A dispute over a saved parking spot in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia included gunfire and a fistfight last Thursday. According to police, around 1:20 p.m., a 45-year-old man faced off against a 21-year-old man over a parking space. The older man flashed a knife while the other brandish ed a handgun. The men dropped their weapons and opted for fisticuffs. Police said a 36-year-old woman, retrieved a gun from a nearby vehicle. She slugged the older man with the weapon then fired one round into the ground. All of the action recorded on a surveillance video from a nearby business. The 45-year-old man identified the other two combatants before being taken to the hospital with a head injury. He listed in stable condition. Police arrested the 21-year-old man and 36-year-old woman. All weapons were recovered. In Philadelphia, using chairs, cones, furniture, and other items to reserve parking spaces is illegal. Police note the practice causes altercations including violent episodes and retaliations. Police have frequently intervened by removing these items from streets. The practice of holding spots identified as “savesies”, lists as illegal in the City of Trenton although officials lack the courage to enforce the law. Bottom line: Trenton needs leaders who make difficult decisions and who uphold the law. Sure, one can understand the anger associated with shoveling out a parking space then having it swiped by someone else. Would you risk bodily injury, have your car or house vandalized, be willing to die over a parking spot? Please, let them have the parking space. What’s missing in many areas of Trenton is a sense of community, neighborhood, and a belief that we struggle, fall, and get back up again — together. L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at [email protected]. ...read more read less