[Closed] Just had the police around, I've been accused of racism

I sometimes park my van in family spaces, plenty space for it after all

Yes, yes, you've been jumping up and down shouting I AM A **** on this thread for 16 minutes now. We heard you the first time.

When in a car you either have to remove the car seat and place it on the trolley or remove the baby from the car seat and place them in the trolley. more room is helpful here. If one or both is older they may well be keen to jump out and have little understanding of the value of property or why it's wrong to dent a strangers car.

Ah, I see, it's the extra space rather than the distance, I didn't realise that. Thanks.

I assumed the parent/child spaces were a safety thing. Lot's of reversing cars. Children are small and below the height of the rear window, making them more difficult to see than adults. Makes sense they get out of the car close to the store doesn't it?

It's called "backover" in America, car companies are developing systems to avoid it because it's so common.

Have the police nothing better to do?

Should have told them to piss off & go & find some real police work to do.

Have the police nothing better to do?

Are you really being serious? Given the current social political climate?

Racial tensions are high for those that can't see past their own noses, but luckily the police responded correctly and didn't take any action if the op is correct, the police response was correct, they quickly realised it was a car park squabble and moved on, but they investigated what they have to take as face value, a 'racist' incident.

That the perpetrator was pretending to be the victim is why we have police.

As Horatio says, there can be a safety aspect - I'm quite happy to park far from the shop and walk, but in most car parks paths are non-existent so you're shepherding a toddler or two along what's basically a road, only with even more distracted and impatient people pulling in and out of spaces, while trying to carry stuff or push a trolley yourself.

Wow, more pricks on here than I expected.

Car parks are dangerous places for tiny kids, drivers can't see them, and they don't yet fully understand the risk that cars present. So supermarkets wisely create safe places to unload sprogs and get them in and out of the store safely and easily, If lazy selfish pricks take those spaces, they have decided their time is more important than keeping kids safe, and deserve to be called out.

Police did the correct thing following up the complaint, but I don't think we should take away for this sorry tale that designated spaces are fair game due to lack of legal status.

you're shepherding a toddler or two along what's basically a road, only with even more distracted and impatient people pulling in and out of spaces, while trying to carry stuff or push a trolley yourself.

I'll say again this is a wide reaching social issue, until People stop being so selfish, it will continue, you cant have 25 coppers in every supermarket car park, it's too expensive, people need to start taking some responsibility, being more reasonable and not throwing a hissy fit when they miss a parking spot.

Being more reasonable means not parking in bays clearly marked as reserved for others I presume.

We could build car parks with paths? Takes up space but makes it so much better.

There's some similarity with cycling - a sudden increase in patient, competent driving would be great but it isn't going to happen, so we need segregated space that reduces the risk from the known and hard to remove hazard. Family spaces sort of do that by avoiding a walk through cars.

Having read the OP a couple of times there's something that I don't understand. Presumably the police were able to track the OP down through his car registration, but when did the guy in the Porsche take down the registration to pass to the police? He hadn't seen the OP parking and drove off after the altercation...

you're shepherding a toddler or two along what's basically a road, only with even more distracted and impatient people pulling in and out of spaces, while trying to carry stuff or push a trolley yourself.

I'll say again this is a wide reaching social issue, until People stop being so selfish, it will continue, you cant have 25 coppers in every supermarket car park, it's too expensive, people need to start taking some responsibility, being more reasonable and not throwing a hissy fit when they miss a parking spot.

Give a written report to the supermarket saying the spaces are being misued and given it's Christmas and busy they should have a staff member patrolling them. Explain their inaction has lead to a false Police report.

Kelvin it's private land the supermarket can designate amd enforce parking pretty much as they wish. They could legally stick a sign up and charge you £100 for parking in a family spot if they wanted. I don't see how the law is unclear at all.

BTW did you suggest to the Police the other guy had been wasting their time ? Did you explain he had been parked in a family space ?

Pretty depressing people play the race card in such an incident. All a bit Ali-G "is it because I is black"

They're just the same selfish entitled pricks that make life a bit rubbish for the other 95% of decent people.

This pretty much sums up society for me.

A little consideration goes a long way.

^^ this.

They're just the same selfish entitled pricks that make life a bit rubbish for the other 95% of decent people.
This pretty much sums up society for me.

A little consideration goes a long way.

^^ this.

Indeed, the family bays are there so you can open the doors wide to get the children in and out of child seats without scratching the car next to you with the door.

