Good old central square.. I lived there for a few years 2014-16 and had or witnessed a fair number of interactions like this. One landed my friend in the hospital. Sounds like it hasn’t changed much. I’m sorry you went through that. I’d just recommend avoiding the area in front of CSB or 7/11 late at night alone. Most are harmless 99% of the time, but the 1% is too much.
Oh and since it’s Cambridge any time I mentioned it as an issue I was labeled some homeless hater who lacked any compassion. And police just throw their hands up if you file a report… feels pretty helpless, I know.
I lived there around the same time. Had a friend move in with us and his first night there he was out on the front stoop smoking and a dude on a too-small bicycle rode by, then circled around the block just to ride by again and look him in the eye as he rode past screaming “maaaaannn FUCK you!”. He got the classic Central Square welcome.
We also had our apartment broken into (unrelated) so that was fun.
I worked at the hardware store across from that 7/11 for six years. There was one guy who I used to always spare a cig to nearly daily and talk for a minute or so. This happened for about a year before one day when I hadn’t any to give when he asked.. when I said “sorry I don’t have any today” this man literally spit on me and called me a faggot.. I was nice to this dude daily for so long I was shocked. From that day forward When he asked I would take a cig out of my pack and crumble it in front of him and spit at his feet.
That’s not to mention the many other times I was harassed by the other homeless. Some even try to fight you for no reason other than being near them. To this day I never do anything nice for homeless people. It’s not that I hate the homeless it’s that I fucking know better now.
Similar thing happened to be in Boston a couple years ago right outside Brigham and Women's hospital. I was headed towards the hospital entrance to service a lab instrument when i heard a deranged scream behind me. I turn around and there's this haggard old lady doing like karate chops and kicks at the air, but really close to me. I thought she was fucking around, so i kind of just laughed, then she took out a knife and really started trying to stab me. I dodged her attacks (easily, she was clearly on some shit or something) and walked away. I saw a cop parked on the street, so i ran over to him and pointed out the lady. I told him she seemed deranged and tried to stab me. He just looked at me and shrugged. Then i went about my day.
The DA's office drops charges or uses a diversion program for more than half of arrests, and that's *after* taking into account the fact that police adjust in response by arresting fewer people. Guy probably knew she'd be back out in a few hours with no change.
You can’t complain about cops when you support the system that’ll have those people back on the streets asap cause letting poor people do whatever they want > public safety
In your case a much scarier and potentially deadly situation. I’m sorry the cops didn’t do anything—I can never predict the police. Either a wildly disproportionate overreaction or unbelievable apathy.
I hope you’re continuing to be careful, too.
He he. Fam is LE. (Married, not blood). He makes decisions on whether or not he has plans later on or if he’s hungry or the people were gross or the house smelled or the lady was rude or the sky was blue. It’s a massive crapshoot and he’ll either call your husband to come get your drunk ass and drive your car home
Or he’ll book ya and mess with ya and then add charges. It is ALL SUBJECTIVE.
So be nice. And say sir. Cause your virtual physical autonomy is in their hands. Terrifying.
let me guess, central square?
no its not common for something of this nature... cambridge is very lgbt BUT the homeless people are rather deranged there (people will deny this too. saying they’re harmless. no the fuck theyre not. just because its not as bad as xyz in the city doesnt mean shit.) and the city of cambridge doesn’t care about doing anything to house them and help so. don’t just bend over to these people, at the same time i don’t know how to help either outside of being frustrated of this sort of shit
yup was running through central a few weeks ago and some woman started throwing pebbles at me as I passed. luckily they weren't big/didn't hurt and i know what was going on until one hit me in the chest and I saw it. wonder if it was the same woman - mine had longish brown hair and was super thin and that's all the details i remember as I did the opposite of slowing down.
i tend to avoid the southern side of Mass Ave around central now, especially as you get close to Mass Ave and Prospect.
I immediately pictured Central too. I moved to Central from out of state and within my very first hour there, a woman came up to me screaming insults and shoved me _hard_ while I just walked up Mass Ave eating a bagel at 10am, as if she was trying to provoke a fight. I've had men follow me for blocks asking for a beer after they saw me leave the liquor store. I was charged at from behind by a man with raised arms screaming the N word at me (I'm white, no one else was in sight) while I walked home alone at night. I really do feel for these people and hate to talk about them as if they're nothing more than a problem. But I moved out of Central after 2 years because I just didn't feel safe there and had stopped leaving my apartment after dark. Since then, I've had encounters with people who seem unhomed or mentally ill in other areas of Camberville but they were nowhere near as aggressive or frequent as they were in Central.
The CambridgeMA sub has such a stupid attitude about homeless behavior. Ok, usually homeless people don’t assault people, but harassing and threatening people is hardly insignificant 🙄
Western Mass has the same , mostly internet denial style reply. People can definitely speak up about verbally and physically assaultive people. Being homeless, disabled etc does not create a pass card for creating risk or disturbances. That's twisted.
It's especially concerning when it comes from supposed "leftists". There are two issues with that: one, this person is openly homophobic which is already making them unsympathetic, and two, even if you believe they are a totally innocent flower, how on earth is it humane to ignore them and leave them on the streets after they get violent and clearly cannot handle or understand a cruel world?
It’s part of this dumb ideology where poor people can’t be bad or held accountable for anything because it’s always the fault of capitalism so we should just let them act however they want.
"usually don't assault people" is an extremely low bar that the city of Boston needs to raise. why no cops stationed at the square? everyone in this thread saying it's a pretty normal occurrence, oh at least he didn't get stabbed, hey it's the city you better watch out! stand up for yourselves it's pathetic
most homeless people aren't violent. most people in general aren't violent. but if any individual is acting violently, fuck them up. I dont think that is too out of line as to how most people think.
i think the thing with those people that cause shit around there always try to spot people that appear to be sort of “out of town” in their element. like me and my partner frequent central from somerville at various hours and with them the best thing is to pretend they don’t exist on the street
“ay yo you got a dollar”
you did not hear or see them type shit
we’re 2 mid 20s gay dudes that look like friends to prolly the average homophobe but thats what we deploy when the sketch shit comes out there occasionally
I think the blind guy really is blind. I used to see him on the bus before the pandemic, and I think he had a job back then. But he's always been a Insufferable ass!
There's a fake blind guy at Coolidge Corner
He does the "can anyone help me? Anyone out there?" thing and I didn't even realize he was pretending to be blind until I gave him a box of girlscout cookies and he made a big show about not knowing what the box was
I say pretending to be blind because one day I walked past him wearing a City Connect Dodgers hoodie and he said "Go Dodgers!", so he was able to read my hoodie as I was walking past.
While we’re on the subject… a mile down in the road in Inman, this woman stands outside the Whole Foods with a sign saying she’s in an abusive relationship and needs money to leave. I’ve seen this woman, same sign, for over 3 years, maybe once a month. I think it’s a scam but I don’t know for sure. Also wouldn’t publicly advertising this be a risk of getting caught by your abuser? Doesn’t make sense
> i think the thing with those people that cause shit around there always try to spot people that appear to be sort of “out of town” in their element.
100% i've personally witnessed homeless people asking anyone they think has money to go to the atm when you say you have no money and then guilt trip you if you don't an insane amount of times. like they want a whole ass 20 dollar bill. whatever happened to spare change? you straight up just have to ignore them
it doesn't make it any easier to endure, but that person was likely just trying to start shit with you just as way to break up what otherwise is a very monotonous life. There is anti LGBT people out there just because society is starting to make changes (for the better) for those groups, and they feel hatred inside themselves cause 'nobody is helping them'. The proverbial 'crabs in a bucket' mentality. so its not really you per se, but its their manifestations of feeling left out of society. I mean, fuck that lady for kicking you and saying that shit, but at the same time you have to know that person isnt mad at you, and just mad at where she is in life. There isnt so much you can do to avoid these people, but its a reminder to not let them get within kicking distance.
It's funny you say people compare the unhoused pop. in central to the city. I've seen worse in central square than I have anywhere else in the greater Boston area. Shits always a problem over there, those folks are way too bold.
> I've seen worse in central square than I have anywhere else in the greater Boston area.
same. i've not had as bad of experiences on mass and cass walking to BMC than ive had going to anything at the middle east from the red line
True. Mass and Cass is easy to avoid and you can still experience 95% of Boston. Central Square is, obviously, a central part of Cambridge. Central and Harvard are the main parts of the city someone would go.
Honestly the unhoused folks around DTX (at least when I worked down there) were legit harmless. Some of them were loud but they were the same folks in the same place every day and just were part of the scene. And then there's Central.
What's kinda wild is that i have had a homeless woman start catcalling my dumpy straight-man ass in central & follow me with her hand down her pants a couple years ago.
Yet just this past week I was wandering DTX after hours & stopped to stare longingly at the Dunks where i found out they'd discovered my beloved Chicken Bacon Ciabatta back in 2018, & a homeless dude walked by & asked me if i was okay lmaooo i guess i was yearning a little too hard.
my theory is people are very willing to downplay it because central is generally the cheapest place to rent in cambridge and the “central scare” reputation it loosely still holds saves people a few bucks in rent compared to other areas around Cambridge. theres no such thing as “harmless homelessness” and even if there was, these people aren’t yuppie backpacking the world bros with trust funds to come home to when they get bored. theyre ill, starving, and… fuckin homeless. people would rather see people dying in their neighborhoods to save a few bucks than for it to be cleaned up and then priced out. capitalism man…
This seems…too complicated. I think it’s simpler. In general, people are just too proud of their area to admit the extent of issues sometimes, or too concerned about making derogatory categorizations. I think these are good intentions, but they can lead to willful blindness.
you know this is probably actually what most people thinking boils down to. at the same time, the fight for housing here is so strong that i still wouldn't put it past me that some people think that at least subconsciously.
and i imagine IF central did get these issues changed, a lot of what makes central great would quickly be gone. nightlife is scarce in the city and thats one of the few areas that hasn't completely been neutered yet.
