spaz_i_mota ([info]spaz_i_mota) wrote in [info]davis_square,
@ 2008-04-22 13:51:00
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Entry tags:community issues, mbta, public services

homeless man at davis stop

i'm curious if anyone has any idea what the story is with the homeless man who sits on the benches every morning down on the platform of davis.  I'm not looking for snide remarks, its obvious he is homeless, but to be honest, and potentially non-pc, the smell of urine is really potent down there.  I have noticed that he keeps to himself and really doesn't interact with anyone.

I'm not expecting someone, to offer him a place to shower, but how does this get addressed in terms of the MBTA? Is it allowed as long as he gets through the gates?  I don't know much about the social services in Somerville.

Of course, I feel bad for him, and am also curious about how the situation works with him being down there everyday. 

This situation seems particularly intense, at least to me.


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[info]dylanesque29
2008-04-22 08:40 pm UTC (link)
I concur about the smell. I wouldn't go as far as to suggest that homeless people should be banned in T stations, but the smell of piss and cigarettes has been getting pretty prominent as of late. I think the T "management" is reluctant to deal with this sort of thing, as repeated complaints about Spare Change Guy have shown....

.....though on that note, I wonder. I haven't seen him down there in weeks.

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[info]ron_newman
2008-04-22 08:48 pm UTC (link)
I don't know what they could do about this situation, but it might be worthwhile to contact the Somerville Homeless Coalition. And maybe also the MBTA police ('if you see something, say something') at 617-222-1212.

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[info]josephineave
2008-04-22 09:19 pm UTC (link)
I was in Harvard Square station on Sunday and walked by a gentleman of a similar odiferous persuasion. An MBTA cop said hello and asked him if he was okay. The man seemed scared and cop assured him that everything was okay as long as he didn't need any help.

I could smell this guy about 15 feet after I passed him. I get the feeling the T doesn't try to shoo them away if they aren't causing any problems.

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[info]thetathx1138
2008-04-22 09:46 pm UTC (link)
Once the guy pays his money, it's his choice to ride the train or not: he paid the fare.

Realistically speaking, the T could throw them out. But it's difficult for T cops to do that and I suspect the city would prefer warm, toasty living homeless people in the T stop that cold, dead homeless people on the streets.

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[info]spaz_i_mota
2008-04-22 08:50 pm UTC (link)
I don't think they should be banned either. I was just curious if there were rules that would somehow come into play to help him some how.

Odd that you haven't seen him, I have consistently over the last week and a half. I get down there a little before 8 am.

I hope something good happens.

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[info]spaz_i_mota
2008-04-22 08:52 pm UTC (link)
maybe i'll try out those contacts as well- thanks ron.

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[info]thetathx1138
2008-04-22 09:43 pm UTC (link)
Is this the guy in the red parka? Or the older guy with the beard and the navy parka?

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[info]spaz_i_mota
2008-04-22 10:43 pm UTC (link)
he's older guy with a blue jacket and a lot of dunkin donuts plastic bags. his head is always down too.

i suppose a t-stop is a better choice than other options. I actually saw him at the Shaw's in Porter a few weeks ago, the cashier was spraying around him with air freshener. It was definitely an awkward moment, and i felt incredibly bad for him that guy it was very dehumanizing in an already crappy situation-- and now I keep seeing him down at the Davis Stop.

I'm going to think about what to do before. I know I'm not the only one who rides the T around 8am each day, so either no one has done anything, or there is simply nothing that can be done.

He definitely does not cause any problems or harass people.

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[info]dylanesque29
2008-04-23 12:27 am UTC (link)
He has a beard, always looks soaked? That guy?

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[info]spaz_i_mota
2008-04-23 12:45 am UTC (link)
yes, that is the guy.

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[info]voodoocheese
2008-04-23 03:35 am UTC (link)
The gentleman in question used to spend all his time at the Harvard station, and now I don't see him there anymore- it seems like he's moved on. I wonder if he got booted there- and moved to Davis?
Also, the spare change guy that was mentioned- is he the grey haired one who is not afraid to get in your face?

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[info]dylanesque29
2008-04-23 01:14 pm UTC (link)
The fake Spare Change vendor, yeah. Though I did see him this morning for the first time in weeks. He seems pretty jumpy around me, though, and I watched him try and do his thing. A couple of people basically told him to get lost as he approached them, and nobody took the bait. I think the general population is pretty wise to him now.

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[info]madfilkentist
2008-04-23 11:44 am UTC (link)
According to signs in various stations, loitering is prohibited; you're supposed to be there only for the time it takes to get a train.

Subway stations aren't homeless shelters; the MBTA cops should remove him, if they aren't too busy harassing perfectly legal photographers.

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[info]koloratur
2008-04-23 12:22 pm UTC (link)
He was DEFINITELY there this morning. Not bothering anyone, just smellin' bad.

I had a brilliant idea on the way into work, though - wouldn't it be nice if there was someplace that these people could go to catch a shower and wash their clothes, for free? Not a shelter, just a shower and a little sit down, maybe some Judge Judy, while your pants are in the spin cycle. Maybe this exists and I haven't heard of it...

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[info]redcolumbine
2008-04-23 01:26 pm UTC (link)
I've had that idea for a LONG time... But then I realized that, even if I did hit the lottery and could afford to build a Wash-N-Nosh, NIMBY (people saying Not In My Back Yard) would keep me from finding a place to put it that the homeless could actually get to.

I saw Mr. Fake Spare Change Vendor yesterday morning too. I once asked Carl Sciortino about the preponderance of down-and-outers in and around Davis, and he says he's trying to restore some kind of services. But my impression of a lot of them is that they're too far gone to care what happens to them beyond their next drink. I don't like Mr. Fake Spare Change Vendor, but at least he hasn't knocked me out with clothes that have doubled as a bathroom.

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[info]maxroswell
2008-04-23 07:18 pm UTC (link)
NIMBYness aside, that IS a great idea.

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[info]adrian_turtle
2008-04-29 06:13 pm UTC (link)
The Women's Lunch Place on Newbury Street in Boston provides those services for homeless women and their children, but I don't know of anything similar for men. You can help them at www.womenslunchplace.org
They're a really comprehensive day shelter, offering lots of different kinds of help. Though sometimes a person just comes in for a meal and shower, and an hour of having people be courteous.

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