Coming home yesterday afternoon, I was working on my laptop (reading some SDMB threads I’d loaded before leaving the office, in fact) when a drunk came into my crowded car, started bellowing “The Marine Corps Hymn”: at the top of his lungs and jingling a paper cup. I put my head down, didn’t even glare at the guy, when he stood right in front of me and started hollering about “Subway ain’t no place for a computer, put that computer away,” and wouldn’t shut up. After about 30 seconds of abuse, I glared at him, and gave him the finger, which seemed to calm him down, but honestly I was about this far from putting my computer in my backpack and belting the piss out of him (my first fight on the subway ever!) Not sure why my laptop agitated him so much, but I was hopping mad (not in a good mood in the first place, I admit, it was 90+ degrees in the city yesterday) about this guy carrying on at the top of his lungs and begging for money for being an asshole while commenting on the one person in the car who was minding his own business the most. I have to admit that one thing that kept me from smacking his change-cup to the ground and beating the piss out of him was the thought that most of my fellow passengers would have seen me as the bad guy in the encounter. I’m always amazed at the number of New Yorkers who encourage beggars on the subways, even the most obnoxious, obvious scam-artists, by putting a dollar in their cups. so I’m sure there would have been at least one outspoken passenger who asked me “Why are you picking on this poor drunken slob?”
One of the many reasons why I’d never live in the city. Bleah.
I know, it’s almost like he was being irrational or something.
Yesterday during rush hour I saw a drunk standing in the middle of the street yelling at drivers. There were three lanes and he, at times, stood smack in the middle of each one, blocking traffic. I swear I was going to see him get run over.
It must be something in the Ripple.
And people wonder why homeless advocates suggest not giving money directly to panhandlers. It’s almost like it encourages them!
Eh, stuff like that happens in New York sometimes. Part of living in a really big city, especially one with excellent public transportation, is running into people who don’t know how to behave in public. I saw beggars in Las Vegas the same as I see them here in NYC. I saw homeless people going through the trash for recyclables in Helsinki the same as I do in NYC (though to be fair they were dressed impeccably in Helsinki…it took a few moments for me to realize exactly what they were doing because they looked like they were dressed to go into the office.)
It isn’t always about the homeless either. I’ve been stopped by otherwise normal looking people who try to sell me on Jesus or Advocare or whatever thing it is they want other people to know about and I’ve had people give me shit for not wearing a jacket in the winter. Whether or not people’s jackassery is alcohol-fueled physical violence isn’t an appropriate response. I think you did the right thing in ignoring him until he wouldn’t allow it any longer and then giving just the minimum response.
Oddly enough, I’ve seen many a similar episode on the J car in San Francisco as well. (And the K, and the N, and BART…)
Probably the best was the stupendously swizzled fellow who collapsed into the seat next to me, ranted about soccer players for about 10 seconds, then fell into a nice deep stupor. I couldn’t get past him, over him or through him, so I climbed up out of the seat, said “s’cuse me!” as I planted a foot between the two surprised people on the seat behind me and hopped out over them and into the aisle.
Ah, drunks on the train. I encounter them often, as I go home from work in the wee hours. For the most part, they’re usually loud but behaved. Not many panhandlers at any time of day that I’ve experienced, it’s really not encouraged or tolerated very well as far as I’ve seen, and posted clearly to be illegal in all transit.
I would never have a laptop open and in plain view, but that’s just me, I guess. I am very careful with my iPhone, keep it in a case that doesn’t look obviously like an iPhone, and hold it in such a way that it’s not easy to grab, if I take it out at all. There’s more of a problem in Chicago with people taking electronics from passengers and running, than panhandling, that I’ve experienced.
The worst was a dude I’m surprised could stand at all, dropped trou and peed in a far corner, then meandered down the aisle with pants around his ankles. (skivvies up, thank Og) When he stopped in front of me and started mumbling incomprehensibly, I showed him my knife and he seemed to understand that well enough to move on.
I try to be careful, though, because you just never know when someone who seems otherwise harmless but just loud or drunk, will unwind and unleash the crazy. Not sure showing a knife or using pepper spray would be a wise move in those cases. Just exit as quietly as possible as soon as possible.
Last week I was on the 2 train when this drunk guy opened the door from the neighboring car (which, if you’re a New Yorker, you know that 9 out of 10 times, when you hear that door open it’s gonna be a panhandler/music group) and began walking through the car jangling his paper cup, mumbling and asking for money. The car was very crowded so he had to push by people. As he passed in front of me, a young woman put a dollar in his cup, which led to a young man the woman was with tell her that the guy most likely wasn’t even homeless, he smelled of alcohol and was just a drunk looking for handouts, that she shouldn’t give cause it just encourages them.
Well, as the car pulled away from the next stop, the young woman (who was standing) was thrown backwards off-balance right into the drunk panhandler. The drunk then started yelling how she elbowed him in the ribs, and he should punch her in the face. He was going on and on about how “That bitch elbowed me in the ribs! I should kick her ass! Fucking bitch, should get her face punched in!” A young man got in front of the drunk and tried talking to him to calm him down, saying that she didn’t mean it, the train started moving, it was an accident, but he just kept ranting. At the next stop, several people made sure the drunk got off the train. The poor woman was shaking and pretty scared.
If people stop giving them money, they’ll go away.
Your post made me think of this.
Bums are the same all over, as suggested. Some places like San Francisco are worse than other places, but they behaviors are always the same.