(Bulky items - not sure about that, bulkiest items regularly purchased are nappies, so usually have children. perhaps he's incontinent which is fair enough)

Prick seems an appropriate description

Rights and wrongs of the other driver aside, what would you choose to describe someone who has a go at someone and escalates it to the point of calling the guy a prick "and a few more words" in front of their own kids?

Honestly, you sound like you need to calm the hell down, what sort of example do you think you're setting with behaviour like that? By all means call someone out if they're doing something wrong and you think it's going to do any good but there is absolutely no need to take it that far. As someone alluded to earlier it's only a matter of time before that sort of behaviour ends in violence. FFS get a sense of perspective, yes he was a prick and he'll likely still be a prick tomorrow but do you honestly think that some [s]nobody[/s] STW Big Hitter giving him a lecture on the moral rights and wrongs of abusing parent and child parking in the middle of the car park is going to lead him to some sort of epiphany?

<sad_violin>

If you anyone thinks it's acceptable to take these spaces when you don't need them perhaps next time imagine your wife, sister, mother etc struggling to carry a baby in a car seat while walking hand in hand with a toddler through the car park. Maybe in the rain.

</sad_violin>

As said, perhaps if car parks were constructed safely (ie. with proper paths you can back onto) and with proper sized spaces we wouldn't need super jumbo kiddy spaces in the first place. With a canopy for those who choose to be incorrectly attired for the weather.

Gary_C - Member

Have the police nothing better to do?

Must admit, it's a tad infuriating to hear of this story when the police couldn't send anyone to attend a burglary in progress at my home.

Well, they said they'd come, several times, but after seven years of waiting I've kind of given up hope. 🙁

Honestly, you sound like you need [b]calm the hell down[/b] , what sort of example do you think you're setting with behaviour like that?

Excellent

Sorry petal, was that a bit too fruity? Didn't think any kids would be reading this so decided to be a bit risque. My mistake...

More going on in the OP's life than just shouting at some spotty Yoof for parking in a space near the supermarket door.

Tesco?
Morrisons?
Sainsburys perrrapz ?

prick 😀

If I park in the parent child spaces when I take my aged parents am I taking the piss? 🙂

I'm amused that the parent space invaders justify parking in the spaces closest to the shop by saying that people should be willing to walk a bit further. Manages to both miss the point and be hypocritical.

"I don't know any random strangers but those parking selfishly are pricks. Don't act like one if you don't wanna be regarded as one. #thetruthhurtssometimes"

"Prick seems an appropriate description"

By that logic then a black person can be called 'n*gg*r' because it's 'true'.

I'm struggling with the idea that being abusive in some ways is acceptable.

All abuse is wrong, regardless of the specific choice of words chosen to hurt.

Thread couldn't be more STW if it tried really could it.. I'm amazed we've not found out if it was the wrong type of car yet and scolded the OP for driving something not STW appropriate.

I dunno, i see that thread where we all sent bike parts off to a guy who couldn't afford a bike, or the recent one where everyone is offering a guy clothes/money/kit...
Then i read this... i think to myself "is this actually the same forum".. Astounding.

I've been an advocate several times recently on calling selfish and inconsiderate behaviour out, so well done for that. Don't let the outcome stop you, if we collectively don't do it, accepting that at times it isn't easy then it'll continue unchallenged and become the norm. And that's not the country or society I want.

As for the 'prick' bit and losing your rag; that's not good. Although I'll defend you a bit. If after you challenged him, the reasonable response would have been 'yes, I know, I'm sorry, I just worry about my shiny car getting scratched' it wouldn't have happened. Being selfish and inconsiderate and then arguing over it when someone points it out - is somewhat 'prickish' in my book. Even if your items are bulky.

Interesting that a new build supermarket near me has put the P&C spaces at the back of the shop. They're still against the shop, so you can get out and walk the kids around the perimeter path and avoid traffic but now no longer as desirable as the ones right at the front. I wonder if they get taken as much.

Or - instead of calling them P&C spaces; label them for 'Parents with Children and Inconsiderate Pricks with high feelings of entitlement' See who uses them then, when they're already being called out for what they are. Oh, and people with bulky items too. 😉

@outofbreath - the OP acknowledged his language was inappropriate; the categorisation less so ;).

This thread has one of the highest trolling/nobery levels I have ever seen on here!

As a new Dad the extra width in the bays are handy. Allows the door to bet fully opened to grab the child seat and gives me a safe area to set up the buggy.

