A D.C. resident is forced to leave her home due to snow piled by a bobcat blocking parking.
WASHINGTON — A Southeast D.C. homeowner says a large pile of snow and ice was pushed into parking spaces outside her home, blocking access and forcing her to leave the neighborhood as she waits for the city to respond.
Janice Ricks says she returned home Friday night to find a mound of snow and ice occupying several parking spaces directly in front of her house. Video from her doorbell camera shows a bobcat driving through the alley and parking lot around 7 p.m., pushing snow into a large pile near her home.
“I don’t have anywhere to park,” Ricks said. “I’m afraid I’ll get a ticket. I’m afraid of my car being towed.”
Ricks said she and others in the community had spent time helping neighbors shovel snow after recent winter weather. Seeing the pile left behind was frustrating, she said.
“We’ve been out helping others in the community with shoveling the snow,” Ricks said. “Just to know someone else would do this — I’m very disappointed.”
She said the blocked parking forced her to leave her home and stay elsewhere.
Ricks contacted the city’s 311 service shortly after the incident but said she has not received a response.
WUSA9 was unable to confirm who was operating the bobcat or whether it was connected to a city agency. The D.C. Department of Public Works said it is looking into the situation. WUSA9 also reached out to a nearby church in the area.
Ricks said the snow and ice are too solid for her to remove on her own and hopes the city will act quickly.
“It was nothing I could do because this is ice,” she said. “Please come and remove this mountain of snow.”