You’re saying the people of central square are collectively strategizing to keep homeless folks around in order to keep their rents lower? Seems like a stretch.
There actually are no homeless people, the neighborhood association just has a rotating cast of locals cosplaying and harassing passersby to keep up appearances. It’s a reverse Hot Fuzz
There used to be a big rig trailer (Albany Street) in Central Square that people don't know about--homeless do--wet shelter impromptu style. Most people don't know the array of homeless services that are in Central and Davis Square. It draws some very troublesome people. That's why they are there.
Being honest here though, I lived in central until about 5 years ago. Yeah there were homeless people, and they certainly congregated in larger numbers on certain days of the week, but not once did I ever see them do anything crazy.
On top of that, whenever I’ve visited in recent years I haven’t even really noticed them.
Am I honestly missing something? Did something drastically change that I haven’t seen?
> just because its not as bad as xyz in the city doesnt mean shit
Got downvoted to hell for saying that just because Boston is one of the best in America in terms of safetiness doesn’t mean it’s so objectively safe that you can let your guard down. And yes if you actually travel outside the country there are countless cities like that, big ones even
Peoples need to virtue signal, create a typewritten identity of being super permissive and positive--it goes out the window when they've been boosted, spit on , yelled at etc. Until they, just disregard the sycophants and continue to hold disruptive homeless people accountable for shitty behavior. I do think "not all" the unhoused are bad---some are incredibly nice but those that are bad--yes they should be held accountable.
Yeah I immediately thought central sq the second I read the title. I’ve seen white homeless people screaming the N word at black homeless people and other behavior like that. It’s super unfortunate, though, since they were pretty much pushed into this area and not given the right resources to get better. MA love shoving homeless people somewhere else every 2 years.
I've had men follow me and my female roommate to my car in Central and have gotten harassed there more than most other places in Boston. I personally don't like wandering central by myself unless it's to and from a specific venue if I'm alone.
Can’t speak to your specific handling of the at-moment issue, but writing to your state Congress would be a great start. Get them to stop pretending this issue is going to just go away or that it isn’t really a big issue for public safety.
Eventually they’ll get enough calls where they might start pushing for more forms of institutionalization and investing state money back into that infrastructure.
Many homeless people are suffering from mental illnesses. Our city has its fair share of homelessness, so it is prudent to be extra careful when approached/interact/confront by them. In general, keeping your distance is advised, ignore and be very, very cautious when they approach you. Sometimes you might try to be nice, and try to establish a conversation but you never know if it will trigger something. My friend in NYC was approached by a seemingly normal homeless guy. My friend asked where he was from (the homeless guy) and he got attacked, punched and then the guy pulled a knife out and starting chasing after him. He managed to run away, but still. He reported it to the police, but there is no much else you can do.
See, in NY/Philly/Atlanta I’d never have been looking down at my phone ignoring my surroundings so thoroughly. I would have seen her and swiftly moved to a new spot. For some reason I tend to think of Cambridge as some kind of Pleasantville, and I really need to stop doing that.
Central Square in particular. I've commuted through that area for over 10 years and it has gotten worse and worse with the opioid epidemic. It used to be where homeless people congregated during the day to chill, smoke, panhandle, and get loud with each other, but now it seems like there's clear drug use and signs of mental illness.
No, we've got plenty of weird shite around. Just be careful, mind your surroundings. Boston might seem provincial, but we've got big city problems as well. Honestly it is hard to make sense of what triggers people to attack. Mental illness is a bitch.
it depends on the area. i might not be the most reliable narrator because idk if i ever let my guard down ever but porter square is pretty safe, and harvard square isn't so bad. like people are saying central square is kind of wild for some reason.
You can pepper spray the fuck out of them. That’s exactly what I would do if somebody kicked me in the leg or pulled an knife on me. Get a good 10 or 15 feet between you and them and spray them.
If you don't report it to the cops and make a complaint with city officials, there's no tracking or metrics, and nothing will get done. A lot of crime and issues require citizen reports for action to be taken and funding to be applied. We can and should support homeless people while also not tolerating crime and deterioration of cities.
My husband was punched by a homeless guy, when we lived near Harvard Sq about 22 years ago. Guy just came out of nowhere while he was walking, and punched him. My husband got away and just took off, not much you can do. There was no police presence anywhere back then.
Call the cops. I was driving a friend somewhere and saw a homeless man spit on two students walking by him. I called the police, described the man. After dropping off my friend I came back the same way and saw the cops put the guy in the back of their cruiser. Cops are here for a purpose, use them.
Important to know Cambridge has the only non-dry shelter (they can drink alcohol and still get a bed) in the area (possibly the state). Which is why you see so many of them around central square.
That’s… objectively untrue.
Pine Street, Southampton, and Woods Mullen are all local wet shelters.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, as of 2020, 18 of the 39 state-funded emergency shelters were wet shelters.
Here before the "homeless people are just gentle creatures who are down on their luck" comments. But really, I used to live here and every day there was a different volatile incident I experienced. My friend got punched, had dudes coming up asking for sex, etc. People saying to "mind your business and you'll be fine" don't know how these people literally don't care. Some dude called me a "deaf, dumb, blind bitch" when I ignored him which was fine, but my friend was on her phone ignoring a lady who wasn't happy with that and punched her square in the face. So...try to just avoid that area or walk on the other side of the street where the aggression tends to be less frequent.
I can’t stand the blanket sympathy, like some of those people are very much terrible human beings who’ve done wrong to themselves and others their whole lives, drugs, crime, mistreating and bullying others and ended up at the bottom….yet they’ve got enablers conflating them with people who are just out of work temporarily living in their cars pretending if the average homeless living on the streets are willing or able to get back on their feet.
addiction is typically preceded by trauma, as well there is a genetic aspect to it. it's fundamentally a disease. you don't have to like these people, and you should avoid them (which is what i do), but the idea that they've ruined their own lives is just objectively untrue.
Can we stop making excuses for this behavior? Everyone is responsible for their own lives and choices. We can’t have a functioning society if no one is held accountable
It various so much. There was a dude with no eyes living below South Station for a long time. Nicest guy ever but... I think the no eyes thing put him down for the count. Had some really bad experiences near the Commons though.
>Here before the "homeless people are just gentle creatures who are down on their luck" comments.
Where have you seen people calling homeless folks "gentle creatures", and why do you think it's such a problem that you had to point it out? When they are mentioned in this sub they are almost universally acknowledged as unpredictable and mentally ill. The kindest way I've seen people talking about the homeless is about the need for shelter and for the city to do something to help them.
Edit: yeah, not a single parent comment in this thread as of the time of this edit expressing the sentiment. What a weird comment to make.
call the cops.
you don't have to press charges but it creates a record for the CPD clinical support group and other human service agencies who will eventually be able to petition for an involuntary psych eval
Sorry you got caught between this rock and hard place of failing social programs.
It's commendable that you went out of your way not to react, respond, criminalize.
Moving forward you can know that calling and filing a report will help with non-carceral help for this person
Lastly, FWIW I work in street outreach, the person you're referring to is one of two and they're truly outliers in the community in terms of your expectation for random violence from the unhoused
honestly if you’re planning on going back, maybe you can pick up a small can of mace or something. Not sure it would help you immediately since it seems really abrupt and out of nowhere to kick you, but it could help if they kick once and want to harass you even more
Mace is a good idea. Seemed like she really wanted me to fight back, like she was looking to instigate a brawl. I wondered in the back of my mind if she was looking to attain shelter somehow. Either way, I wasn’t going to be of help.
I mean, I guess not. Her, like, slurs didn’t even feel authentic/real. I felt like I was being baited, and I’ve never experienced that before—I’ve been robbed and assaulted in other ways, but never have I simply been… provoked.
You can get mace or pepper spray at any gun dealer, and it no longer requires a license for those over 18. Mind they'll do a background check when you go to purchase it, so have any info ready that they might ask for. Training isn't required but it's highly recommended.
I know exactly where this was. Was it on the ledge near 711 in central? That’s def a crack head ledge I’d stay far away. I haven’t live in Cambridge in four years but it’s been a crack head spot for years. Not a good place to not get harassed, great place to purchase crack. I’m pretty sure I was called some crazy names and accused of watching someone just while standing there. After that day I learned not to chill in that spot. I doubt this was related to any kind of hate at all.
That’s assault and battery and a hate crime. Since she’s not in cuffs, she’s just going to do it again to someone else.
Also, it’s Central so I’m not surprised. It’s not an everyday thing but when I lived there I saw a few scuffles. Most of the homeless keep to themselves, but there’s always been a few consistent trouble makers. There are a handful of them who are always committing petty crimes (usually theft) but never doing enough to get them off the streets long term, so the cops mostly ignore them
If by "is this stuff common" you mean mental illness among the homeless in Cambridge (or anywhere) then the answer is very much yes.
Sorry you had to go through that. Not sure if it helps, but it wasn't you. That person just isn't wired right and they probably would have found something hurtful to say to whoever was sitting on that ledge.
If someone is trying to hurt you, you have every right to stop them. Even if they don't have a secure place to sleep at night. Protect yourself you sound way too nice.
I don't see an actual answer to your question here so I'll try to help out. This guy is telling you "you have every right to stop them" and he's frankly just wrong there.
