CHICAGO — A blizzard that dumped nearly 2 feet of snow has revived a longstanding Chicago tradition: Break out the patio furniture. Or, if none is available, suitcases, garbage cans, strollers, bar stools and milk crates work too.
All these items are frequently used by Chicago residents in a time-honored yet controversial system of preserving parking spots, known as “dibs.”
In an urban version of wild animals marking their territory, residents use chairs and other objects to tell anyone who passes that someone has taken the trouble to dig out enough snow to park a car — and that person expects the spot to remain available when the vehicle returns.
The city has an ordinance covering dibs, and it’s illegal.
But the practice is so ingrained in the fabric of the city that after the blizzard ended, the candidates running for mayor were asked where they stood on the practice. Three told the Chicago Sun-Times they were in favor of “dibs,” while one was noncommittal.
Even the city’s top police officer sympathizes with those who do it.
“Think about it: You spend a couple hours clearing a spot and somebody from another block takes it?” Chicago police Superintendent Jody Weis said Friday. The Associated Press
