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

[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.