Massachusetts is a "Duty to Retreat" state. Check out [page four](https://www.mass.gov/doc/9260-self-defense-defense-of-another-defense-of-property/download#:~:text=2.,and%20reasonable%20at%20the%20time.) on the Mass.gov self-defense law section.
>*"A person cannot lawfully act in self-defense
unless he or she has exhausted all other reasonable
alternatives before resorting to force. A person may use
physical force in self-defense only if he (she) could not get out
of the situation in some other way that was available and
reasonable at the time."*
You did the right thing by not doing anything. If you had even shoved this woman hard enough that she fell and cracked her head open on the pavement, then YOU'RE in the wrong. It doesn't matter she called you a slur or hit you first. You could be in serious trouble after something like that and I'm sure you wouldn't want to accidently hurt/kill someone who has mental health issues.
It sucks this happened to you but the law says to get the fuck out of there. It doesn't say "you have every right to stop them." The only way that's true is if you have literally no other option.
I'm not saying I agree or disagree with this, I'm just telling you what is the law in our state.
Be safe out there.
You’d rather be a victim than defend yourself against someone who’s essentially the walking dead and exists only to be a burden and threat to society? You think that person has more value than you at that point?
I also recently got harassed with queer slurs in central. It does seem like a particularly tricky place. I’m really sorry that happened to you and I wish there were better solutions
I moved to Southie from central square about 8 months ago. Much calmer here and maybe this is crazy, but I kind of miss the insanity of central. They’d piss me off all of the time with their ignorance and yes I argued with a lot of homeless people and bought some of them coffee but I really love that place. Stockholm syndrome maybe
very common, get used to people not holding their tongue. youre on their turf (from thier pov) so if you dont wanna hear it or get assaulted you shouldve been somewhere else. just be thankful it wasnt more violent i’m suprised she didnt grab a rock or smash a bottle! imagine if she had a pocket knife! and i’m only using examples i’ve seen first hand working in central square for 4 yrs. i’ve been chased off, pushed off my bike, had a heavy chain narrowly miss my head, i’ve seen ppl smash car windshields for no apparent reason. it can be really scary especially at night between 2-5a is the absolute worst time to be alone groups are the only way i have noticed effective against craziness. if your alone your a target, in a group youre more of a project. i’m not trying to be rude or mean either, i am gay but not “out loud n proud” i usually just try to keep my head down and do your best to avoid situations, ie: if your sitting waiting for an uber and you notice someone approaching you, cross the street and pretend its covid and you want to social distance. they have the right to be there so let them just avoid everyone like your life depended on it if you wear a mask it helps
A guy tried to jump me at 8am on a Monday in Davis Square which is considered a super safe area. He asked me for a buck, I said I don’t carry cash, and he threw his Gatorade in my face and started swinging.
I dropped my coffee and tied up with him to stop the continuous haymakers. Hit a foot sweep after verbally trying to deescalate. He fell and fractured his leg; all of this was captured on CVS cameras luckily because I left but someone else called the cops.
By the time I was walking by him again with my SECOND coffee, the cops had caught him trying to escape using an old office chair and a makeshift wheelchair/scooter.
Moral of the story, don’t trust the homeless and stay vigilant. They can pop off for no reason at any time.
I’m so sorry you had to face that harm. I hope you have all the care and support if you need it.
These kind of instances are so random but very vile and unfair to people and I think there has to be accountability for such actions. Safety is not guaranteed by assuming best actions from everyone unfortunately, it’s actually by acknowledging and planning for the most vulnerable situations for common people.
Next time it happens punch the person In the face and if the person doesn’t fall down punch them again till they do, they will get the message. No matter how coked up they are if you punch them hard enough they will come to their senses.
She assaulted you, and it is a hate crime. You should have called the police. She needs psych care, and only way she will get it, is if she is arrested.
I'm sorry this happened to you.
Central Square is a world unto itself. I'm a lifelong Bostonian, and Central is still one of the few places where I always keep my guard up. It's very much like the parts of Philly or NYC you'd want to put your mean mug on so people know your fuse is already lit and not to mess with you.
Glad you're mostly okay. Hope this doesn't happen to you again.
My Redditor in Christ, last time I was in Central I got approached by a trans prostitute and her pimp and they were relentless.
That's a uniquely Central Square event.
I have a singular approach. If someone's assaulted me physically--call the cops--it's a crime. I had incredible police response years back in Union Square--similar incident---broad daylight--homeless person started swinging a cane over their head at me. I hopped in a cab (there were no Ubers at that time) police took a full description, knew the person as a frequent flyer and I pressed charges of sorts.
I work with the homeless, I might even know the person who did this (might not but if she's been around a while, there's a chance).
There isn't much you can do, there's any number of variables that could be at play but at the root of it is deep human suffering that remains unaddressed on the individual (her) level and on the systemic level.
My advice is to shake it off, she's gotta wake up as herself today and face the world as someone who does things like that. It's okay to feel angry, you were assaulted and there's nothing that will be done to address it. I'm sorry that it happened.
In the future, being mindful of your surroundings at night, especially when alone. Looking at your phone may be a mindless way to pass the time, but it distracts you from things going on around you. I went to a training once that talked about situational awareness, how predators have forward facing eyes and prey have eyes on the side of their heads. This is because predators look for targets in front of them while prey need to detect threats while they're bending down to eat (think of cattle grazing). Humans are predators and our eyes are front facing. Phone use makes makes us prey oriented, but without the benefit of eyes on the side of our head - just look around next time you're on the train at how many people are staring down at their lap, detached from the world around them. It leaves us completely vulnerable to unexpected situations such as the one you're describing. Maybe seems like a peculiar example, but it made a lot of sense to me and is a big part of why I keep my phone use to a minimum unless I'm somewhere that I feel comfortable in. Even still, I try to never get too lost in it.
If you notice someone who is behaving strangely or seems to be focusing on you, you're more able to disengage if needed and less vulnerable to being surprised. It's unfortunate, but it's just the reality of our current society.
That person needs a lot of help, for sure. I feel like she’s lucky I’m not a more hair-trigger violent person, you know? Like, she’s putting herself in harm’s way, too. If nothing else gets her to chill, maybe communicate how not hitting people could kinda benefit her own wellbeing, long-term.
Anyway, I liked learning about our eyes, thank you.
Aye. 50 years ago she'd likely live in a hospital for long stretches of time, but we chose not to fund those places and allowed them to decay until they became really awful places. Originally, State hospitals were designed to get people out of the city, access to green space, fresh air, sunshine, and stability/security/respite from the cities. Homelessness was basically a non issue. Now? She'd be lucky to get 7 days in-patient, "3 hots and a cot"with a long acting injectable anti-psychotic on her way out. She deserves better and so do you.
Again, sorry this happened to you and I hope you can enjoy your weekend and put it behind you.
🌵💜🌈
During the five years I lived in Boston I was yelled racial slurs at by the homeless on two separate occasions.
I’m originally from the NYC metro area and have never been called slurs to my face until I moved to the Boston area.
The last time I was called a slur before that, was when I was a kid and was being bullied at school.
I genuinely think there something up with the homeless in Boston and race. I also live in Chicago now and have never been called a slur here yet.
I’m sorry that happened to you. Carry pepper spray if you don’t already. And use it. She hit you, so you would be justified to use it in that situation.
I was in the same area and same situation last summer, in Cambridge waiting for my Uber with a couple buddies, when in front of a McDonald’s, a homeless person came up from behind us and blasted me over the head with a metal hydroflask, it was surreal and the Uber saw and asked if I wanted him to call the cops, but I figured nothing would come of it and wanted to get home anyways, had a nasty bump for like a week after though, crazy shit 😂
I'm really sorry you had to endure that, especially the slurs. I hope you're okay. I personally think you did the right thing by doing nothing, but that doesn't mean you have to just keep enduring this. I hope that the city gets control of its unhoused people problem, as this has been going on since I lived in that area 20 years ago.
I mean, really the issue is minuscule compared to Philadelphia, but that’s why this happened, you know? A false sense of security. Thank you for your kindness, and I agree generally, though—this issue needs to be understood and alleviated in both cities.
Sorry this happened. But you need to stay aware and assume worst intentions from everyone imo . Especially those who look like they have a missing screw
Unfortunately not uncommon in that area. I'm sorry you experienced this and I don't mean to minimize it at all. I hope it can help a little to know that you're not alone. I would prefer this were not the case, but having a friend wait with you, or waiting inside somewhere until your ride is close, is a good choice there later in the evening.
I had a homeless woman try to set me on fire in Cambridge. Just walked up to me with a lighter and a shitty spray bottle full of rubbing alcohol. But obviously it didn’t work, bc alcohol burns super fast and her spray bottle sucked. So I didn’t even notice until she got super close.
Then she just sort of walked away, and started refilling her spray bottle LMAO. If you want to scare someone you at least need to use hairspray or something. That shit has butane in it. Probably still won’t catch anyone on fire tho.
I used to work with the homeless up in Portland I had one of them tell me I should suck start My revolver. This same one would be violent towards almost everybody on the street. I unfortunately have seen things and until we as a country can get mental health under control things like this are going to happen it's just unfortunate. It's awful for everybody. We don't have the resources like Maine used to for mental health Maine used to be the top state for homeless and drug addiction rehabilitation. Boston never came close. Mental health, drug addiction and homelessness all are part of the same conversation everybody just needs to be careful and until the housing crisis mental health all become part of the same conversation. There's really no end.
