Forum Space-Saver Victim Fund:
Another victim of "space saver" vandalism, a critical care nurse, has come forward.

"My husband and I are residents of the South End and were so happy to hear about the space saver ban set for this winter. I am a critical care nurse and rely on my car to get to work and finding parking when I got home had been an issue in past years. I have historically never put space savers out because I always felt it was unfair to save a piece of property that I didn't own when I would be gone for over 14 hours of the day.
Unfortunately, it seems that not everyone feels the same way. Two of our car tires were slashed a few weeks ago when I removed an illegal space saver (a bag of trash on trash night). It was the Monday night that we had received over a foot of snow and I came home from work during the parking ban to find all of the garages full. Fortunately, there were two spaces available a block away from my house, both of which had space savers. I guess I chose the wrong one to move..."

So far the victims of the vandalism include:
-Two nurses, one working critical care, both working late shift hours;
-a Boston Public School middle school teacher;
-a Boston man who was trying to drive his literacy specialist girlfriend to work at her Roxbury elementary school.


As of Tuesday, the fund the South End Forum launched to help victims of space-saver vandalsim is at $1,210. Please spread the word, and learn more about the fund at theYoucaring.com site.

Friday is trash and recycle pick up in the South End which also means that the trash contractor will be picking up any savers found on South End streets. In communications with your neighborhoods, it would be helpful to remind neighbors that in the South End, savers on any street are being systematically removed by the city contractor and that any retribution by space saver users on an innocently parked car would be both misplaced and criminal.

Storm Drains:
South End Forum has reached out to Public Works Commissioner, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, and the Mayor's Office to ask for their assistance in spreading the word that clearing drains from residences and ensuring clear paths of drainage (especially in back yard garden areas which are very vulnerable to flooding). A special hat tip to Ted Pietras for his suggestions and warnings for South End homeowners which neighborhood associations are sharing widely.

We have also suggested to the Commissioner and the Mayor's Office that Public Works, Water and Sewer, and Neighborhood Associations partner to identify and clear as many storm drains as possible in South Ens streets. If drains are easily accessible, neighbor and neighborhood associations should take the initiative and clear a pathway. If critical drains (i.e. those that te