The following is a reader contribution.
It demonstrates yet another instance of how so many people in Philadelphia are unable to live their lives in a way that does not cause problems for other people….
The house I live in comes complete with it’s own off street parking in the form of a driveway. Most would think that a good thing, though I feel cursed.
I am constantly having my own personal “parking wars”, as my own neighbors feel they have the right to park in it in such a manner to render that driveway totally useless to me. In other words we can’t get out.
I am a kidney patient who could need the services of the emergency room at a moments notice. My neighbors think I should have to ask their permission to get out or that I should know every car their friends own so that I can come knock at their door and have it moved.
I have had my front door kicked in and been assaulted to the point of needing and receiving a restraining order and yet they still park there.
I have had police try to intervene and yet they still park there.
I have walked the entire block knocking on doors looking for the owner of a vehicle…and spent entire weekends totally blocked in my own driveway. And that is just my home.
The parking issue with the driveway isn’t just a “drive me insane” type of deal for me anymore. This is going to end up being lethal for me.
I’ve been told “just call an ambulance” if I can’t get out of my driveway and require prompt medical attention, however, the ambulance is NOT going to take me to the ****** County Hospital where all my specialist doctors are located.
A week ago, I had to call the police about the neighbor I have the restraining order against being parked in my driveway (my very worst offender too). Can you imagine the responding officer told me to just go knock at their door and ask them to move it if I have to get out???
Now why would someone suggest having contact with someone you have a restraining order clearly stating that you are to totally avoid having contact with?? So, just what IS the purpose of acquiring a restraining order?? I walk the streets all the time wondering if it’s just me…
I live in Philly, and am having a very similar situation with my neighbors. The idiots park behind my driveway while my car is parked in it and will even sit around on their deck watching me loading my kids into the car and trying to back out, and will not come out to move it until I go over and ask them. This happens pretty regularly… There have been a few times when they were blocking me in, yet noone was around to move the car when I came knocking. None of my friendly requests have made any difference so far, I am pretty much at wits end am about to get a bit more drastic.
I moved to this cesspit of a city from the Pacific NW a few years ago and am counting down the days till I can get the hell out of it. Never before in all my years have I lived in a place where I have seen and experienced so many inconciderate people and trash lining the streets.
This happened to me as well for about a solid year, even though I was giving them parking tickets everytime they blocked my driveway. I would suggest trying this, or even towing their car (for me it never came to that, but it’s within your right). I had to finally get my landlord involved, who threatened to evict them if they didn’t stop harassing me. Oh, and I live in San Francisco, if it makes you feel any better, although I agree Philly is kind of a shithole.
I had to visit Temple, saw rats climbing in and out of an overflowing trash can in from of a dorm.
Then the security guard casually mentioned a drive by shooting last night right where we were.
Nice town you got there.
The drive-by shooting at Temple is certainly disturbing. When I was applying for college, Temple was one of my safety schools. They offered me a scholarship. My hoped-for collegiate experience did not include living in what looked to me like a slum. Way too scary for a 17 year old girl from an affluent small town. I passed and went elsewhere.
But let’s talk about rats. They’re a problem in most cities. That can’t be dumped on Philadelphia exclusively.
In my last apartment in Soho, when I’d take my dog out for her night walk, as I returned to my building, I’d always either stomp my feet or sing loudly. That was my way of sending the rats that were hovering around the garbage pails in front of the building running.
Sometimes when I would walk down my block, I’d see rats hanging around some shrubbery. I swear they would watch me go by, their beady little eyes following me. It’s an incredibly creepy feeling.
So I have to give Philly a pass on the rats. The garbage problem is bad here, which makes a better breeding ground for rodents, but rats are a fact of life for most city dwellers.
Really your problems with the city boil down to one thing: its the fact that you’re poor. You apparently live in a shitty neighborhood with shitty neighbors who aren’t afraid to commit crimes. Are those pictures you have posted the view of your neighborhood? You’re basically saying, “I have a bunch of low-life, uneducated, scum bag criminals as neighbors and Philadelphia is at fault.” I’m sure that if you moved out of Soho and into a crappy neighborhood in one of the boroughs of New York you would run into similar problems. My brother lives in Fishtown, which seems to be a middle class neighborhood and his neighbors are all very friendly. His experience of Philadelphia is quite different than yours. Not to say that the city is perfect, far from it, but assholes exist everywhere.
