154 replies to this topic

[tgianco]

Why am I having visions of First Blood? Don't mess w/ Rambo.

OK, back to the kitten fight.

[nhardy]

quick note - Homeless does NOT = bad in all cases

It does = bad in a LOT of cases.

[nhardy]

I rode the rail last Saturday from Iron Point to downtown, and back.  Here is my experience:

Left from Iron Point at 12pm.  Every station after sunrise was littered with trash.  Several stations had homeless people hanging around.  There was a random barefooted guy.

Left downtown at 5:30pm.  I was trying to escape before dark.  A group of girls were on cursing and being really loud.  A guy with a boom-box blasted some explicit rap music.  A crazy lady was talking to herself.  All the suspect people had exited by Sunrise.

Maybe I've become soft, because I never really felt safe.  Back in the day, I rode bus 22 from downtown San Jose to Eastridge everyday.  Some safety tips I learned from the 22:
1. sit near the driver/conductor
2. don't sit too close to the door (grab n run)
3. don't stare
4. don't wear/bring showy items
5. wallet goes to front pocket before you get on

Pshh, Cmon now. You want scary? Take the D into Crooklyn.

[john]

Now THAT is something I can get behind.  Instead of whining about the homeless, lets do something that not only addresses that issue but also the wider issue of freeloaders that only contribute to the cost overruns of transit.  I would be thrilled to see better measures to ensure payment on the train.  I have ridden the train dozens of times since its inception and I have had my ticket checked once.  There were RT Transit cops riding on at least six different cars I can remember, and only one bothered to check tickets . . . and that was at the Hazel stop on a day when there were only six or seven people in the whole car.

This is a great point. I've been to Portland a few times and used their light rail three times, even small 2-stop fares. Each time, there was a ticket-taker there checking my ticket by the first stop. East Coast does it too, In Baltimore and a few other cities I recall.

Memo to Regional Transit: Having people collect tickets once you get on the train will get rid of the freeloaders, and bring in more revenue. It's win-win. It's not rocket science.

[spork]

Pshh, Cmon now. You want scary? Take the D into Crooklyn.

I never said it was "scary," but it did bring back some bad memories...

Like the time someone tried to steal my hat off my head when I fell asleep on the bus. Good thing my friend was there to watch them and to tell me what happened after I woke up. Of course he did nothing while it was going on.

Or the time a guy jumped in the bus at a stop, shanked a another guy three times and jumped out all before the doors closed. It made me think he had done it before, just because his timing was perfect.

I'm not saying these things will happen on the train, but I'm pretty sure they won't be happening in my car.

[mylo]

Interesting that Mylo gets an apology, when he is the one that referred to homeless people as "worthless crap" and "garbage".  The people he refers to in that disgusting way will never hear an apology.  Sadly, it says a lot.

If they'd shut up about "GIMME A QUARTER!" for 5 minutes, I might get a few words in about how I respect and admire their choice to live in the gutters and smoke the cigarette butts dogs pee on.

[Justasmalltowngirl]

If they'd shut up about "GIMME A QUARTER!" for 5 minutes, I might get a few words in about how I respect and admire their choice to live in the gutters and smoke the cigarette butts dogs pee on.

