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1. Jeffrey
   Member Profile

   I live on Alki Ave behind the lighthouse and came out this morning to find someone had taken what appears to be a golf club to my windshield. I am fairly confident it was not random because none of the cars nearby had any damage. I filed a police report with the SPD. The damage was done sometime between 12am and 10am on 10/19/10. I have a suspicion that it was a neighbor because I was not parked fully legally. I figure someone got pissed off and decided to take it out on my car. Shame on you!

   Posted 1 year ago #         

2. redblack
   Member Profile

   

   while breaking windows is not cool, i was wondering if you park not "fully legally" often? what does that entail? i'm not trying to blame the victim; just searching for a possible MO.

   and for some reason, the theme music from people's court and doug lewellyn saying "you take 'em to court" just came to mind.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

3. Jeffrey
   Member Profile

   Yes, I will definitely admit I occasionally park in this spot (about once a week). It's between the entrance of the lighthouse parking lot and a driveway. I have a very small sports car which does not obstruct either entrance. It's a "last resort" spot when there's no parking for 2 blocks and I have Costco groceries, for example. I'm just shocked one of my neighbors would do this in retaliation.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

4. DOC
   Member Profile

   I'm just trolling a bit, but I thought it was funny that a very small sports car could carry costco groceries :)

   I realize they can fit and whatnot, but it just made me chuckle imagining a crate of mayonase tied to the roof of a miata.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

5. Jeffrey
   Member Profile

   Haha I actually broke the cup holder in my car with a Costco box full of stuff. I did once fit a 42" flat screen in it too :). It's a 350z

   Posted 1 year ago #         

6. Sonoma
   Member Profile

   Golf club? Could have been Elin, Tiger Woods' ex. But really, your neighbor's actions were obnoxious. She or he could have just left a note on the windshield, rather than smashing it. Cranky people!

   Posted 1 year ago #         

7. redblack
   Member Profile

   

   whew. i was picturing a toyota sequoia parked across the sidewalk or something - which might induce rage in just about anyone.

   have you ever talked to the people who own the driveway, or had a run-in over parking? if it wasn't them, it could have just been some random a-hole walking down the street.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

8. BigPhil
   Member Profile

   "I was not parked fully legally" means "I was parked illegally." There's not "partially legal" and "mostly legal" and "somewhat legal." There's legal and illegal. People who park illegally seem to me to be inconsiderate at best, blithely arrogant at worst. Parking is already a nightmare without people parking in random spots.

   That rant aside, smashing someone's windshield with a golf club on a vigilante quest is by far a worse crime and I hope they get found and prosecuted for damages (and undoubtedly lost wages, if you have to take time off work to get it repaired). Might ask some of your less aggressive neighbors (if you can figure out which ones) if they saw anything. Sucks, though :(

   Posted 1 year ago #         

9. dhg
   Member Profile

   

   I know it's hard NOT to feel targeted but it may have been random. Driving down Beach Drive late at night we once came across six cars with broken glass. They were not all in a row, the damage was spread out for many blocks. We saw one family out looking at the damage and stopped to tell them that it wasn't personal, many cars had been hit.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

10. KBear
    Member Profile

    I doubt it was an angry neighbor. Wouldn't they expect retaliation? As for why only one windshield was broken, breaking all the windshields in the neighborhood would have made a lot more noise and increased the chances of getting caught.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

11. Jeffrey
    Member Profile

    Nope, I've never even met the neighbors there. The spot is a last resort, and while a large car might not fit there, my small sports car fits just fine. Yeah I'm going to ask around to see if anyone saw anything.

    On the issue of parking illegally: Parking in a disabled spot or in a tow away zone is much worse than say... parking an SUV in a compact space, parking 13" from the curb, parking a little less than 5 feet from a driveway, parking a tricycle in a motorcycle parking only area, etc.

    I agree with you Phil, people who blatantly park illegally wherever they go often seem to be arrogant and self-absorbed.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

12. Jeffrey
    Member Profile

    Scary story about the broken glass on Beach Drive! That's actually where I was egged while I was driving once, near Me Kwa Mooks Park. You guys might be right about it being random... My car is one of the nicer cars on the block, and maybe someone saw that as a perfect target.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

13. KBear
    Member Profile

    Gotta disagree with you about driveways. People often park too close to my driveway, and it makes it nearly impossible to see oncoming traffic when backing out. I resent being put in danger by somebody who's too lazy to find a legal parking spot. And there is almost always legal parking within half a block of my house.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

14. BigPhil
    Member Profile

    Wait, it's illegal to park too close to a driveway? How close can you be? I thought as long as you didn't block it, it was fine?

