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Winter came early in South Boston

Capt. John Greland at C-6 is tweeting neighborhood crimes and annoyances, including this one:

9/25 10 Mercer St, mv tires slashed, note left on mv about taking up 2 spots.

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Comments

How about banning all on street parking in Southie for a year to knock this tough guy space saving shit off?

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This is wrong. There is no reason for this. Having said this: Commence South Boston bashing.

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Maybe people wouldn't bash Southie so much if there weren't so many loud-mouthed morons in that neighborhood.

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Couldn't agree more Scratchie! ...it hasn't been the same since they've moved in.

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It's also possible this guy was driving a Mini and parked where a pickup truck was parked before him, leaving 8 feet of space behind him, then another pickup truck pulled out of the spot in front of him and a smart car pulled into that spot, leaving another 9 feet of space in front of the Mini.

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Yeah, it's possible the tire slasher can't think past his own self-interest and/or 5 ft. sphere around him, so fuck that car, amirite?

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So, South Boston gets a rep for the space savers and haha everyone thinks that funny. Now it seems that people feel entitled to save spaces year round and slash tires? Have never understood the appeal of Southie, and when I read about shit like this I understand it even less.

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The appeal of Southie is that it's close to downtown, on the T and, historically, cheaper than a lot of other similarly-located neighborhoods. Once all the inbred redneck townies get priced out, it will be even more appealing.

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Where do you come from? Where were you raised? Is it it a place where you can get a college education and decent paying job with a future? This doesn't describe most of the places most Americans come from. Most Americans come from small towns and suburban towns that they generally must leave to further their education and employment opportunities. However, a place (city) like Boston id different; it's a place people come to for opportunity, to further their education and/or get s decent job. And guess what? It has a native born (townie) population, just like presumably the place you were born and raised in,assuming you aren't one of those people who moved constantly and never bonded or called some place home. Most Boston "townies" are not rednecks or inbreds, but they did grow up in a place that in many ways is atypical of the average small suburban town American. You may find them abrasive, but they are not unique in this respect.I've lived in big cities all my life, and Boston "townies" are very similar to the "townies" I met and knew in Paris, New York City, London, cities I've lived in. And I'd say most of the really rude, obnoxious, arrogant people I've encountered in Boston are in fact not "townies" but from somewhere else, often from outside this state and even New England.

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Where I was born and raised is 100% irrelevant, since, unlike the townies, I don't claim that it gives me any special rights or privileges.

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I was born in the suburbs and when we had a new neighbor move in we'd bring them cookies and maybe invite them over for a beer. In southie you get flipped off and called a Yuppie when you move in. That's the difference.

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... (at least on my street)... the cookie/beer-type greeting is the invariable norm. We have a mix of VERY long term Roslindae residents and medium-term ones and recent arrivals.

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We have this in Lower Allston, too. My neighbor, who lives two doors away, puts a cone out when they use their car even though there's ALWAYS plenty of parking space on the street (although not directly in front of their house).

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Malicious Damage to a Motor Vehicle is more than vandalism, it's a felony. Not that anyone in Boston is getting state prison time for it, but if the victim has any inkling of a suspect, it would be nice to see BPD have handwriting analysis done on the note.

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it would be nice to see BPD have handwriting analysis done on the note.

Yeah, I think I'll hold my breath waiting for THAT to happen.

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@Scratchie: The FBI Questioned Document Section will do it, free, upon request for felony crimes. Takes a while. McCann Associates is one of the best handwriting analysis firms in the business, located right here in Boston. They are much faster but charge for their services, naturally. For what the city blows money on, investigating a felony should be a top priority.

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I'm sure the BPD has them on speed-dial. This case is as good as solved.

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Indeed they do. So does the Suffolk DA's office. Both work with Ms. McCann frequently and she is fantastic. Just a matter of whether (a) police are interested in solving the case and (b) they can obtain a known writing sample from the suspect to compare it to the note. Job applications, tax forms, resident parking applications are what I usually used. I loved working with McCann. The FBI was good but had a huge backlog of cases.

Police can also use the old bluff job. "We have your note, we have your job application and we have a handwriting expert." Quietly plead out and pay restitution now or put us through the hassle and expense of the handwriting expert and we'll be sure that your face and stupid conduct are plastered on the front page of both papers and ch's 4,5,7 and 25 news. Works about 75% of the time. May also want to say they have a possible witness and video, even if they don't. "Deception, ruse and trickery" perfectly legal in a criminal investigation.

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I drove her to some court appearances when the attorneys were paying for her to appear. A very sharp lady and well respected in her field. I remember her saying to me when I asked if lawyers tried to trip her up for being a paid witness on the stand and she would always reply, "I'm being paid for my time, counselor, not my testimony. Just like you".

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my guess would be that this note isn't long enough to compare to any thing. and if you can establish that this you found the person that wrote a note that doesn't mean that they slashed the tires the article states that the note complained about bad parking. A confession was not mentioned. I think that any court order to get the handwriting sample to compare would probably be a no go.

I actually turned a threatening note into c6 many years ago they were not particularly excited about it.

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I get that South Boston as an Irish neighborhood was allowed certain privileges by the 100 year run of Irish mayors, but Menino had an opportunity during his reign of power to say all of Boston is equal and we all have to follow the laws, even south boston, no double parking, no throwing trash in the street to mark public space as your property. But in typical wimp fashion, he didn't, so the problem has gotten worse and worse, space savers year round and in more and more neighborhoods. Double parking not ticketed which slows traffic and adds to congestion. Hopefully the next mayor has a spine, but this is one of Menino's big missed opportunities because he always takes the easy way out.