Maybe a majority of them get to that level - but no NOT ALL homeless are bad. ( some are down right creepy - but hey , so are some priest we trust our children with, or neighbors we think are trustworthy that molest our children, yes, this happens even in upper class neighborhoods like Folsom )
I was related to a very intelligant, great man...a homeless man and he was very dear to me. Sadly he was in a situation that caused him to be homeless. But he was trustworthy, kind and loving. He just passed away two montsh ago and it was NOT due to him being homeless. He had a heart attack. The number ONE cause of death. The even worse part was he had just gotten a little home he was renting with a yard and garden he tended to, his landlords addored him and were also heart broken when he passed. Sometimes people just hit a rough point. I remember dropping him off to catch a bus to go sleep on the steps of Saint Francis Down Town on Christmas eve - it was freezing outside. He ha dto sleep outside because he spent the evening with me and our family and it caused him to miss the curfew at the shelter. Yes, he made some bad choices but was NOT a bad man because of it. He would never steel or harm anyone. If he had a blaket he would give it up to someone else who was in need. So although I was knocking the "type" of people that might traffic to Folsom due to the light rail, I was not referring to them ALL. However, as much as I loved this man I would NOT want to see him sleeping on streets of Folsom. And as far as Shelters - there are PLENTY down town, but you better get there before closing or you are on the streets. I am not even sure why a homless person WOULD want to travel to Folsom, other than the fact people are just nicer there, OR it was a place they themselves once called home. Imagine being a single person and having an illness that kept you from working in a job you had worked in for 20+ years. All the sudden you get SS$ because you are disabled. You obviously can't afford to OWN a home and if you did you would no longer be able to make your mortgage. It was an awful situation for him.
I will always love you daddy - may you rest with peace now.
~sarah

[BlueStateMom]

If they'd shut up about "GIMME A QUARTER!" for 5 minutes, I might get a few words in about how I respect and admire their choice to live in the gutters and smoke the cigarette butts dogs pee on.

Are you ever just thankful that you're not one of these homeless people? Maybe YOU are not the only reason you're in the great life situation you're in. Maybe you had a good family behind you, a good education, and you haven't grown-up with the difficulties some of these people have faced. This state made a decision years ago not to fund institutions for the mentally ill where many of these folks could live and get help. Now they're on the street, and they're a fact of life.

Over the years I've had my car broken into twice, my home robbed, and a family member mugged and assaulted. None of these crimes were perpetrated by a homeless person.

None of us needs to refer to another human being that way. It's just cruel, and it doesn't help any of us to get through the day.

Once, just to freak your train buddy out, buy his freakin' hat for a dollar and then give it back to him.

[tessieca]

If they'd shut up about "GIMME A QUARTER!" for 5 minutes, I might get a few words in about how I respect and admire their choice to live in the gutters and smoke the cigarette butts dogs pee on.

May I suggest you take your quarter and put it in the machine to advance part of the cost of a return ticket out of town?

[mylo]

May I suggest you take your quarter and put it in the machine to advance part of the cost of a return ticket out of town?

Now now, we all know the homeless don't need a ticket out of town. They didn't pay for one to get into town, so why buy one to get out?

[BlueStateMom]

Now now, we all know the homeless don't need a ticket out of town.  They didn't pay for one to get into town, so why buy one to get out?

Then buy the guy a sandwich and send him on his way. You'll be amazed how good you'll feel afterwards. Seriously.

[mylo]

Then buy the guy a sandwich and send him on his way.  You'll be amazed how good you'll feel afterwards.  Seriously.

I do not wish to encourage criminal behaviour. I will buy a sandwhich for and am very generous to people who are deserving. I will not assist a guy already breaking a $400 fine (riding the train w/o a ticket) in getting yet another free ride just because he yells in my face and tells me to do so.

[Kevin_F]

. . . suddenly I find myself forming a well supported opinion of Mylo . . .

"Never try to reason the prejudice out of a man. It was not reasoned into him, and cannot be reasoned out." -Sydney Smith

[s0479]

Just as an FYI.....and I consider this a good thing. Two Folsom Police Officers got on the train at Hazel this afternoon (heading towards Folsom) and were discussing that the RT officials states that the trouble makers get on the last train to avoid the conductors. They checked all tickets on the last car of the train. I'm glad they are making their presence known. They were parked at Iron Point and got off there.

[Kevin_F]

Just as an FYI.....and I consider this a good thing.  Two Folsom Police Officers got on the train at Hazel this afternoon (heading towards Folsom) and were discussing that the RT officials states that the trouble makers get on the last train to avoid the conductors.  They checked all tickets on the last car of the train.  I'm glad they are making their presence known.  They were parked at Iron Point and got off there.

I will share that sentiment. Folsom PD is doing a damn good job on their part of the train route. I've been happy to see them riding a good number of times, especially after dark. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned that the Folsom PD is much better than other PD's in the area, and I would totally agree with that as well.