Duh. If I had any type of savings I’d move! But no money for security deposit, first/last month’s rent and moving expenses = me stuck in a trashy neighborhood.
But still, the first place I lived in Philadelphia was one of the better neighborhoods. Not a poor area. My experiences there were terrible too.
You’re basically saying, “I have a bunch of low-life, uneducated, scum bag criminals as neighbors and Philadelphia is at fault.”
Not true. What I’m saying in this whole blog is that there is a profound lack of common decency in this city that I’ve never experienced anywhere I’ve lived or traveled. It’s that simple.
And assholes are everywhere. Indeed.
One time a woman threatened to punch me because I pointed out to her that she was blocking my driveway. I have learned to not say anything anymore. They don’t care that they are doing anything wrong. They don’t like being pointed out when they do something wrong.
To the guy who says Fishtown is nice-that’s a white trash neighborhood. If his neighbors seem friendly that’s probably because you and your brother are assholes and don’t all assholes usually get along with each other?
What is with the fucking chair on the street to protect a parking spot? Move it and they will key your car. Mamma fucking mia! “Philadelphians remind me of a school on the 4th of July….no class!”
Filthadelphians think they own the parking spot on the street in front of their house. I have seen fist fights with people claiming public property as their own with their chairs in the street. No class is right !
This happens to me constantly!
There’s a day care center across the street from me and people are always blocking my driveway when they drop off and pick up their kids. Whenever I say anything they’re always like “I’ll only be five minutes” or totally ignore me. Sometimes they want to fight with me because I tell them they’re blocking my driveway and ask them to move. Once in a while there will be an actual human being who will be apologetic or at least cordial.
These people don’t give a shit that blocking my driveway is making me late for work. They don’t give a shit about anyone but their pathetic little selves.
Today I was opening my gate to pull my car out of my driveway and a woman drove up and pulled in right in front totally blocking my driveway. She got out of her car and walked away really quick and totally ignored me. The last time I confronted anyone about blocking my driveway I was cursed at and threatened (by a mom who had her baby in tow) so I’ve been keeping my mouth shut when it happens. I sat there in my car half pulled out of my drive until she came back. She didnt even glance at the open gate, my car sticking out as much as possible, or me. She got in her piece of shit car and drove away back to her piece of shit life.
Without a doubt Philadelphia is the worst place I’ve ever lived.
You all know PA is a shall issue state for concealed weapon permits…Philadelphia is in PA… so you shouldn’t be afraid to tell someone they are blocking your driveway if you are able and willing to spend $300 on permit and used revolver. (OP may not have this monetary luxury and therefore has my sympathy. But that is a lot cheaper than a security deposit etc…)
I’m not saying to shoot anyone unless they physically attack you, but you shouldn’t be afraid to calmly tell someone to move their car just because you are afraid of being assaulted. Nor should you live in fear in your own home. Don’t yell or threaten, stay calm and assert your rights. Know you’ve got the equalizer if it’s needed, and only if it’s needed. If the offender doesn’t listen to your request then call the police. If the offender attacks you physically then shoot them, especially if you are a handicapped kidney patient. So what if they want to come after you later in your house? Well, all I can say is if somebody kicks in my door and physically threatens me or my family there will be no restraining orders needed…if the Mossberg 500 doesn’t turn them around then the buckshot surely will. Legal guns really can make for a more polite society, imho.
It’s so sad that people have to be afraid to confront others when they’re blocking driveways unless they’re carrying a gun to protect themselves. What does that say about the atmosphere here?
Yeah, this is familiar. Drivers in Philly are generally very aggressive. Compared to New York’s City where they just like driving fast, they are not aggressive. In Philadelphia the drivers will pull next to your car and curse the hell out of you just because you drive too slow. I found one very nice technique to fight tail-gators in Philly. Simply hit the breaks suddenly, that keeps them away. As for blocking driveways… keying works.