Parking crisis turned foul

Parking cover

Photo: Many students have complained about seeing dog poop on their cars after parking in the Woodmor neighborhood (photo is a representation of the conflict).

Many students have complained about seeing dog poop on their cars after parking in the Woodmor neighborhood (photo is a representation of the conflict). Photo courtesy of Madeline Elazar.

Editor’s Note: Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identity of the sources.

Junior Jackson Mackie was having a normal day. He had just finished his classes and was on his way to his car, which he had parked in the nearby Woodmoor neighborhood. Earlier that day, in a rush to arrive on time, Mackie had parked in the area after missing out on a reserved parking space. As he trudged closer toward his car, he peered into the window and saw something he couldn’t believe: a bag of fresh dog poop smeared onto the seat. 

Manure mayhem

Mackie was astounded, and yet the trend continued through the next couple of days. “Every couple of days somebody would put a bag of dog poop on top of my car or in the grills,” he says. “And the one time that I left my car open, they opened my car and put it on the floor.” 

And Mackie wasn’t the only one who experienced this. Junior Fiona Nellis said she faced similar outbursts from residents, albeit in a less foul manner. “The neighborhood was the closest parking area to school that didn’t require a permit, so I thought I’d go there,” she says. “The first time I parked there, an older woman left a note on my car, and when I parked there again, she told me she was going to report me and find my personal information. I was threatened.” 

Nellis, Mackie, and parents of other Blair students all said they knew of others who had experienced similar hostile encounters with neighborhood residents. 

Resident perspective

Confrontations about parking, which have taken place primarily on Woodmoor Drive and the surrounding roads, are not new to some residents. John, a local in the area, says that the problem has been ongoing for many school years. “This has been happening for many years now, and nowadays, I see students parked here every day,” he says. 

John claims that the incidents are not caused by residents' hostility but rather by the laziness of student parkers. “What I've experienced is your fellow students parking illegally,” he says. “And this is out of sheer laziness and being in a rush to get to class.” Whether it’s parking beyond the stop signs or too close to the intersection, the resident believes that students are both disruptive and destructive to the neighborhood environment. “What they do is they park beyond the signs and close to the intersection so that they're in a clearly illegal spot,” he says. “Last year, [someone] actually parked so close to the intersection that buses had to try three times to get down the street. And that’s just stupidity.” 

John also claims that parents and students should be outraged at the illegal parking rather than the vandalism. “Maybe the people should be upset about kids parking illegally and not suffering any consequences rather than the vandalism,” he says. 

Possible solutions

Nellis says she somewhat understands the perspective of angry residents. “It’s true that student drivers are known to be more reckless and more likely to get into a car accident,” she says. “But…the school doesn't have enough space to have everybody drive to school, and some people just can't take the bus, maybe the neighbors need to be considerate.” 

As far as solutions go, Nellis is unsure of a viable answer. “Honestly, I feel like there isn't much of a solution because the school can't create more parking spots,” she says. “I think for people who are against student parking, the solution might be to find a way to get a permit [system implemented] in your neighborhood. But the solution for students is harder.” 

For John, the solution is more clear. “The cops aren't doing anything right now, which is the problem,” he says. “There should simply be more enforcement of traffic laws and this dilemma would be less serious.” 

Whatever the solution may be, the incidents have certainly sparked a controversy whose odor will never be forgotten.