Another photo of the fake Spare Change guy

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

I 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 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.

Comments

[adaptively.livejournal.com]

Seriously, I think it's not only sketchy, but pretty dehumanizing, too. This comm (and b0st0n, too) sort of has a problem with treating the homeless as things rather than people. :\

[ron_newman]

We don't know that he's homeless, and most homeless people don't engage in scams like this.

[adaptively.livejournal.com]

The Globe article refers to him as "an apparent homeless man;" I think, short of actually speaking to him like a human being, that's the closest affirmation we'll get.

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.

[whaler.livejournal.com]

Exactly, I'd really like to know how many people who are so outraged by the fact that he isn't a legitimate spare change seller, actually have ever bought a copy of spare change.

(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)

[ron_newman]

I buy it. Probably about once a month. I'm sympathetic to the organization and its legitimate sellers, which is why I'm not sympathetic to someone who is stealing from them and damaging their good name.

I never buy the Spare Change

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

I give money to some homeless people, at times. But I definitely don't want to touch one of those Spare Change papers. Who knows where they have been...

Re: I never buy the Spare Change

[whaler.livejournal.com]

Well I wouldn't got that far, it is a really great program.

Re: I never buy the Spare Change

[smacaski.livejournal.com]

Every legitimate Spare Change seller I've encountered has been reasonably clean and quite friendly. Personally, I feel much dirtier touching a copy of the Boston Herald than a copy of Spare Change. Ew, Howie Carr stench...

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

I have a regular Spare Change guy named John DeWolfe ("Like the real estate people, without all the money") who I've befriended. He's at South Station and he sings his pitch, "Spare Change NewsPAPer!"

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.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I buy it once a month. The people who actually sell Spare Change work hard. This man is scamming not only passersby, but his fellow homeless people. The Globe interviewed some actual Spare Change sellers who expressed this; I've heard the same first-hand from Spare Change vendors.

Seriously, this pisses me off, because his shitty attitude and scam behavior make it harder for legit Spare Change vendors to make money.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Do you really think that's what's going on in this case? Based on the number of people who show up in the comments each time this guy gets mentioned to describe how he's acted like a creep and verbally harassed them, I don't get the sense that anyone's dehumanizing him; instead they're treating him like a minor celebrity who's a real jerk.

[adaptively.livejournal.com]

If someone took a picture of me on the T (not a "public place," as photography is illegal) to post on the 'net without my permission, for the sole purpose of trashing my way of making ends meet, I would feel dehumanized...dunno about you, though.

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

Would you feel that way if this guy was mugging people on the T? Or robbing houses? If he was well dressed and clean cut? I don't see why we should treat a thief any differently because of his appearance or the nature of his theft.

(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.)

[adaptively.livejournal.com]

Yup, I would have the same problem - it's a crappy thing to do to a person. It's generally considered good photographer's etiquette to ask before taking someone's photo, especially if you're planning on distributing it.

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 chenoameg, because I'm too lazy to make two comments, that's what the nice police officer told me when they took away my SD card on the red line - granted, policy has apparently changed since that happened in 2006, but I err on the side of not losing SD cards/being searched by the po-po.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Where are you getting the idea that photography on the T is illegal? See the above comment which links to the MBTA photography policy.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

lol!

i bet you have a real bone to pick with wanted posters, too.

[adaptively.livejournal.com]

Wanted posters are mugshots posted by cops after the subject has signed a release. (Seriously - the form I had to sign looked almost identical to the standard model release form.) The person who took & posted the picture isn't a cop. It's the cops' job to do this, not theirs. Am I getting old?!

(Note that this is probably the most respect I've shown for the police...ever.)

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

heh, i realize i was making a rather extreme analogy ;)

but really, i can't say i'd have much to argue if i was screaming at and harassing people on a regular basis (its happened to me as well, i used to work in kendall so was at that T stop often) and someone was just like 'hey, look out for this guy, you probably want to just ignore him.' i mean, the most ridiculous part is that he's yelling at people who don't want to play a part in his scam! he isn't even selling spare change papers - he's saying he is, and then he'll fork over a metro. i don't really consider that 'making ends meet' in a way i want to support.

those people who call up your grandmother and get her bank account numbers are trying to make ends meet to you know, and i don't think it's so reprehensible if i get an email warning me about it.

[tanick.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm not sure this counts as "making ends meet" any more than a con-artist swindling someone out of any amount of money counts as making a living...

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!

[ron_newman]

What he is doing is equivalent to reaching into a busker's basket and stealing money. This is not a proper way to "make ends meet". Wouldn't you want to make people aware of this so that he stops doing it?

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

If I was a con artist, who'd been doing the same con in the same place for at least nine years, and while in the process of doing the con someone took my picture, I'd feel a range of negative emotions, sure, but dehumanized? Please.

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.

[cos]

If your way of making ends meet were to cheat people, though, I think it'd be legitimate for them to do that to warn each other away from being cheated. If this guy were not cheating people, then there'd be no need to warn people away from him, but since he is, a photo is very useful: people who see the photo can recognize him and prevent being cheated.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Yes, and he's not only cheating me (which, whatever)--he's cheating other homeless people who are working hard to make Spare Change work as an organization, and to make some money from their (authorized) Spare Change sales.

Think about it (not you, cos, the person who's all pro-Scammy McScamster)--if someone has a bad experience with this guy, they might assume that all the legit, hard-working Spare Change vendors are also abusive con artists. That would deprive a lot of people of an opportunity they value, just so this guy can get his $$.

If he wanted to sell Spare Change, he could have gotten a badge and papers and been a legitimate vendor. What he's doing is ripping off passersby and hurting fellow homeless people by doing so. I think that naming that behavior is actually supporting homeless folks in general, since most homeless people are honest and just trying to get from day to day, just like everyone here.