It bugs me when it's clear folk are using the bays when they don't need to buy telling them won't change anything.

Classic example was a car parked in the p&c bay at Asda. Teenage girl sat in the passenger seat, parent goes alone for the shopping. Not strictly against the rules but still a nobish thing to do.

Before little miss breadcrumb I'd never consider parking in the p&c bays, and once she's old enough I won't be using them either.

Not in front of your kids! Could have ended up with a blade in your back.

Have a word with yourself!

Defend you family, if you have to, but leave all the mugs out there alone.

Seems you can't have a thread on STW which has even the slightest mention of a car without one of the stw self proclaimed driving gods arguing for the sake of arguing

I often think about killing people who talk in the quiet carriages of trains.

Not read all of this, but when you called him a prick you lost the moral high ground and it became a collision of arseholes..

What you playing at agent007, a month ago you were complaining that wheelie bins made it difficult for people with pushchairs, now you seem to have less concern for them?

They're just the same selfish entitled pricks that make life a bit rubbish for the other 95% of decent people.

Who would that be, the people parking where they shouldn't or the people who feel they have a right to call someone out for being a prick?

Both are equally the arse end of society as far as I can see, chill out and go ride a bike.

+1 Weeks (9ish posts above)

I had a similar thing happen 10 years ago in Bradford,at the time I was a delivery driver in Bradford everyday, one day I was travelling down one of the Cities inner one way streets when A guy came up it the wrong way demanding I reverse the 16 ton wagon back up.. After a load of handbags his passenger got out and punched the windscreen shouted you white bastard jumped back in to the 4x4 and reversed off after cracking the screen.
I reported the incident to W Yorkshire ecilop why after spending an hour interviewing me didn't want to follow it up as my description of the young white male didn't match the owner who was a 60+ guy. In short they didn't want to get involved, they did happen to leave a file on the desk after explain their lack of interest, and "had to nip out" for a minute..

I did receive a follow up call some 10 days later asking how I felt about the way it was handled needless to say I didn't hold back

I still remember the address and where the 4X4 was parked some 4 weeks later. Did you know a 16 ton wagon has an impact force of 52 ton at 2mph 😉

So much anger and negativity. Some of you talking about how crap life is.

Wow.

Car parking spaces aren't important to me, and I'm genuinely a very happy and positive person who sees a lot good in people. Maybe there's a correlation.

allan23

Who would that be, the people parking where they shouldn't or the people who feel they have a right to call someone out for being a prick?

Both are equally the arse end of society as far as I can see,

Then you can't see very far. Calling someone a prick for acting like a prick doesn't seem egregious to me, more akin to knob or asshole. Shorthand for silly person. It's not like the op lost his temper, started screaming some racial epithet at the guy while frothing at the mouth, ripping his shirt off demanding a fight.

I still remember the address and where the 4X4 was parked some 4 weeks later. Did you know a 16 ton wagon has an impact force of 52 ton at 2mph

Ain't you a special snowflake.

Then you can't see very far.

Quite possibly, but chill out and go ride a bike generally doesn't have as bad a result as pointing out other people's inconsiderate behaviour with insults.

Works for me and so far hasn't ended up with plod round my house.

A proven false accusation of racism should be treated the same as the offence itself. Its a cheap trick, wagered by spiteful, vindictive people. It wastes time & can ruin lives, & reputations.

So much anger and negativity. Some of you talking about how crap life is.

Wow.

Car parking spaces aren't important to me, and I'm genuinely a very happy and positive person who sees a lot good in people. Maybe there's a correlation.

Wasn't it you on here last night, boasting about how you park in the child spaces because they're a better fit for your van?

If so, your attempt to take the moral high ground, by pretending to be a nice person, has fallen a bit flat.

We are not what we say; we are what we *do*.

Pricks defending prickish behaviour.

If you park in spaces that are to help people other than you, you are a prick.
If you can't see why this is so, please don't operate heavy machinery.

allan23

chill out and go ride a bike generally doesn't have as bad a result as pointing out other people's inconsiderate behaviour with insults.

Ah yeah, chill out and go for a bike ride. Everyone should always, by default, chill out and go for a bike ride. Even when they see people acting in an ignorant anti social manner.

Works for me and so far hasn't ended up with plod round my house.

Police call to people's houses for stupid reasons some times. Including false accusations. They were lied to by a prick. Nothing to be ashamed of.