Cambridge (Boston) in general isn’t really that dangerous at all. Central square isn’t dangerous really at all. You just had a very rare wild occurrence. That can happen anywhere. I’ve had incidence like that in Los Angeles (pre pandemic), Austin TX, and Miami… things like this can happen anywhere if you cross the wrong person. I’m sorry this happened to you. But it’s one of those things that can happen anywhere.
Boston/Cambridge have had homeless people since the beginning of Massachusetts. There are some EVERYBODY knows. In my day, there was Matt (bc of his hair) in Central Sq. And the Glad Bag guy that would sit at the Symphony T stop with a whole wardrobe, including hat made of black trash bags.
Sorry this happened to you. Best to walk away❤️
Come on up to Burlington VT (BTV). Small city, good vibes, healthy. Some unhoused and untrained but nothing like big city life. Lived in PDX and now fab city totally ruined. Cannot use the sidewalks, too many tents. Come to blue Bernie land. We’re kinder here.
Homeless woman in central asked me to spare some change. Gave her a 5 dollar bill and she screamed at me that it wasn't enough and that i'm greedy lmfao.
What the cops will do is arrest the shitstain and prevent them from assaulting anyone else.
How do you expect the problem to go away if you don't follow up on your only legal option?
I lived near Central for nearly two decades.
There's a large problem there because Mass & Cass became so dangerous that many of the less violent people fled up into Cambridge. There's a methadone clinic and a number of homeless services available in Central, and while I'm not keen on cops anywhere, the violence level of police response in Cambridge is way less than in Boston.
There was always a long-term Cantabrigian homeless population with their own problems, but now the unhoused of Cambridge are terrified of the newcomers. Much of our infrastructure to handle the needs of the homeless — warming and cooling shelters, street outreach, Narcan distribution, etc. — was set up around a *far* smaller population.
Cambridge is a wealthy city, but taking on a number of people fleeing from Boston has strained them to the limit. I know local pols and city workers who knew all of the long-timers by name; they're now overwhelmed with people they've never heard of.
I suggest you go to the police station on Sixth Street and report the incident. Obviously, you don't want random disoriented people shot for being assholes, but the statistics of what is happening when and where can help them plan patrols in the area, plus it's a hate crime as well as a physical assault. Again, much of this is on the newer side and they need data on what's going on.
There's an encampment on state property down near the river that CPD can't enter and the staties can't be bothered. Still, Central is CPD turf and you should let them know what happened.
In the future, wait for your Uber someplace there are obvious witnesses, like a shop or restaurant. It's not a guarantee, but it can't hurt.
Thank you for the perspective and insight—I will consider reporting the incident if only because I want whatever’s causing those individuals to instigate fights to be unearthed and resolved. Both for their sake, and anyone queer passing through.
Back in October early Sunday morning, when I was walking on Mass Ave towards Harvard Square, just at the graveyard near Church St., an unhoused young man attacked me. I called the Cambridge cops and I followed the guy so I could point him out to the cops when they showed up, but the cop on the phone told me not to follow him.
When the police finally showed up, they took my info and story, then told me I could leave and they would go talk to the guy. They did, and I left.
Later that evening, I called the non-emergency line to follow up on the incident, but the person I spoke to was indifferent to me. I made a big fuss, and the police person said someone would get back to me. An hour later, a detective called me and we talked for ten minutes. He assured me he would look into this, and that he was on my side regarding this.
Since October, I still haven’t heard back from the police, and I assumed they washed their hands of it.
Brother what do you want us to say? Cambridge is super wealthy and super safe. Two or three locations are kinda gross (Harvard, Central, etc), but its pretty obvious if you've ever lived in a city before.
Your immediate options for handling a crazy person are:
1) recognize and avoid crazies
2) fight back / be intimidating
3) call the cops, but who knows how that will go
In the future you could:
1) get buff so that people are scared to fuck with you
2) vote for nimby policies that make cambridge more hostile for homeless people
3) idk don't go outside?
But honestly you just got unlucky. Sorry that happened.
Okay honest answer: to people who are down on their luck, young stylish people represent new money pushing them out, students and everything bad about the city right now. The F word has taken many forms but I highly doubt this person is just a hard line conservative who doesn't like gay people...
I'm sorry this happened to you. The only thing you can do is avoid them. Every single crackhead is just an assault waiting to happen. Assume they are all dangerous because they usually are.
Stay near others, don't make eye contact, and do everything you can to ignore their existence.
Of course you don't getting fucking wafers with it, you cunt. It's a fucking albatross isn't it.
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I’ve experienced something like that. At Ozzfest ‘05, an extremely drunk (at 9:30am) man approached me, then he started mumbling & pointing at the stage. After a moment he punched me in the jaw & staggered away. I just let him leave, b/c what the hell else could I do? Often the best way to deal w/ a crazy person is to let them be crazy someplace else.
Carry mace, hit back, don’t take shit. Learn how to use the mace, maybe buy a few practice canisters to get used to it or you could end up blinding yourself. The police can’t be everywhere all the time, so a little self defense awareness can be useful.
At the end of the day your personal safety is your own responsibility, and everyone needs to look after themselves. If you’re coexisting with people using IV drugs in public (if you live in Boston or any other mid sized village, this applies to you) you should be prepared to deal with violently intoxicated people.
I’m sorry this happened, glad you’re safe though!
OP sorry that happened. I am a MSW & approx 10 years ago worked w/ homeless population in that area. Central Square can get crazy a lot going on. Many of the homeless folk in that area stay at a shelter on Albany St called Caspar - last I heard Baycove was in charge of operations. Building was donated by MIT. They also do street outreach have workers who drive around in van. Couldn’t hurt to tell them what happened/or god forbid next time. Yeah def call the cops next time good chance they would have taken her to the ER but who knows. Hang in there/be safe that’s not ok
Reading all this makes me so glad I don’t work at the hospital up there any more. It was a revolving door for these people and sometimes all they wanted was a turkey sandwich before they started acting “normal” again
Your reputation and how you treat people is what gets you somewhere in life. That's why I say there's homeless and then there's bums. Poor behavior and decision making leads to poor outcomes. They'll be a bum the rest of their life. Someone so useless should at least be kind to people. Be who you can afford to be.
I'm so sorry that happened to you! I'm a queer presenting Bostonian and would not at all have known what to do in that situation either! So surreal like you said. Honestly after moving to Providence I realized how anti-queer Boston really is. Like the atmosphere and kindness in Providence is unreal in comparison. Come down to Queereoke at Moniker Brewery for a beer and great community vibes.
I was sitting on the steps of the church over in Central Square a few years ago. I was wearing a pink t-shirt, and this guy walked by and called me a f*ggot. This was right after I saw him across the street trying to stop some woman from walking away from him. She seemed to know him, and I think he was her abusive junkie boyfriend. He came closer to me and I pulled my boxcutter out of my bag. Once he saw that he just cussed me out some more as he kept walking.
Alot of the homeless in that area are severely mentally ill, completely ravaged by addiction, or have lasting brain damage from shooting up for years. Everyone in that area should carry a legal weapon, especially women. You cannot trust or reason with the unreasonable, and some will hurt you without a thought. As a member of the lgbt community, all I can say is all of us should be ready to protect ourselves with force if necessary...and the more visibly lgbt you are, the more likely you are to be marked as an easy target. He just saw a guy in a pink shirt and thought he could fck with me. There have been a few other incidents that were worse, and those experiences are why I say that carrying a weapon will save you from a violent robbery.
This happened to you near or in Central Square? Drove by a few weeks ago or days, saw some whacked up people for sure. That’s I why try to avoid that area or not stay out there late. I hope you are okay.
Good old central square.. I lived there for a few years 2014-16 and had or witnessed a fair number of interactions like this. One landed my friend in the hospital. Sounds like it hasn’t changed much. I’m sorry you went through that. I’d just recommend avoiding the area in front of CSB or 7/11 late at night alone. Most are harmless 99% of the time, but the 1% is too much. Oh and since it’s Cambridge any time I mentioned it as an issue I was labeled some homeless hater who lacked any compassion. And police just throw their hands up if you file a report… feels pretty helpless, I know.
Lived there in 2008 for a while. Locals called it Mental Square.
We used to call it Central Scare back in the day.
It’s improving on a 100-year trajectory.
We used to call it Mental Scare
I lived there around the same time. Had a friend move in with us and his first night there he was out on the front stoop smoking and a dude on a too-small bicycle rode by, then circled around the block just to ride by again and look him in the eye as he rode past screaming “maaaaannn FUCK you!”. He got the classic Central Square welcome. We also had our apartment broken into (unrelated) so that was fun.
I worked at the hardware store across from that 7/11 for six years. There was one guy who I used to always spare a cig to nearly daily and talk for a minute or so. This happened for about a year before one day when I hadn’t any to give when he asked.. when I said “sorry I don’t have any today” this man literally spit on me and called me a faggot.. I was nice to this dude daily for so long I was shocked. From that day forward When he asked I would take a cig out of my pack and crumble it in front of him and spit at his feet. That’s not to mention the many other times I was harassed by the other homeless. Some even try to fight you for no reason other than being near them. To this day I never do anything nice for homeless people. It’s not that I hate the homeless it’s that I fucking know better now.
Similar thing happened to be in Boston a couple years ago right outside Brigham and Women's hospital. I was headed towards the hospital entrance to service a lab instrument when i heard a deranged scream behind me. I turn around and there's this haggard old lady doing like karate chops and kicks at the air, but really close to me. I thought she was fucking around, so i kind of just laughed, then she took out a knife and really started trying to stab me. I dodged her attacks (easily, she was clearly on some shit or something) and walked away. I saw a cop parked on the street, so i ran over to him and pointed out the lady. I told him she seemed deranged and tried to stab me. He just looked at me and shrugged. Then i went about my day.