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What the hell does the fact that Boston had mayors of Irish descent have anything to do with saving parking spaces? Ya'll racist.

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You know, you all. Y'all. Not to be that guy, but one of my biggest pet peeves is the misspelling of an informal contraction. (To be fair, people from the South sometimes mistakenly write ya'll too)

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"Y'all are racist". "Y'all racist" makes no sense.

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Maybe not if you're white.

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I don't think this is a space saver issue, I think the slasher was mad at the slashee for parking in a way that prevented others from parking. I think the slashing is bad but having lived in the North End, I understand the anger at bad parkers. When there's limited spaces, taking up two spots is criminal - I'd even support towing. The space saving issues are more because the saver shoveled the spot so they feel they own it - strictly a winter issue. Bad parking is year round.

As an aside, I think they should tow for NOT digging out your car - the fees would be higher to pay for the digging out of the car but the spot would then be available and the streets could be properly plowed. Other cities actually enforce the towing that is on the books more than Boston - it's amazing. No double parking, no parking in bus stops so the buses actually pull over.

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If the spots aren't marked how do you know he was taking up two spots and not just parking behind or in front of other cars which left before Mr. Slasher came to town?

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Better get a handle on this right away. These Yuppies are getting more aggressive everyday, emboldened by the bike lane argument.

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Slasher could have just left the note regarding considerate parking. Didn't have to cut the tires too.

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Sad what a city/country of nosy sniveling tattle tale rats we have become

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So, if you saw someone climbing up the back wall of my house at night, while my family and I were asleep inside, would you be a nosy, tattle-tale snitch and rat him out to the cops? Or would you be an upstanding, proud son of Southie and MYOB?

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... a proud tradition -- for those with pale enough skin. Same motto is proof of subhuman status for those with darker complexions, however. Situational ethics for right wing bigots.

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From the comments, I’m guessing most don’t live in Southie and/or just want to Southie bash without having any information about Southie or its residents.
The spots on Mercer are marked. Last year, a neighbor took the time to measure and spray paint guide markers up and down both sides of mercer. Its very helpful, and I wish more residents took as much pride in their neighborhood as many of my fellow Southie neighbors. Not to say there aren’t the occasional bad apples….which is all we seem to hear about in the media outlets.
I think its also important to note that all areas of the city use space savers in the winter. With that said, this had nothing to do with a space saver.
As for the appeal. Southie is close to the water/beaches, great parks, beautiful views of the city, a rich nightlife with plenty of bars and restaurants. It also has a neighborhood feel. Unlike other parts of the city, neighbors greet each other on the sidewalk and look out for each other. I’m not a townie, but I’ve made friends with many of my neighbors. Both those who have lived there forever and the transplants. To be fair, its more often the townies that offer to help bring in large deliveries or call me if I’ve left my car window open. I’ve lived in southie for 8 years now with my partner and our two dogs and we love it. If a gay couple can call this home, feel safe and make nice with the neighbors…..shouldn’t everyone with an open mind and an understanding view be able to do the same?

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I think its also important to note that all areas of the city use space savers in the winter.

That's completely false. In the downtown neighborhoods, people realize that if the number of registered cars with resident permit parking stickers is 4 or 5 times the number of of on-street parking spaces, that trying to save a space when you aren't using it is just plain pig-headed, and you don't see people doing it.

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I can't say I ever noticed any space savers in my part of Allston, either, when I lived there in the 90s.

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Again, this wasn't about space savers.....that's what you took from the comment???
I'm a long time Boston resident and I've seen spaces saved all over the city. I'll agree, its more prevalent in some areas. However, to say it never happens.....well we all know that's not true.
Whether I agree or disagree with the city, space savers are permitted up to 48 hours. http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parking/

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The 48-hour rule is only when the city's declared a snow emergency and applies for 48 hours after the snow-emergency declaration has been lifted. And the 48-hour rule is really a whim of the mayor's, so who knows what the next mayor will do?

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What if everyone used space savers. So you happen to be at work during the snowstorm... or out of town, or parked in a garage. and you come home to find that every space has either a car or a space saver in it. That means you need to pay for off-street parking for 48 hours after a storm. How is that a fair or reasonable way to apportion public street parking spaces?

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maybe then people wouldn't feel the need to have to leave some sort of a space-saver to reserve "their" so-called parking space. Streets are public places, where people park, and the whole "Hey..don't take that space--it's mine" attitude is positively sickening and indicative of spoiled-brat type behavior. The fact that people vandalize cars that're owned by people who either don't know the score, or who've had no luck finding a parking space after coming home in the evenings from work or wherever, or physically assault the owners of these particular parked car(s) in question are acting exactly like the child who's throwing a huge temper tantrum either because s/he has broken a new toy, can't have the toy that s/he wants, or has been told that s/he can't have too many candies.

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Was the part I directly quoted, you know, in the grey box?

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The city, thankfully, moved in and cracked down on that practice. As a 25-year resident of Somerville, I haven't seen evidence of "space-saving" in this city for many years now.

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I hope they charge the person who did that - Thank you adamg for not taking a shot at Southie in your lead in! :)

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