Scantlings

Like a fool, I dropped my expensive phone and shattered the screen. It was under warranty.

I was offered to have a technician come to my place of employment to repair the phone but the technician would require access to power and a clean, flat work area. I work in a classified office, so I could not provide this. I was told to bring my phone to the nearest authorized repair office... which is in DC. None in Annapolis or the surrounding areas, according to the warranty company.

Fine. I work across the street from a Metro stop. It's a straight shot on the Orange line to the repair office.
I *deliberately* dressed down so as not to give an appearance of affluence. Black walking shoes, shitty jeans and an old sweatshirt from my old naval reserve unit.

30 seconds after I sit down on the train, a voice in my ear says: "Excuse me sir, my name is Calvin. I know you don't know me but do you have any spare money so I could buy something to eat at McDonald's?" I sigh, open my wallet and give the man the small pile of singles and a $Fiver that I had in my wallet. All the cash I had on me. He goes away.

6 stops later, I get off the train and hoof it the short walk to the repair office. I check in, give them my phone. The courteous woman at the desk says "It'll be two hours." I politely asked "So I should go away until then?" She smiled and said "Yes, please."

I exit the office, which is next to a Starbuck's. I figure I'll pass a few minutes by getting a coffee. I grab the door handle and hear "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you could buy me something to eat." My inner monologue says "God FUCKING damnit. I responded that I had already given all of my cash to someone on the Metro. He said "I didn't ask for money, I'm asking for something to eat, please." I sigh and ask what he'd like to eat. He wants a breakfast sandwich and a large water. Doesn't want any coffee or anything else. His request is so reasonable, that as an occasionally practicing Catholic, I feel that I should oblige, so I do.

I wander the streets nearby for another 1.5 hours, marveling at all the interesting restaurants and eateries, the Marine Barracks, the local fire station, etc. I decide on a Szechuan place and order take-out to eat back at my office.

I return to the phone Fixit joint.

There is a Popeye's Chicken on the opposite side of the phone joint from the Starbuck's. As I grab the door for the phone Fixit joint, yet another voice says "Sir, I was wondering if you could help me out with getting something to eat." Mother... FUCKER. "I'm sorry man, I don't have any cash on me. Gave it away. " He replies "Oh, I don't want no cash. If you could just help me out with some food, it would be huge. I'm so sorry to bother you." I grit my teeth, take him into the Popeye's, buy him some chicken strips, get him a water and get my ass upstairs to the phone Fixit joint.

I enter the phone Fixit place and sit down, patiently waiting to be called upon. Some granola-munching hippy chick is barking up a storm at the poor clerk that her phone isn't working right and she simply can't be without it because she's a "Social Influencer" and "literally" makes her living from her phone. The clerk offers to submit the phone to the tech for a FREE diagnosis, but it will take two hours. This woman demanded that her phone get repaired...but also insisted that 2 hours was far too long. The clerk exercised the most restraint that I've ever seen a human being put forth in the face of such absurd demands and circumstances.

My inner monologue screamed "Influencer is not a FUCKING JOB!!!
I had a brief, polite exchange with the clerk, retrieved my repaired phone and fled back to the Metro station. When the train arrived, I made sure no one was anywhere near me, and sat down.

6 stops later, I arrived at my stop and hoofed it back to my office, blissfully unmolested. I sat down at my desk, opened my lunch. 2 of my six-figure-earning office mates strolled in, looked at my lunch and said "Hey, can we try a little of that?"

I nearly threw the container of food at them. This is a 100% true story.

You did 3 good deeds today. Good for you.

I figure that self-important, oxygen sucking, walking sack of floral print and patchouli oil has maybe, 38 followers on Instagram or whatever. Social Influencer, my shiny, white ass.

Mooching takeout in an office?? Really poor form.

Twitter, for people under the delusion that their lives are of any interest to others.

When I started my construction project, I had a constant stream of needy people stopping by the job site. Most were looking for jobs but several strait up asked for cash. I normally do not carry cash but one able bodied man did manage to get a fiver out of me.

My appearance through all this was that of a hired carpenter (pretty scruffy). That said, the moment I got the siding done on the house ALL, and I mean ALL needy people traffic stopped. I am still there, looking just as scruffy, but I guess they now identify me as the home owner.

Just a hunch, but maybe they figure a hired hand might have more sympathy than one of those "upper" classes of people.

Steve

Panope wrote:
Just a hunch, but maybe they figure a hired hand might have more sympathy than one of those "upper" classes of people.

Steve

I think there's no safe "appearance" to have; If you wear a suit, they figure you have money and will take a chance and ask you. If you wear scruffy clothes, they figure you'll be sympathetic.
When I got off the Metro in DC, you could tell it was spring- homeless were sleeping in the grass, at the edge of the station escalators, on the sidewalks and in doorways. Some of these folks were young, able-bodied and wearing immaculate Air Jordans so they didn't engender any sympathy from me.

This doesn't have anything to do with DC, except it is part of the problem.

When did begging for a living become an acceptable thing? I get trying to call these folks "homeless" or "disadvantaged" or "______" <-- pick your own socially acceptable name for it. But, let's face it, these folks are beggars and begging has become a business.

Have you ever wondered why there is typically only one beggar on each corner? Well, they tend to fight for their corner, but some more industrious folks have started hauling around the beggars in vans and staking out territory. One guy was busted for running a protection racket for the beggars. Big guy with a club in a van. He'd drive "his beggars" to a good corner and scare away anyone else in the area. He'd pick them up at night and let them sleep in his garage. Effectively, he was treating them like farm animals. They got to keep about 20% of the money they were given, the rest went to the guy with the van. Those who wouldn't play ball, they got hurt.

The cops finally nailed the guy with assault charges, but get this - the beggars would NOT testify against him because they knew he'd get out and beat the daylights out of them.

This is right out of a bad Dickens novel! It also convinces me that I should only give a beggar food or water, not money. I have had them turn down a meal from McDonalds: "No thank you, I just need cash." I was gobsmacked.

Weird, I've wandered around DC for years now and other than the mostly static pan-handlers, I haven't been bothered much for money and never for food.

Now Baltimore, that is a different story. Anytime I've wandered around at night, I've gotten sad life story after sad life story. Or the impromptu tour guide who then expects a tip for talking around you when you are walking along.

Maybe in DC I look like an asshole and in Baltimore I look like a mark.

On the same day that I was being pestered, my daughter who lives in Baltimore told me that she was accosted by a "squeegee kid" at a red light.
He sprayed and smeared shit all over her windshield and then stuck the entire upper half of his body through the passenger window, demanding cash. He took a long look at her purse, sitting on the passenger seat but seemed to think better of it as the light turned green and she began pulling away.

The squeegee kids are all over the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. I always stop at least a car length behind the next car so I can move up if they approach.
Where's Guliani when we need him?

I keep a handheld VHF on my dashboard whenever I drive through Balto. It looks enough like a command 5-0 radio that when I pick it up and clip it to my shoulder harness, most assholes back away.

Tim Ford wrote:I keep a handheld VHF on my dashboard whenever I drive through Balto. It looks enough like a command 5-0 radio that when I pick it up and clip it to my shoulder harness, most assholes back away.

Are you wearing one of these? If not, it might help.

That's not a bad idea. Tactical vest!

Trouble is, there are still some folks in B'more who want to "off the pigs." I guess a couple two three four decades of being abused by the authorities with no recourse will do that to ya.

Baltimore is a mess, but I guess by now, thanks to the NYT et al., everyone finally knows it.