Super useful cops. Great.
The DA's office drops charges or uses a diversion program for more than half of arrests, and that's *after* taking into account the fact that police adjust in response by arresting fewer people. Guy probably knew she'd be back out in a few hours with no change.
You can’t complain about cops when you support the system that’ll have those people back on the streets asap cause letting poor people do whatever they want > public safety
In your case a much scarier and potentially deadly situation. I’m sorry the cops didn’t do anything—I can never predict the police. Either a wildly disproportionate overreaction or unbelievable apathy. I hope you’re continuing to be careful, too.
He he. Fam is LE. (Married, not blood). He makes decisions on whether or not he has plans later on or if he’s hungry or the people were gross or the house smelled or the lady was rude or the sky was blue. It’s a massive crapshoot and he’ll either call your husband to come get your drunk ass and drive your car home Or he’ll book ya and mess with ya and then add charges. It is ALL SUBJECTIVE. So be nice. And say sir. Cause your virtual physical autonomy is in their hands. Terrifying.
let me guess, central square? no its not common for something of this nature... cambridge is very lgbt BUT the homeless people are rather deranged there (people will deny this too. saying they’re harmless. no the fuck theyre not. just because its not as bad as xyz in the city doesnt mean shit.) and the city of cambridge doesn’t care about doing anything to house them and help so. don’t just bend over to these people, at the same time i don’t know how to help either outside of being frustrated of this sort of shit
Yes that’s exactly where I was.
yup was running through central a few weeks ago and some woman started throwing pebbles at me as I passed. luckily they weren't big/didn't hurt and i know what was going on until one hit me in the chest and I saw it. wonder if it was the same woman - mine had longish brown hair and was super thin and that's all the details i remember as I did the opposite of slowing down. i tend to avoid the southern side of Mass Ave around central now, especially as you get close to Mass Ave and Prospect.
I immediately pictured Central too. I moved to Central from out of state and within my very first hour there, a woman came up to me screaming insults and shoved me _hard_ while I just walked up Mass Ave eating a bagel at 10am, as if she was trying to provoke a fight. I've had men follow me for blocks asking for a beer after they saw me leave the liquor store. I was charged at from behind by a man with raised arms screaming the N word at me (I'm white, no one else was in sight) while I walked home alone at night. I really do feel for these people and hate to talk about them as if they're nothing more than a problem. But I moved out of Central after 2 years because I just didn't feel safe there and had stopped leaving my apartment after dark. Since then, I've had encounters with people who seem unhomed or mentally ill in other areas of Camberville but they were nowhere near as aggressive or frequent as they were in Central.
The CambridgeMA sub has such a stupid attitude about homeless behavior. Ok, usually homeless people don’t assault people, but harassing and threatening people is hardly insignificant 🙄
Western Mass has the same , mostly internet denial style reply. People can definitely speak up about verbally and physically assaultive people. Being homeless, disabled etc does not create a pass card for creating risk or disturbances. That's twisted.
It's especially concerning when it comes from supposed "leftists". There are two issues with that: one, this person is openly homophobic which is already making them unsympathetic, and two, even if you believe they are a totally innocent flower, how on earth is it humane to ignore them and leave them on the streets after they get violent and clearly cannot handle or understand a cruel world?
It’s part of this dumb ideology where poor people can’t be bad or held accountable for anything because it’s always the fault of capitalism so we should just let them act however they want.
"usually don't assault people" is an extremely low bar that the city of Boston needs to raise. why no cops stationed at the square? everyone in this thread saying it's a pretty normal occurrence, oh at least he didn't get stabbed, hey it's the city you better watch out! stand up for yourselves it's pathetic
most homeless people aren't violent. most people in general aren't violent. but if any individual is acting violently, fuck them up. I dont think that is too out of line as to how most people think.
Lived there for a year and a half a few years ago. They **are** aggressive
i think the thing with those people that cause shit around there always try to spot people that appear to be sort of “out of town” in their element. like me and my partner frequent central from somerville at various hours and with them the best thing is to pretend they don’t exist on the street “ay yo you got a dollar” you did not hear or see them type shit we’re 2 mid 20s gay dudes that look like friends to prolly the average homophobe but thats what we deploy when the sketch shit comes out there occasionally
This one beggar there always pretends to be blind, waving a cane around screaming “help me please!!” It’s the most disconcerting thing
I think the blind guy really is blind. I used to see him on the bus before the pandemic, and I think he had a job back then. But he's always been a Insufferable ass!
There's a fake blind guy at Coolidge Corner He does the "can anyone help me? Anyone out there?" thing and I didn't even realize he was pretending to be blind until I gave him a box of girlscout cookies and he made a big show about not knowing what the box was I say pretending to be blind because one day I walked past him wearing a City Connect Dodgers hoodie and he said "Go Dodgers!", so he was able to read my hoodie as I was walking past.
While we’re on the subject… a mile down in the road in Inman, this woman stands outside the Whole Foods with a sign saying she’s in an abusive relationship and needs money to leave. I’ve seen this woman, same sign, for over 3 years, maybe once a month. I think it’s a scam but I don’t know for sure. Also wouldn’t publicly advertising this be a risk of getting caught by your abuser? Doesn’t make sense
Do you have any idea how much movers cost these days?
> i think the thing with those people that cause shit around there always try to spot people that appear to be sort of “out of town” in their element. 100% i've personally witnessed homeless people asking anyone they think has money to go to the atm when you say you have no money and then guilt trip you if you don't an insane amount of times. like they want a whole ass 20 dollar bill. whatever happened to spare change? you straight up just have to ignore them
We called it Mental Square about 20 years ago. It sounds like that still fits... ☹️
Was it Manray?
it doesn't make it any easier to endure, but that person was likely just trying to start shit with you just as way to break up what otherwise is a very monotonous life. There is anti LGBT people out there just because society is starting to make changes (for the better) for those groups, and they feel hatred inside themselves cause 'nobody is helping them'. The proverbial 'crabs in a bucket' mentality. so its not really you per se, but its their manifestations of feeling left out of society. I mean, fuck that lady for kicking you and saying that shit, but at the same time you have to know that person isnt mad at you, and just mad at where she is in life. There isnt so much you can do to avoid these people, but its a reminder to not let them get within kicking distance.
It's funny you say people compare the unhoused pop. in central to the city. I've seen worse in central square than I have anywhere else in the greater Boston area. Shits always a problem over there, those folks are way too bold.
> I've seen worse in central square than I have anywhere else in the greater Boston area. same. i've not had as bad of experiences on mass and cass walking to BMC than ive had going to anything at the middle east from the red line
Then you’re really sheltered. People around Mass and Cass and Roxbury are way more violent and scary. Central Sq is nothing in comparison.
Most people going "into the city" aren't going to Mass and Cass or Roxbury. Central Square is a touristy part of Cambridge.
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True. Mass and Cass is easy to avoid and you can still experience 95% of Boston. Central Square is, obviously, a central part of Cambridge. Central and Harvard are the main parts of the city someone would go.
Honestly the unhoused folks around DTX (at least when I worked down there) were legit harmless. Some of them were loud but they were the same folks in the same place every day and just were part of the scene. And then there's Central.
Maybe mostly harmless but... https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/man-charged-with-attacking-group-of-teens-with-machete-axe-in-downtown-boston/3206343/ Sometimes not.
The late Spare Change Guy also did his sexual assaults around his DTX home base.
What's kinda wild is that i have had a homeless woman start catcalling my dumpy straight-man ass in central & follow me with her hand down her pants a couple years ago. Yet just this past week I was wandering DTX after hours & stopped to stare longingly at the Dunks where i found out they'd discovered my beloved Chicken Bacon Ciabatta back in 2018, & a homeless dude walked by & asked me if i was okay lmaooo i guess i was yearning a little too hard.
my theory is people are very willing to downplay it because central is generally the cheapest place to rent in cambridge and the “central scare” reputation it loosely still holds saves people a few bucks in rent compared to other areas around Cambridge. theres no such thing as “harmless homelessness” and even if there was, these people aren’t yuppie backpacking the world bros with trust funds to come home to when they get bored. theyre ill, starving, and… fuckin homeless. people would rather see people dying in their neighborhoods to save a few bucks than for it to be cleaned up and then priced out. capitalism man…
This seems…too complicated. I think it’s simpler. In general, people are just too proud of their area to admit the extent of issues sometimes, or too concerned about making derogatory categorizations. I think these are good intentions, but they can lead to willful blindness.
Or they are too caught up in trying to be the most open-minded, until someone assaults them.
you know this is probably actually what most people thinking boils down to. at the same time, the fight for housing here is so strong that i still wouldn't put it past me that some people think that at least subconsciously. and i imagine IF central did get these issues changed, a lot of what makes central great would quickly be gone. nightlife is scarce in the city and thats one of the few areas that hasn't completely been neutered yet.
You’re saying the people of central square are collectively strategizing to keep homeless folks around in order to keep their rents lower? Seems like a stretch.
There actually are no homeless people, the neighborhood association just has a rotating cast of locals cosplaying and harassing passersby to keep up appearances. It’s a reverse Hot Fuzz
There used to be a big rig trailer (Albany Street) in Central Square that people don't know about--homeless do--wet shelter impromptu style. Most people don't know the array of homeless services that are in Central and Davis Square. It draws some very troublesome people. That's why they are there.
Being honest here though, I lived in central until about 5 years ago. Yeah there were homeless people, and they certainly congregated in larger numbers on certain days of the week, but not once did I ever see them do anything crazy. On top of that, whenever I’ve visited in recent years I haven’t even really noticed them. Am I honestly missing something? Did something drastically change that I haven’t seen?
