Thursday, March 25, 2010

Would You Like A Side Of Bird With That Road Rage?

We can't wait for the Truman parking structure to be finished so the parking situation around the college lightens up.  Businesses on Wilson are suffering because customers can't find parking, residents complain that students get day passes and they can't park on the block they live on, and arguments over spaces are a regular occurrence.  And now this confrontation, reported by a reader:

"So I had quite the encounter this morning while leaving my parking space in front of my house this morning (Leland and Malden). As I was pulling out, this van stops in front of my car, then he just waits there... So I give him a little honk because at that point I just thought he was stopping to wait for something. Then he backed up an got out of his van and started just having a fit, shouting at my window telling me he was going to rip my face off.

I called 911 and started reporting the incident because I didn’t really enjoy that he was punching my window. Before he left because I told him through the window that I called the police, he shouted, 'I don’t care. Call the Supreme Court, call that n----- Obama, call this!' while grabbing his crotch.

He got in his van and drove off, but before he did I snapped this lovely picture of him while I was talking to 911; got to love multitasking. You can see me better than him due to the reflection, but I think his finger says it all, and if you notice on his seat there, he is an employee of the City of Chicago."

The reader told the police about this, along with a description, the van's plate number, and the support of several witnesses.  Be careful out there, folks.  You can keep up with the Truman parking structure progress here.  Stop the insanity!

24 comments:

  1. What makes you think he works for the City? The orange vest thingy?

    Also, I don't get the connection to Truman. It doesn't seem that this was a fight over a parking spot. This guy was probably more upset about the health care bill....

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  2. Yes,

    The Truman/CTA/Cubs/Future Uptown Theater parking garage is much needed.

    As for the bird flipping idiot in question don't assume he is a city employee. He might be, but I wouldn't bet the outcome of the next election on it.

    Plenty of friends and relative of City Employees leave those vests in their cars in hopes of warding off parking tickets.

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  3. Parking on Racine between Montrose and Wilson is absolutely terrible on weeknights and Saturdays because all the Truman students. Many are inconsiderate parkers too, leaving lots of wasted space.

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  4. When you have that kind of a reaction it's often a police officer.

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  5. Normally I would not bother with useless posts such as this one, but, working in the public safety field, police and fire...I have extensive experience with the type of road rage complaint that you called in to police. My guess is that you instigated the situation and what the other motorist did was obviously an overreaction to what you did. Clearly these situations are lose-lose for all involved. So what if another motorist curses at you and flips you the bird? Really? Grow up and mind your own business. Also...you're pretty lucky the other motorist didn't get out of his car and take your camera phone away from you. I would have.

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  6. Sorry, Steven, you're wrong. What happened to the reader was clearly assault. Taking away the reader's cell phone would have been aggravated assault and theft. It frightens me that you think that's a logical reaction.

    Someone blocks my access to the street, screams at me, and pounds on my car as I'm trying to leave my house for work? I'd be calling 911 too.

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  7. Stevie,

    being a fully self actualized human being with a genius level IQ and a bad moon rising my guess is that you are a cemetery security guard with pretensions of being something more "active".

    You would have taken his camera phone away?

    Dat's a crime boyo and public safety "field worker" or not your ass would be grass. I can see a judge sending someone who did that to anger management counseling with a weekend in jail. Ending your hopes of feeding off the public payroll.

    I really hope you're just a loudmouth or a non sworn "public safety" worker.

    My guess is your the type of guy who drives around in his car with a big aluminum black flashlight because it makes you feel like a cop.

    Oh well. Can't we just all get along?

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  8. Sorry, Steven, not publishing your latest statement. Telling people to "shut up" if they disagree with you... on a DISCUSSION BOARD... is a little goofy. Free free to defend your own beliefs, but don't tell others they don't have the right to do the same.

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  9. Yeah,

    You tell em' CN.

    I always bring out the best in people.

    It's a gift.........

    Nitey nite everyone.

