He told me it was his truck and said that he was in the middle of important neighborhood business. I told him he was blocking my garage and that I needed to leave. He rolled his eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and grabbed his keys. He followed me outside and started complaining about how there was no parking left at the center.
I pointed out that there were several empty spaces just fifty yards down the street. He ignored my logic and told me I should have just waited until their meeting was over. He then got into his truck, started the roaring engine, and moved it just barely enough for the garage door to finish opening and for me to squeeze out. He didn’t apologize, but I thought that would be the end of it. I figured he learned his lesson and wouldn’t do it again.
I was incredibly wrong. Over the next month, he blocked my garage door three more times, and every single time I had to walk over to the community center, track him down, and force him to move his truck. Every single time he acted like I was the one being unreasonable. He would make snide comments about how I was disrespecting his time and how he was doing vital work for the community.
During our fourth confrontation, I told him directly that if he parked across my garage door again, I was going to have his truck towed. He laughed in my face. He told me that the streets were part of the community, and he was the president of the community, which meant he could park wherever he needed to for official business. I told him that was not how the law worked, and that blocking a residential garage opening was illegal everywhere. He just smirked, got in his truck, and drove off.
Two days later, my wife and I received an official notice in our mailbox. It was a citation from the HOA for leaving our trash bins out past the designated time. The fine was $50. The problem was that the garbage truck had literally just come through our street an hour before I checked the mail. There was no way I was in violation of the rules.
I contested the fine, but the HOA president reviews the disputes. The fine was upheld, and I was forced to pay it to avoid late fees and liens on my house. A week later, we got another citation, this one for having weeds in our front flower beds. My wife had just spent the entire weekend pulling weeds and laying down fresh mulch. The beds were immaculate.
I took pictures of the pristine flower beds and sent them to the board. The response came back saying the violation had been observed earlier in the week, and the fine still stood. Another $50. It was extremely obvious at this point what was happening. He was using his position to retaliate against me for daring to complain about his parking habits.
Then the very next weekend, they had another event at the community center, and I looked out my front window and saw the giant white truck parked perfectly across my garage door once again. He had left exactly zero room for the door to open or for a car to leave the garage. I grabbed my phone and searched for the phone number of the towing company listed on the signs posted around our neighborhood.
I called the dispatch number and told the operator that a vehicle was illegally blocking my residential garage door and I needed it removed immediately. A bit later a tow truck rumbled down our street. The driver backed up towards the white truck and hopped out of the cab. I walked out to meet him and pointed at the blockage.