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)
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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.
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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.
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
Date: 2009-07-01 09:00 pm (UTC)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.
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
Date: 2009-07-03 03:29 am (UTC)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.