That "Spare Change" guy.....

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

......has been in rare form recently. Not the one who asks "Pardon me sir, can you spare any change?" in a weird monotone, but the one who "sells" the Spare Change newsletter. I saw him suckering a few college-age looking girls the Saturday before last. By the time I got down to the platform, they were angrily chatting with each other, one of them with a fresh Boston Now! in her hand. This morning, he was doing his usual rounds, with a lit cigarette. Classy. I think it sucks that this guy does his thing, ripping people off every day, and that he hasn't been banned from the Davis Square Red Line, or any of the others.

Comments

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's him. Arrgh, I was ao annoyed with him this morning I wanted to curbstomp him on one of the benches. Being a sleazy fucking scammer is one thing, but the smoking on the platform is what pushed me over the edge. That, and he's been doing it for SO long and nobody's banned his sorry ass.

[righteousness-1.livejournal.com]

People power is required. He should be shouted at and verbally abused out of the T. Why is everyone so afraid to speak up? Even if someone did, the rest of us would bury our heads in our Metros.

[redcolumbine.livejournal.com]

Maybe because deception is the rule rather than the exception? Beggars constantly patrol the T platforms, importuning passengers for "money to get home," for "food," because their "bag was stolen," to buy candy to "support the sports team..." It's become background noise, to a point where a fresh scam is almost a pinch of spice.

Also, verbal abuse would just feed into the Come See the Violence Inherent in the System victim mindset so prevalent among such losers. I usually just say "No, you can't have any money."