Another photo of the fake Spare Change guy
Jul. 1st, 2009 12:47 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mzrowan.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
davis_squareI took a photo of the fake Spare Change guy at Kendall last night. (For those of you who haven't heard about this before, here's the Boston.com article about it.) I noticed that the photo ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
anomie666 posted here in March isn't available anymore, so I figured I'd post mine.
Needless to say, he wasn't happy I took his photo. He came up and yelled at me, calling me a "skinhead" and saying, "You couldn't even sell yourself, because you're bald!". For the record, while my hair is very short, I am neither bald nor a skinhead, in any sense of the word. ;-) I was a little worried he was going to try to take my phone, but he didn't make any moves to touch me or my stuff.
Please pass this photo along to anyone you know who rides the Red line in Cambridge/Somerville. What do folks think: Is it worth it to email it to the local newspapers or the MBTA? It seems like the Spare Change people are well informed about who he is, so I don't think they really need a photo.
anomie666 posted here in March isn't available anymore, so I figured I'd post mine.Needless to say, he wasn't happy I took his photo. He came up and yelled at me, calling me a "skinhead" and saying, "You couldn't even sell yourself, because you're bald!". For the record, while my hair is very short, I am neither bald nor a skinhead, in any sense of the word. ;-) I was a little worried he was going to try to take my phone, but he didn't make any moves to touch me or my stuff.
Please pass this photo along to anyone you know who rides the Red line in Cambridge/Somerville. What do folks think: Is it worth it to email it to the local newspapers or the MBTA? It seems like the Spare Change people are well informed about who he is, so I don't think they really need a photo.
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no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 06:51 pm (UTC)I totally agree.
Date: 2009-07-01 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 07:10 pm (UTC)Stealing from a charity is just wrong.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 07:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 07:40 pm (UTC)The same attitude hits Big Mike (who isn't homeless, but gets the same "ha ha, look at that asshole" treatment) and the guy who used to yell "SPARE CHANGE" in the Common - he's a running joke. It's pretty crappy, either way.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 07:35 pm (UTC)(I know you are all going to say you buy it once a week and love supporting this charity, but I think it's a little hypocritical if you aren't going to be sympathetic to this particular homeless person)
no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 07:42 pm (UTC)I never buy the Spare Change
Date: 2009-07-01 08:11 pm (UTC)Re: I never buy the Spare Change
Date: 2009-07-01 08:15 pm (UTC)Re: I never buy the Spare Change
Date: 2009-07-01 08:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 08:31 pm (UTC)He's not really homeless, I don't think. And he works construction when he can. He's an older guy, always telling jokes.
He won't sell me his papers, becase he considers me a friend. I have loaned him money, and given him things (an old camera I never used, a backpack, T-shirts when I've gone on vacations). He's given me Christmas cards and little gifts at times too.
I haven't seen him in a while...I hope he's doing okay.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 03:25 am (UTC)Seriously, this pisses me off, because his shitty attitude and scam behavior make it harder for legit Spare Change vendors to make money.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 08:15 pm (UTC)(And as an aside, I have a lot of sympathy for the under-homed, to the point that I give $240/year to the Somerville Homeless Coalition. If this guy were sitting on the corner asking for spare change, I would have no problem with him.)
no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 08:46 pm (UTC)He has feelings and opinions, possibly even ones about where he wants his image shown - unless you got him to sign a release, in which case all bets are off. This just comes across as a little bit vengeful and voyeuristic. I'd suggest reporting him to a T cop if you're being scammed or see him scamming others, rather than going vigilante. (I am all about the "v" words today!) No hard feelings from me, just trying to get my opinion across on the matter.
To
no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 08:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 08:43 pm (UTC)i bet you have a real bone to pick with wanted posters, too.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 08:49 pm (UTC)(Note that this is probably the most respect I've shown for the police...ever.)
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 08:43 pm (UTC)Asking for spare change is an entirely different story from willfully misleading someone into purchasing a newspaper, then switching it for something which can be optained freely.
If I were swindling people out of their money and people called me on it, and tried to spread the word that I was a con artist, would I be angry? Absolutely. Would I feel dehumanized? Can't say. Would they be justified in doing so, because I am doing something wrong? You betcha!
no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 09:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-01 10:12 pm (UTC)No one's taking his picture while he's peacefully eating at Dunkin' Donuts, or while he's standing in line for the Tilt-a-Whirl at Canobie Park, or while he's blowing out his birthday candles. No one's picketing his church with "GOD HATES SCAMMERS" signs. Saying these posts dehumanize him is like saying the BPD dehumanizes people when they publicize pictures of them robbing a gas station.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-02 12:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
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