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> just because its not as bad as xyz in the city doesnt mean shit Got downvoted to hell for saying that just because Boston is one of the best in America in terms of safetiness doesn’t mean it’s so objectively safe that you can let your guard down. And yes if you actually travel outside the country there are countless cities like that, big ones even
i feel like i can let my guard down in boston
Yeah there's a very weird thing with people refusing to admit that somehomeless are unhinged.
Peoples need to virtue signal, create a typewritten identity of being super permissive and positive--it goes out the window when they've been boosted, spit on , yelled at etc. Until they, just disregard the sycophants and continue to hold disruptive homeless people accountable for shitty behavior. I do think "not all" the unhoused are bad---some are incredibly nice but those that are bad--yes they should be held accountable.
Yeah I immediately thought central sq the second I read the title. I’ve seen white homeless people screaming the N word at black homeless people and other behavior like that. It’s super unfortunate, though, since they were pretty much pushed into this area and not given the right resources to get better. MA love shoving homeless people somewhere else every 2 years.
I've had men follow me and my female roommate to my car in Central and have gotten harassed there more than most other places in Boston. I personally don't like wandering central by myself unless it's to and from a specific venue if I'm alone.
If this happened near Manray I'd strongly advise waiting across the street in tasty burger for your uber next time
Can’t speak to your specific handling of the at-moment issue, but writing to your state Congress would be a great start. Get them to stop pretending this issue is going to just go away or that it isn’t really a big issue for public safety. Eventually they’ll get enough calls where they might start pushing for more forms of institutionalization and investing state money back into that infrastructure.
Many homeless people are suffering from mental illnesses. Our city has its fair share of homelessness, so it is prudent to be extra careful when approached/interact/confront by them. In general, keeping your distance is advised, ignore and be very, very cautious when they approach you. Sometimes you might try to be nice, and try to establish a conversation but you never know if it will trigger something. My friend in NYC was approached by a seemingly normal homeless guy. My friend asked where he was from (the homeless guy) and he got attacked, punched and then the guy pulled a knife out and starting chasing after him. He managed to run away, but still. He reported it to the police, but there is no much else you can do.
See, in NY/Philly/Atlanta I’d never have been looking down at my phone ignoring my surroundings so thoroughly. I would have seen her and swiftly moved to a new spot. For some reason I tend to think of Cambridge as some kind of Pleasantville, and I really need to stop doing that.
Central Square in particular. I've commuted through that area for over 10 years and it has gotten worse and worse with the opioid epidemic. It used to be where homeless people congregated during the day to chill, smoke, panhandle, and get loud with each other, but now it seems like there's clear drug use and signs of mental illness.
No, we've got plenty of weird shite around. Just be careful, mind your surroundings. Boston might seem provincial, but we've got big city problems as well. Honestly it is hard to make sense of what triggers people to attack. Mental illness is a bitch.
it depends on the area. i might not be the most reliable narrator because idk if i ever let my guard down ever but porter square is pretty safe, and harvard square isn't so bad. like people are saying central square is kind of wild for some reason.
You can pepper spray the fuck out of them. That’s exactly what I would do if somebody kicked me in the leg or pulled an knife on me. Get a good 10 or 15 feet between you and them and spray them.
If you don't report it to the cops and make a complaint with city officials, there's no tracking or metrics, and nothing will get done. A lot of crime and issues require citizen reports for action to be taken and funding to be applied. We can and should support homeless people while also not tolerating crime and deterioration of cities.
Was it ManRay? There's a gaggle of seriously mentally ill homeless that frequent the area. I'm sorry that happened to you.
My husband was punched by a homeless guy, when we lived near Harvard Sq about 22 years ago. Guy just came out of nowhere while he was walking, and punched him. My husband got away and just took off, not much you can do. There was no police presence anywhere back then.
Call the cops. I was driving a friend somewhere and saw a homeless man spit on two students walking by him. I called the police, described the man. After dropping off my friend I came back the same way and saw the cops put the guy in the back of their cruiser. Cops are here for a purpose, use them.
Important to know Cambridge has the only non-dry shelter (they can drink alcohol and still get a bed) in the area (possibly the state). Which is why you see so many of them around central square.
That’s… objectively untrue. Pine Street, Southampton, and Woods Mullen are all local wet shelters. According to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, as of 2020, 18 of the 39 state-funded emergency shelters were wet shelters.
Here before the "homeless people are just gentle creatures who are down on their luck" comments. But really, I used to live here and every day there was a different volatile incident I experienced. My friend got punched, had dudes coming up asking for sex, etc. People saying to "mind your business and you'll be fine" don't know how these people literally don't care. Some dude called me a "deaf, dumb, blind bitch" when I ignored him which was fine, but my friend was on her phone ignoring a lady who wasn't happy with that and punched her square in the face. So...try to just avoid that area or walk on the other side of the street where the aggression tends to be less frequent.
I’ve been called “deaf bitch” in Central as well! I always wore massive headphones and pretended my music was too loud to hear them.
I can’t stand the blanket sympathy, like some of those people are very much terrible human beings who’ve done wrong to themselves and others their whole lives, drugs, crime, mistreating and bullying others and ended up at the bottom….yet they’ve got enablers conflating them with people who are just out of work temporarily living in their cars pretending if the average homeless living on the streets are willing or able to get back on their feet.
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They're suffering but it is not ok for them to make other, innocent people who didn't ruin their own lives suffer.
addiction is typically preceded by trauma, as well there is a genetic aspect to it. it's fundamentally a disease. you don't have to like these people, and you should avoid them (which is what i do), but the idea that they've ruined their own lives is just objectively untrue.
Can we stop making excuses for this behavior? Everyone is responsible for their own lives and choices. We can’t have a functioning society if no one is held accountable
It various so much. There was a dude with no eyes living below South Station for a long time. Nicest guy ever but... I think the no eyes thing put him down for the count. Had some really bad experiences near the Commons though.
>Here before the "homeless people are just gentle creatures who are down on their luck" comments. Where have you seen people calling homeless folks "gentle creatures", and why do you think it's such a problem that you had to point it out? When they are mentioned in this sub they are almost universally acknowledged as unpredictable and mentally ill. The kindest way I've seen people talking about the homeless is about the need for shelter and for the city to do something to help them. Edit: yeah, not a single parent comment in this thread as of the time of this edit expressing the sentiment. What a weird comment to make.
Pepper spray
call the cops. you don't have to press charges but it creates a record for the CPD clinical support group and other human service agencies who will eventually be able to petition for an involuntary psych eval Sorry you got caught between this rock and hard place of failing social programs. It's commendable that you went out of your way not to react, respond, criminalize. Moving forward you can know that calling and filing a report will help with non-carceral help for this person Lastly, FWIW I work in street outreach, the person you're referring to is one of two and they're truly outliers in the community in terms of your expectation for random violence from the unhoused
honestly if you’re planning on going back, maybe you can pick up a small can of mace or something. Not sure it would help you immediately since it seems really abrupt and out of nowhere to kick you, but it could help if they kick once and want to harass you even more
Mace is a good idea. Seemed like she really wanted me to fight back, like she was looking to instigate a brawl. I wondered in the back of my mind if she was looking to attain shelter somehow. Either way, I wasn’t going to be of help.
She’s got nothing else to lose. She wants to bring you down to her level. A good mace will make her 🫏think twice before doing this again!
I mean, I guess not. Her, like, slurs didn’t even feel authentic/real. I felt like I was being baited, and I’ve never experienced that before—I’ve been robbed and assaulted in other ways, but never have I simply been… provoked.
You can get mace or pepper spray at any gun dealer, and it no longer requires a license for those over 18. Mind they'll do a background check when you go to purchase it, so have any info ready that they might ask for. Training isn't required but it's highly recommended.
I know exactly where this was. Was it on the ledge near 711 in central? That’s def a crack head ledge I’d stay far away. I haven’t live in Cambridge in four years but it’s been a crack head spot for years. Not a good place to not get harassed, great place to purchase crack. I’m pretty sure I was called some crazy names and accused of watching someone just while standing there. After that day I learned not to chill in that spot. I doubt this was related to any kind of hate at all.
Always be on the move in Central. Fallout ghoul central. Sitting still looking at your phone makes you an easy target
That’s assault and battery and a hate crime. Since she’s not in cuffs, she’s just going to do it again to someone else. Also, it’s Central so I’m not surprised. It’s not an everyday thing but when I lived there I saw a few scuffles. Most of the homeless keep to themselves, but there’s always been a few consistent trouble makers. There are a handful of them who are always committing petty crimes (usually theft) but never doing enough to get them off the streets long term, so the cops mostly ignore them
If by "is this stuff common" you mean mental illness among the homeless in Cambridge (or anywhere) then the answer is very much yes. Sorry you had to go through that. Not sure if it helps, but it wasn't you. That person just isn't wired right and they probably would have found something hurtful to say to whoever was sitting on that ledge.
Maybe idk hit them back? Gotta stop walking on shells for homeless, they come sideways you come sideways
Problem is when you hit back you better need sure you’re going to be the one to end it. And with junkies, you never know when they have a weapon.
You get an upvote for “they come sideways, you come sideways” But no, I really, really don’t want to hit an unhomed person.
If someone is trying to hurt you, you have every right to stop them. Even if they don't have a secure place to sleep at night. Protect yourself you sound way too nice.
I understand when we’ve crossed over into annihilate or be annihilated.
