[identity profile] mzrowan.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] davis_square
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 [livejournal.com profile] 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.

Date: 2009-07-01 08:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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.

Date: 2009-07-01 08:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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 [livejournal.com profile] 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.

Date: 2009-07-01 08:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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.

Date: 2009-07-01 08:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com
lol!

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

Date: 2009-07-01 08:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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.)

Date: 2009-07-01 09:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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.

Date: 2009-07-01 08:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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!
Edited Date: 2009-07-01 08:44 pm (UTC)

Date: 2009-07-01 09:40 pm (UTC)
From: [personal profile] 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?
Edited Date: 2009-07-01 09:40 pm (UTC)

Date: 2009-07-01 10:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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.

Date: 2009-07-02 12:45 am (UTC)
cos: (Default)
From: [personal profile] 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.

Date: 2009-07-03 03:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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.

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