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  10. Maybe Steven is the culprit or is sleeping with him

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  11. Steven: If you take my cell phone away then I have two free hands to use at my discretion.

    But I have to agree. Getting boxed in while you're trying to leave a parking space and you offer a friendly honk to alert the driver of the boxing vehicle is definitely "instigating it".

    Hope you get promoted.

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  12. Steven, I completely and utterly disagree with you based on my personal experience.

    Last summer, I was having trouble parking in a spot because another driver was blocking my way. After getting out of my car to ask her to move, the guy waiting behind me got out of his car and ran up to me. He got in my face, screamed, cursed and then slapped me across the face so hard that my sunglasses flew 30 ft across the parking lot. All for making him wait 2 minutes while I parked my car.

    When I called 911 and tried giving them his license plate number, he slapped the cell phone out of my hand and broke it. When the police arrived, he was arrested for battery and criminal damage to property. I had to take a morning off work to go to court, but I made sure that he plead guilty and went to court appointed anger management.

    The point of my story is anger and violence are never rational. You can't just easily point fingers of blame at both people in the situation. I did nothing to instigate the other driver other than make him wait a minute. His actions were completely irrational - like the man in this pic giving two middle fingers.

    I don't spend a lot of time trying to figure out the motives of these people or blaming myself for my situation - it's pointless. All I can do is call the police and go to court to try to stop a recurrence of this type of behavior.

    So, Steven, you may want to think twice if you think getting in someone's face and trying to take their phone is the best way to deal with this type of situation.

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  13. This blog has gone downhill with its over abundance of negativity, over reactions, and censorships if someone does not agree.

    Just my two cents (if such an opinion is even allowed to be posted), for what it's worth.

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  14. Beachy,

    I'd hardly consider that not posting a "shut up" statement from someone is egregious censorship.

    Of course since the "shut up" was likely directed at me I might be biased.

    There are plenty of negative and positive stories and comment on Uptown Update.

    Which is how it should be. There are plenty of positive and negative things going on in our illustrious and storied neighborhood.

    "It was a dark and stormy night as I walked down the urine soaked alley on Malden. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a red robin reflected in the flickering light of a broken streetlamp. Spring was in the air. Once again there was hope in the big city."

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  15. IP.

    You have said way worse than shut up. The sencorship on this blog is BS. And so what if Steven said shut up, boo hoo. He should be aloud to defend himself. Uptown update is biased. This comment won't be posted just prove it.

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  16. Sometimes this is like taking candy from a child.

    I mean I enjoy that, but there is no honor in it.

    Therefore, I will not respond to "Fairly New".

    I could correct his gramer and speling, but that would be Rong.

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  17. Fairly new...

    We have had this argument before. I agree with you but as Chip once said.. it is their house so their rules.

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  18. Jason, so since it is Helen's ward that makes her rules acceptable? No. Things work better when everyone is free to voice their opinions, whether or not everyone is agreement. If this is truely going to be a blog for the entire community (and maybe that is not the owners agenda and that is fine too), censoring comments when they are not harmful or over the top offensive is no different than Helen not listening to her constituents.

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  19. http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12208009

    Some folks are just looking for an excuse to act like eejits.

    Reason number 42 not to have any bumper stickers on your car.

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  20. IP- get over it.

    Beach- I love when people see two sides of the story. it means you are intelligent. :-)

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  21. :-)

    FN,

    I love it when people use "smilies" in a post.

    It means I don't need to mock them.

    :-)

    :-)

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  22. When you have that kind of a reaction it's often a police officer.

    March 25, 2010 7:44 PM

    I do not believe this to be true.
    An Officer could take up to a 30 day unpaid suspension for something like this. Most would not do something like this.

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  23. "The sencorship on this blog is BS."

    Fairly New, I think you mean 'Censorship'?

    I've never seen anything deleted, unless it was blatantly over aggressive or incorrect.

    I think U.U. serves a great purpose......thanks!

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