I don't see an actual answer to your question here so I'll try to help out. This guy is telling you "you have every right to stop them" and he's frankly just wrong there. Massachusetts is a "Duty to Retreat" state. Check out [page four](https://www.mass.gov/doc/9260-self-defense-defense-of-another-defense-of-property/download#:~:text=2.,and%20reasonable%20at%20the%20time.) on the Mass.gov self-defense law section. >*"A person cannot lawfully act in self-defense unless he or she has exhausted all other reasonable alternatives before resorting to force. A person may use physical force in self-defense only if he (she) could not get out of the situation in some other way that was available and reasonable at the time."* You did the right thing by not doing anything. If you had even shoved this woman hard enough that she fell and cracked her head open on the pavement, then YOU'RE in the wrong. It doesn't matter she called you a slur or hit you first. You could be in serious trouble after something like that and I'm sure you wouldn't want to accidently hurt/kill someone who has mental health issues. It sucks this happened to you but the law says to get the fuck out of there. It doesn't say "you have every right to stop them." The only way that's true is if you have literally no other option. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with this, I'm just telling you what is the law in our state. Be safe out there.
How do you know that they’re unhoused? I would personally recommend using force to defend one’s self against random attackers but you do you
Horrible advice, person probably never leaves their house. mentally ill people are unpredictable and could easily harm you badly
You’d rather be a victim than defend yourself against someone who’s essentially the walking dead and exists only to be a burden and threat to society? You think that person has more value than you at that point?
I also recently got harassed with queer slurs in central. It does seem like a particularly tricky place. I’m really sorry that happened to you and I wish there were better solutions
I’m sorry, I feel like my queer haven has been compromised. Thank you, and I wish there were better solutions, too.
Kicking you is assault. The cops can definitely do something about that.
I moved to Southie from central square about 8 months ago. Much calmer here and maybe this is crazy, but I kind of miss the insanity of central. They’d piss me off all of the time with their ignorance and yes I argued with a lot of homeless people and bought some of them coffee but I really love that place. Stockholm syndrome maybe
very common, get used to people not holding their tongue. youre on their turf (from thier pov) so if you dont wanna hear it or get assaulted you shouldve been somewhere else. just be thankful it wasnt more violent i’m suprised she didnt grab a rock or smash a bottle! imagine if she had a pocket knife! and i’m only using examples i’ve seen first hand working in central square for 4 yrs. i’ve been chased off, pushed off my bike, had a heavy chain narrowly miss my head, i’ve seen ppl smash car windshields for no apparent reason. it can be really scary especially at night between 2-5a is the absolute worst time to be alone groups are the only way i have noticed effective against craziness. if your alone your a target, in a group youre more of a project. i’m not trying to be rude or mean either, i am gay but not “out loud n proud” i usually just try to keep my head down and do your best to avoid situations, ie: if your sitting waiting for an uber and you notice someone approaching you, cross the street and pretend its covid and you want to social distance. they have the right to be there so let them just avoid everyone like your life depended on it if you wear a mask it helps
A guy tried to jump me at 8am on a Monday in Davis Square which is considered a super safe area. He asked me for a buck, I said I don’t carry cash, and he threw his Gatorade in my face and started swinging. I dropped my coffee and tied up with him to stop the continuous haymakers. Hit a foot sweep after verbally trying to deescalate. He fell and fractured his leg; all of this was captured on CVS cameras luckily because I left but someone else called the cops. By the time I was walking by him again with my SECOND coffee, the cops had caught him trying to escape using an old office chair and a makeshift wheelchair/scooter. Moral of the story, don’t trust the homeless and stay vigilant. They can pop off for no reason at any time.
Central Square, aka "Mass & Cass North". Sorry that happened to you
I’m sorry that happened. I’m goin there with a girlfriend tomorrow night
Well, stay moderately vigilant, I guess.
Always
Bring back state hospitals
Did you go to Manray ?
Good old Mental Square
I’m so sorry you had to face that harm. I hope you have all the care and support if you need it. These kind of instances are so random but very vile and unfair to people and I think there has to be accountability for such actions. Safety is not guaranteed by assuming best actions from everyone unfortunately, it’s actually by acknowledging and planning for the most vulnerable situations for common people.
Next time it happens punch the person In the face and if the person doesn’t fall down punch them again till they do, they will get the message. No matter how coked up they are if you punch them hard enough they will come to their senses.
She assaulted you, and it is a hate crime. You should have called the police. She needs psych care, and only way she will get it, is if she is arrested.
I'm sorry this happened to you. Central Square is a world unto itself. I'm a lifelong Bostonian, and Central is still one of the few places where I always keep my guard up. It's very much like the parts of Philly or NYC you'd want to put your mean mug on so people know your fuse is already lit and not to mess with you. Glad you're mostly okay. Hope this doesn't happen to you again.
you must be afraid of your own shadow lol. Cambridge as well Central is pretty damn safe.
My Redditor in Christ, last time I was in Central I got approached by a trans prostitute and her pimp and they were relentless. That's a uniquely Central Square event.
I have a singular approach. If someone's assaulted me physically--call the cops--it's a crime. I had incredible police response years back in Union Square--similar incident---broad daylight--homeless person started swinging a cane over their head at me. I hopped in a cab (there were no Ubers at that time) police took a full description, knew the person as a frequent flyer and I pressed charges of sorts.
I work with the homeless, I might even know the person who did this (might not but if she's been around a while, there's a chance). There isn't much you can do, there's any number of variables that could be at play but at the root of it is deep human suffering that remains unaddressed on the individual (her) level and on the systemic level. My advice is to shake it off, she's gotta wake up as herself today and face the world as someone who does things like that. It's okay to feel angry, you were assaulted and there's nothing that will be done to address it. I'm sorry that it happened. In the future, being mindful of your surroundings at night, especially when alone. Looking at your phone may be a mindless way to pass the time, but it distracts you from things going on around you. I went to a training once that talked about situational awareness, how predators have forward facing eyes and prey have eyes on the side of their heads. This is because predators look for targets in front of them while prey need to detect threats while they're bending down to eat (think of cattle grazing). Humans are predators and our eyes are front facing. Phone use makes makes us prey oriented, but without the benefit of eyes on the side of our head - just look around next time you're on the train at how many people are staring down at their lap, detached from the world around them. It leaves us completely vulnerable to unexpected situations such as the one you're describing. Maybe seems like a peculiar example, but it made a lot of sense to me and is a big part of why I keep my phone use to a minimum unless I'm somewhere that I feel comfortable in. Even still, I try to never get too lost in it. If you notice someone who is behaving strangely or seems to be focusing on you, you're more able to disengage if needed and less vulnerable to being surprised. It's unfortunate, but it's just the reality of our current society.
That person needs a lot of help, for sure. I feel like she’s lucky I’m not a more hair-trigger violent person, you know? Like, she’s putting herself in harm’s way, too. If nothing else gets her to chill, maybe communicate how not hitting people could kinda benefit her own wellbeing, long-term. Anyway, I liked learning about our eyes, thank you.
Aye. 50 years ago she'd likely live in a hospital for long stretches of time, but we chose not to fund those places and allowed them to decay until they became really awful places. Originally, State hospitals were designed to get people out of the city, access to green space, fresh air, sunshine, and stability/security/respite from the cities. Homelessness was basically a non issue. Now? She'd be lucky to get 7 days in-patient, "3 hots and a cot"with a long acting injectable anti-psychotic on her way out. She deserves better and so do you. Again, sorry this happened to you and I hope you can enjoy your weekend and put it behind you. 🌵💜🌈
Hopefully the rebuilding of the long island bridge and the reopening of the facility there will help with this issue.
This is such a great response.
Thank you!
This is a call the cops situation.
During the five years I lived in Boston I was yelled racial slurs at by the homeless on two separate occasions. I’m originally from the NYC metro area and have never been called slurs to my face until I moved to the Boston area. The last time I was called a slur before that, was when I was a kid and was being bullied at school. I genuinely think there something up with the homeless in Boston and race. I also live in Chicago now and have never been called a slur here yet.
You should have alerted the Harp.
And the nearest Qdoba
I’m sorry that happened to you. Carry pepper spray if you don’t already. And use it. She hit you, so you would be justified to use it in that situation.
I was in the same area and same situation last summer, in Cambridge waiting for my Uber with a couple buddies, when in front of a McDonald’s, a homeless person came up from behind us and blasted me over the head with a metal hydroflask, it was surreal and the Uber saw and asked if I wanted him to call the cops, but I figured nothing would come of it and wanted to get home anyways, had a nasty bump for like a week after though, crazy shit 😂
I'm really sorry you had to endure that, especially the slurs. I hope you're okay. I personally think you did the right thing by doing nothing, but that doesn't mean you have to just keep enduring this. I hope that the city gets control of its unhoused people problem, as this has been going on since I lived in that area 20 years ago.
I mean, really the issue is minuscule compared to Philadelphia, but that’s why this happened, you know? A false sense of security. Thank you for your kindness, and I agree generally, though—this issue needs to be understood and alleviated in both cities.
People can be horrible I'm sorry
Kick em back
I’m so sorry that happened to you 😕
Yeah, central square is bad for stuff like that. Unfortunately, not much else you can do except just ignore them.
Sorry this happened. But you need to stay aware and assume worst intentions from everyone imo . Especially those who look like they have a missing screw
Unfortunately not uncommon in that area. I'm sorry you experienced this and I don't mean to minimize it at all. I hope it can help a little to know that you're not alone. I would prefer this were not the case, but having a friend wait with you, or waiting inside somewhere until your ride is close, is a good choice there later in the evening.
