Car Blocking Driveway Causes Sticky Situation
By Maria Elena Fernandez
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 4, 1998; Page B03
Alexa Champion Maanaoui says she did not notice that her car was blocking
somebody's driveway Tuesday night when she parked on Prospect Street NW and
walked to her class at Georgetown University.
But Ken Robinson, one of the residents of the home, got her attention. When
Maanaoui returned four hours later, signs with red letters warning her not to park
there again had been glued to the windshield and windows of her white Ford Escort.
Maanaoui said that there was duct tape all over the body of the car and glue in one
of the locks, and that two of the tires were flat.
"When I approached the car, I immediately thought I had screwed up and somebody
was sending me a message," said Maanaoui, 25, of Greenbelt. "There was a group of
people standing outside the house and a police officer. They started freaking out.
They were yelling at me. I was apologizing profusely and I burst into tears."
Robinson denied damaging the tires, but he said he became impatient after waiting
two hours for Maanaoui to return. He said he was forced to take a taxi to pick up his
girlfriend at work. When they returned, Maanaoui's car was still there.
"Granted, I was wrong," he said yesterday. "Obviously, this incident tells me that I
should not do this anymore. But this is very frustrating. We have students who are
constantly parking here. I wait for them, and I yell at them. But she took four hours."
D.C. police officer D.F. Brown arrived at the house in the 3600 block of Prospect
Street as Maanaoui was walking to her car. Maanaoui was cited for a parking
infraction, and Robinson was told there would be an investigation to determine
whether he should be charged with destruction of property.
"We live in the District. We are committed to the District," Robinson said. "I got
more upset with the way police were handling the situation. I honestly didn't think
that putting stickers on her windshield would be what I would call vandalism."
Maanaoui, who is enrolled in Georgetown's graduate communication, culture and
technology program, said she saw someone pull out of the spot, so she parked there,
assuming it was a legal space. It will cost $157 to repair her car, according to an
insurance estimate.
Tensions have simmered for years between Georgetown residents and university
students who park on neighborhood streets.
Neighbor Jim Marsh, who witnessed part of the incident Tuesday, said he
understands Robinson's frustrations. In the 18 months he has lived on Prospect
Street, a block from the university, his driveway has been blocked several times, he
said.
"People who go to Georgetown don't pay any attention to where they park," Marsh
said. "It's terrible. We can't do anything about it when they park over here. It's out of
hand."
Rohit Khare -- UC Irvine -- 4K Associates -- +1-(626) 806-7574
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~rohit -- http://xent.ics.uci.edu/~FoRK