CHICAGO (CBS) – A West Side woman wants to put an end to the Chicago tradition of claiming “dibs” on parking spots shoveled out after snowstorms.
Jamie Lynn Ferguson, 29, took off work at a the Breakthrough Urban Ministries shelter and after-school program on Thursday, and spent the day shoveling out as many parking spaces on her block as she could — both sides of the 2600 block of West Evergreen Avenue.
She said, on Wednesday, she “saw neighbors ‘fighting over spots, putting the chairs out for dibs, and I thought ‘this is silly.’”
So, the Coal City native, who has lived in Chicago for five years, told her bosses she wanted to take the next day off to shovel everyone’s parking space and she was more than encouraged.
“They said, ‘You are awesome! Have fun!’” Ferguson said.
Ferguson live-tweeted her day of shoveling @AuntieSweetLeaf. She declared #nodibs in her posts, and received overwhelming support and well-wishes.
She didn’t exactly clear spots down to the pavement, but she made it much easier for cars to get in and out of parking spaces.
Ferguson said she “got some offers for help, but then they realized they didn’t have shovels, so they couldn’t actually help.”
Neighbor Tim Roche called Ferguson a “Good Samaritan.
“Somebody ought to give her a medal. Let’s get Rahm down here and have a presentation,” Roche said.
Neighbor Truniekia Franklin said it’s amazing Ferguson did that for her neighbors. Franklin said it warms her heart.
Ferguson says she’d just like to see the whole “dibs” thing go away.
“If everybody just did a little part, then the whole street would be cleared,” she said.
She said she hopes her work inspires neighbors to think differently how they treat each other when the weather is so bad.