    Posted 1 year ago #         

15. Jeffrey
    Member Profile

    Technically I believe it's 5 feet but I don't think it's strictly enforced.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

16. Carson
    Member Profile

    

    http://www.cityofseattle.net/transportation/parking/drivewaymarking.htm

    you can't park within 5 feet

    Posted 1 year ago #         

17. moxilot
    Member Profile

    BigPhil, it appears as though you've been breaking the law for a long time. :)

    Posted 1 year ago #         

18. BigPhil
    Member Profile

    In fairness I just moved here Sept 1 but damn, the irony.. I'll keep in that in mind. 5 feet. :)

    Posted 1 year ago #         

19. JayDee
    Member Profile

    Please forgive: "Damn the irony...or the woody" ;-)

    Posted 1 year ago #         

20. redblack
    Member Profile

    

    big phil: fine line, though.

    our house has room for two normal-sized cars at the curb between my driveway and my neighbor's. i would rather have someone park 0 - 4 feet from my driveway apron than take up both spots.

    my neighbors and i are in agreement, too. so i always err on the side of leaving room for another car - if possible.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

21. Sue
    Member Profile

    

    Thanks for the link, Carson - my husband and I have been disagreeing on where the 5' line started, and this couldn't be more clear. It was hard getting used to the 5' rule here, especially coming from NYC where you can park within 1mm of the driveway legally. Or at least you could when I was there driving.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

22. dhg
    Member Profile

    

    I've not known the police to enforce the 5 foot rule. I've called when someone was 3 feet across my driveway but the cop demonstrated how he could still pull in and out of my driveway and then drove away doing nothing. They say one thing, they act another. The last time someone COMPLETELY blocked my driveway, the responding officer yelled at me, asking me 3 times whether I REALLY need to park in my driveway.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

23. KBear
    Member Profile

    dhg, I have usually gotten better service than that. The last car that parked across my driveway got towed away.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

24. velo_nut
    Member Profile

    

    Park legally.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

25. Sonoma
    Member Profile

    Funny punning, JayDee!

    Posted 1 year ago #         

26. Jeffrey
    Member Profile

    *Update* Apparently my friend had multiple apples thrown at her car on Saturday night. We have a hunch of who may be responsible for both events. Coincidence or not that both of our cars were hit? TBD. I have been in contact with SPD so hopefully more information will surface.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

27. JanS
    Member Profile

    

    I know someone who had a windshield or a back window smashed just the other night...she lives on Beach Drive...cops told her there had been a few lately.

    http://www.mortgageporter.com/beach_drive/

    Posted 1 year ago #         

28. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    How do you know it was a golf club?

    Posted 1 year ago #         

29. MB
    Member Profile

    Good question Luckymom30, I've been wondering the same thing. Did they leave the golf club behind/nearby or something?

    Posted 1 year ago #         

30. KBear
    Member Profile

    No one said it WAS a golf club. Go back and read it again.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

31. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    Very true KBear, however it was stated that it appear that someone used a golf club, why Jeffrey chose that word to describe the damage is interesting, especially since it could have been a large rock or something else.....

    Posted 1 year ago #         

32. Jeffrey
    Member Profile

    I have no idea if it was a golf club but it left a rectangular impression where the impact was that resembled a golf club. It could have been a rock or other blunt object.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

33. MB
    Member Profile

    Dang KBear, if luckymom had worded it "what makes you THINK it was a golf club," would that have been alright? I think the point was that we are wondering what made him specifically think it may have been a golf club since he specifically used that description? Geez.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

34. KBear
    Member Profile

    That would have been a better way to phrase the question.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

35. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    Thanks MB, I didn't know that I had to spell things out for kbear to understand my point of view on the statement that Jeffrey made. Geez! kbear you are one very picky persnickitty person. Indeed. BUT, the pint being that Jeffrey did in fact use the word "golf club" in his posting and that fact would make anyone "wonder" why he choose "golf club" to describe the windshield when he could have used the word rock, or something like that.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

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