAHS TELLING US WHERE TO SEND OUR KIDS AND OUR LAWN CHAIAHS!!!" And what does being white have to do with it?

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your generalization about people who make generalizations is noted.

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Putting out a cone is no different than the Newbies/Yuppies who leave their cars on the street, in the same spot, covered in snow for weeks at a time.
If you only need a vehicle to go home to Mommy and Daddy every Thanksgiving or Christmas get rid of it and ride a bike.

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A duly licensed and registered vehicle is incurring excise taxes and registration fees, and therefore paying for its use of the public street; this is true irrespective of whether or not it is ever driven. A cone, not so much so.

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I think the topic being discussed here is saving parking spots, albeit whether a car or a cone.

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Duh yourself:

car in a spot: using a spot you're entitled to use.
cone in a spot: hoarding a spot you're not entitled to use.

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is the real problem here. All the Yuppies feel they are entitled to changing the way everyone lives that don't go along with their "right" way.
You want to make a difference in peoples way of life? Move to Mattapan and tell them what they're doing wrong. I bet you won't.

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You're right, some people do feel entitled to park on a public street. If you want to be entitled to your own spot, figure out a way to buy or rent one. If you shovel your car out, you get to drive it. You don't get to reserve that patch of street until March.

When the rules encourage neighbors to turn on each other, destroy each other's property, threaten bodily harm - all over a moved cone, then yes, we're doing it wrong.

I got a better idea - why don't we all, as a community, figure out a way to solve the parking problem, not just when it snows, but all the time. How about a municipal garage, or overnight parking at Rite-Aid/Stop n Shop?

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You hit the nail on the head. The problem is people who somehow feel entitled to a personal, reserved-just-for-them space on a public street that we all pay for.

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I don't drive my car daily because I work downtown and live in Southie - the bus is cheaper and convenient. I do, however, drive my car several times over the weekend and it is more economical for me to have a car then it would be for me to use cabs, or zipcars for the distance and frequency that I need it. That being said, when spot-saving season begins, I almost entirely avoid using my car if I can so that I don't have to deal with the bullshit of saving a spot that isn't mine to save. Or come back to my saver being stolen and feel like I should hunt down the offender and retaliate. The spot saving idea just creates a culture where we all become nasty neighbors - either you're saving a spot or you're not moving your car. Either way - someone doesn't like what you're doing.

Yesterday I shoveled my car out and didn't put out a spot saver. Today as I was walking down the street I noticed someone put a saver in the spot. I don't need the spot, and I didn't save it, but whoever is saving it now had no right to claim it.

I wish the entire practice would end. You shovel out a spot and leave, when you come back you probably won't get the spot you shoveled but you can use someone else's. If no one is afraid to lose their spots, we will all shovel, we can all leave, and we all return home and get to park (except if you come home after 5pm, then you're just shit out of luck whether it's snowing or July).

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Stop it already with the bullshit categorizations of yuppies and OFS. Assholes and nice people on both sides.

If I get out there first, I shovel the sidewalk in front of my house and the two houses on either side of my building. Though I can't be sure because I never asked them, I think my neighbors are also yuppies and if I get a late start I'm always thankful that one of my neighbors returns the favor. Last year, my entire street was outside after the blizzard helping each other shovel ALL the sidewalks and ALL the cars. Yuppies and OFS united! Our OFS neighbor down the street shoveled our area last year when all the occupuants of my building were away. We dropped off a bottle of wine and a case of beer to say thank you. It really can be so easy for everyone to get along.

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the type of freeloader who let's others do his work for them. Despicable and shameful.

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... was this befuddled anon trying to respond to some other post?

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Well said Yuppie
OFS

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It might be hiding a lite brite.

Call the bomb squad ... and bring in Martha to talk about how sinister it looks.

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If Martha figures out cardboard boxes are SCARY then she will abuse her consumer protection powers to get all cardboard boxes banned in the state unless they meet some specific Massachusetts complaint regulations.

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It's nice to see a fresh batch of South Boston Bashing. It's got to be tough looking down your nose at us so frequently. Please continue.

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It's really easy, actually.

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Again, you ban gays from your stupid ass parade and have bars that post photos of monkeys for Black History Month. South Boston has a long way to go to earn any regard from me.

I do visit the beaches, though. And I do like Sullivan's.

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How far back in time did you have to go,to so desperately try to make a point????
Point is you don't have one,and no one cares for your regard(REGARDLESS)!

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People crap on Allston all the time, and they take it in stride. They roll with the punches and take it as a "laughing with us" kind of thing, instead of "laughing at us." Makes them much more respectable as a generalization, IMO.

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Because half the people living in Allston will be gone within 4 years, so they don't give a crap. In fact, they may even agree.

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All six or seven of them.

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Well I guess you answered my next statement to you! GO BACK TO ALLSTON!!!!!

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Being originally from Southie I believe that Dave is also an original. I think most of you missed the point he was making. You don't get to save a parking spot unless you actually shoveled it out. "Shoveled" not pulled out of the spot and placed a box or chair or cone there.

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Agree. The biggest offenders in my neighborhood are the young newcomers who "reserve" a parking space by placing an object in a spot BEFORE it even snows or after simply driving out without shoveling. There's plenty of blame to go around!

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the City actually prohibits space savers. From their website:

· It is illegal to “reserve” cleared parking spaces; objects left in on-street parking spaces will be removed.

That's one solution, but it avoids the whole edifying discussion about class and privilege that we've been having...

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Something tells me "Dave" - nice name, loser - will be a space saver by March.

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This man is a hero!

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