Beggin' on WMATA
For the first time in as long as I can remember, I encountered a begger on WMATA's Red Line. For those more familiar with the NYC subway system, beggars on WMATA trains are very rare. This guy was dressed in a full blue suit (with mis-matching blue shoes) and was asking for 75 cents to pay the exit fare on his card. After departing the train, he crossed the platform and waited for a train going the opposite direction.
In the outside world, beggars on the street rarely worry me, nor would I generally do anything about them. Something about a beggar on the WMATA system, though, rubbed me the wrong way. I think it falls into the "broken window" theory of crime, which argues that if enough people break the little rules, it creates a sense of disorder that encourages larger crime within the boundaries of the relevant area -- in this case, the transit system. So, I reported him to the station manager. Who knows if anything will came of it.
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amg | 12:29 PM |
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Was he a beggar, or a guy who just didn't have enough change for the exit fare? The exit fare machines don't accept credit cards, so I could see how one could be stuck with no cash and need to pay an exit fare.
He was a beggar. People w/o money for the exit fare generally sit by the exit fare machines and, once they've got their fare, exit. He was running between two trains asking people for "money for exit fare". He got the 75 cents he needed from someone on my train and continued down the train to try and hit other people up for money.
I also encountered a begger recently (the first I can ever remember) but he was just a straight up begger. No story, just "can you spare a dime."