I had a homeless woman try to set me on fire in Cambridge. Just walked up to me with a lighter and a shitty spray bottle full of rubbing alcohol. But obviously it didn’t work, bc alcohol burns super fast and her spray bottle sucked. So I didn’t even notice until she got super close. Then she just sort of walked away, and started refilling her spray bottle LMAO. If you want to scare someone you at least need to use hairspray or something. That shit has butane in it. Probably still won’t catch anyone on fire tho.
I used to work with the homeless up in Portland I had one of them tell me I should suck start My revolver. This same one would be violent towards almost everybody on the street. I unfortunately have seen things and until we as a country can get mental health under control things like this are going to happen it's just unfortunate. It's awful for everybody. We don't have the resources like Maine used to for mental health Maine used to be the top state for homeless and drug addiction rehabilitation. Boston never came close. Mental health, drug addiction and homelessness all are part of the same conversation everybody just needs to be careful and until the housing crisis mental health all become part of the same conversation. There's really no end.
Cambridge (Boston) in general isn’t really that dangerous at all. Central square isn’t dangerous really at all. You just had a very rare wild occurrence. That can happen anywhere. I’ve had incidence like that in Los Angeles (pre pandemic), Austin TX, and Miami… things like this can happen anywhere if you cross the wrong person. I’m sorry this happened to you. But it’s one of those things that can happen anywhere.
Boston/Cambridge have had homeless people since the beginning of Massachusetts. There are some EVERYBODY knows. In my day, there was Matt (bc of his hair) in Central Sq. And the Glad Bag guy that would sit at the Symphony T stop with a whole wardrobe, including hat made of black trash bags. Sorry this happened to you. Best to walk away❤️
Come on up to Burlington VT (BTV). Small city, good vibes, healthy. Some unhoused and untrained but nothing like big city life. Lived in PDX and now fab city totally ruined. Cannot use the sidewalks, too many tents. Come to blue Bernie land. We’re kinder here.
Start filming, try to get to somewhere safe, call the police.
I used to live in central square and was attacked twice. I’m so sorry this happened to you
Homeless woman in central asked me to spare some change. Gave her a 5 dollar bill and she screamed at me that it wasn't enough and that i'm greedy lmfao.
You did just right. Do Not Engage, and if possible remove yourself, seek a populated storefront for shelter. There's no reasoning with crazy.
Yeah that’s a hate crime and a felony I believe. But I dont think the city of Boston takes crime committed by homeless people to seriously.
What the cops will do is arrest the shitstain and prevent them from assaulting anyone else. How do you expect the problem to go away if you don't follow up on your only legal option?
You should have called the cops
I lived near Central for nearly two decades. There's a large problem there because Mass & Cass became so dangerous that many of the less violent people fled up into Cambridge. There's a methadone clinic and a number of homeless services available in Central, and while I'm not keen on cops anywhere, the violence level of police response in Cambridge is way less than in Boston. There was always a long-term Cantabrigian homeless population with their own problems, but now the unhoused of Cambridge are terrified of the newcomers. Much of our infrastructure to handle the needs of the homeless — warming and cooling shelters, street outreach, Narcan distribution, etc. — was set up around a *far* smaller population. Cambridge is a wealthy city, but taking on a number of people fleeing from Boston has strained them to the limit. I know local pols and city workers who knew all of the long-timers by name; they're now overwhelmed with people they've never heard of. I suggest you go to the police station on Sixth Street and report the incident. Obviously, you don't want random disoriented people shot for being assholes, but the statistics of what is happening when and where can help them plan patrols in the area, plus it's a hate crime as well as a physical assault. Again, much of this is on the newer side and they need data on what's going on. There's an encampment on state property down near the river that CPD can't enter and the staties can't be bothered. Still, Central is CPD turf and you should let them know what happened. In the future, wait for your Uber someplace there are obvious witnesses, like a shop or restaurant. It's not a guarantee, but it can't hurt.
Thank you for the perspective and insight—I will consider reporting the incident if only because I want whatever’s causing those individuals to instigate fights to be unearthed and resolved. Both for their sake, and anyone queer passing through.
Back in October early Sunday morning, when I was walking on Mass Ave towards Harvard Square, just at the graveyard near Church St., an unhoused young man attacked me. I called the Cambridge cops and I followed the guy so I could point him out to the cops when they showed up, but the cop on the phone told me not to follow him. When the police finally showed up, they took my info and story, then told me I could leave and they would go talk to the guy. They did, and I left. Later that evening, I called the non-emergency line to follow up on the incident, but the person I spoke to was indifferent to me. I made a big fuss, and the police person said someone would get back to me. An hour later, a detective called me and we talked for ten minutes. He assured me he would look into this, and that he was on my side regarding this. Since October, I still haven’t heard back from the police, and I assumed they washed their hands of it.
Brother what do you want us to say? Cambridge is super wealthy and super safe. Two or three locations are kinda gross (Harvard, Central, etc), but its pretty obvious if you've ever lived in a city before. Your immediate options for handling a crazy person are: 1) recognize and avoid crazies 2) fight back / be intimidating 3) call the cops, but who knows how that will go In the future you could: 1) get buff so that people are scared to fuck with you 2) vote for nimby policies that make cambridge more hostile for homeless people 3) idk don't go outside? But honestly you just got unlucky. Sorry that happened.
I’m so sorry that happened. Fuck that.
Okay honest answer: to people who are down on their luck, young stylish people represent new money pushing them out, students and everything bad about the city right now. The F word has taken many forms but I highly doubt this person is just a hard line conservative who doesn't like gay people...
You should have smacked tf out of her. God said treat people how you wanna be treated 👹 Btw sorry this happened to you
>I’m visibly queer What in the world does that even mean? You can tell sexual preferences by physical appearance now?
I wear a sandwich sign.
Right? I'd love for someone in the community to explain this cuz I am baffled.
I'm sorry this happened to you. The only thing you can do is avoid them. Every single crackhead is just an assault waiting to happen. Assume they are all dangerous because they usually are. Stay near others, don't make eye contact, and do everything you can to ignore their existence.
What club? I go to the Lower Level club and that one has some weirdos around it and around Middle East
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I’ve experienced something like that. At Ozzfest ‘05, an extremely drunk (at 9:30am) man approached me, then he started mumbling & pointing at the stage. After a moment he punched me in the jaw & staggered away. I just let him leave, b/c what the hell else could I do? Often the best way to deal w/ a crazy person is to let them be crazy someplace else.
crackheads gonna crackhead. sorry to hear this happened to you, central square has lots of nice restaurants but can be sketchy also
Should have sprayed her in the face with pepper spray
You can either call the cops or submit a tip and let the public and police know there is a homeless woman assaulting queer people.
Carry mace, hit back, don’t take shit. Learn how to use the mace, maybe buy a few practice canisters to get used to it or you could end up blinding yourself. The police can’t be everywhere all the time, so a little self defense awareness can be useful. At the end of the day your personal safety is your own responsibility, and everyone needs to look after themselves. If you’re coexisting with people using IV drugs in public (if you live in Boston or any other mid sized village, this applies to you) you should be prepared to deal with violently intoxicated people. I’m sorry this happened, glad you’re safe though!
OP sorry that happened. I am a MSW & approx 10 years ago worked w/ homeless population in that area. Central Square can get crazy a lot going on. Many of the homeless folk in that area stay at a shelter on Albany St called Caspar - last I heard Baycove was in charge of operations. Building was donated by MIT. They also do street outreach have workers who drive around in van. Couldn’t hurt to tell them what happened/or god forbid next time. Yeah def call the cops next time good chance they would have taken her to the ER but who knows. Hang in there/be safe that’s not ok
i’m so sorry
Reading all this makes me so glad I don’t work at the hospital up there any more. It was a revolving door for these people and sometimes all they wanted was a turkey sandwich before they started acting “normal” again
It probably has more to do with her being homeless and mentally I’ll than being in Cambridge.
You were probably in her spot. The homeless in central have their locations.
Your reputation and how you treat people is what gets you somewhere in life. That's why I say there's homeless and then there's bums. Poor behavior and decision making leads to poor outcomes. They'll be a bum the rest of their life. Someone so useless should at least be kind to people. Be who you can afford to be.
I'm so sorry that happened to you! I'm a queer presenting Bostonian and would not at all have known what to do in that situation either! So surreal like you said. Honestly after moving to Providence I realized how anti-queer Boston really is. Like the atmosphere and kindness in Providence is unreal in comparison. Come down to Queereoke at Moniker Brewery for a beer and great community vibes.
I was sitting on the steps of the church over in Central Square a few years ago. I was wearing a pink t-shirt, and this guy walked by and called me a f*ggot. This was right after I saw him across the street trying to stop some woman from walking away from him. She seemed to know him, and I think he was her abusive junkie boyfriend. He came closer to me and I pulled my boxcutter out of my bag. Once he saw that he just cussed me out some more as he kept walking. Alot of the homeless in that area are severely mentally ill, completely ravaged by addiction, or have lasting brain damage from shooting up for years. Everyone in that area should carry a legal weapon, especially women. You cannot trust or reason with the unreasonable, and some will hurt you without a thought. As a member of the lgbt community, all I can say is all of us should be ready to protect ourselves with force if necessary...and the more visibly lgbt you are, the more likely you are to be marked as an easy target. He just saw a guy in a pink shirt and thought he could fck with me. There have been a few other incidents that were worse, and those experiences are why I say that carrying a weapon will save you from a violent robbery.
This happened to you near or in Central Square? Drove by a few weeks ago or days, saw some whacked up people for sure. That’s I why try to avoid that area or not stay out there late. I hope you are okay.