Women on Septa--watch out!

[OffenseTaken]

So she took his picture. And stared at him. It's not illegal to take someone's picture, or to stare them down. If he didn't like it, he should have calmly asked her to stop. Instead, he escalated the situation and became threatening.

The creep's reaction to OP photographing him tells us all we need to know. If he had an innocent purpose for photographing her, why would he freak out and start yelling? He photographed her first. And then he whined like a baby when she turned it around on him.

I don't mean to, like, "flip the script" on you but it's much clearer then that OP didn't have an innocent purpose in all this.

[Neb]

Seriously. The OP needs therapy. She shouldn't be wandering around the city snapping pictures of people who committed no crime and posting them on the internet.

[szekely]

kday, what did he yell when he approached you in the back of the bus?

[guzzijason]

kday, what did he yell when he approached you in the back of the bus?

Given that her photo is from the front of the bus, it appears he went to the back of the bus to get away from her, not to approach her.

__Jason

[loveisnoise]

Well, this isn't septa related-but is public pervish picture taking related. This story is f'd to the up!!!

So, I always take pictures from the time I leave in the morning, til' I get home. I took pictures of this bum looking guy on Girard Ave. Then, a few days later, I see him in McDonalds. I watch him pay with a city card, and he's got a wad of cash as well!

So, I posted his picture on FB for my other friends to see and tell them that he obviously isn't a bum because I saw him with credit cards and cash. They say that they are freaked out by him, one friend said that he refuses money if people try to give it to him, etc.

Then-out of nowhere, some lady I didn't know started spouting that we shouldn't talk about people who are mentally ill and that may be her relative. I thought she was just being preachy and told her to get lost. Then a friend who always jokes around with me says, "I think that's my dad", and I laughed and made some joke about her joking around.

Then I wake up this morning to 30 some messages, and rants from a bunch of family members. It turns out they were all being for real. Here, the guy is a vietnam vet that has been missing for at least 16 years and no one knew what happened to him! His family owned a store on my block years ago, and they think he is hanging out there because of the memories. They're going to try to go talk to him but he seems pretty far gone.

[#1MetsFan]

You are a fascinating person.

[6enny]

Dang, dogpile on the OP.

I support you, girl. I know that the standard female response to creeps is to let them know that you see them being creepy. I think taking a photo of him was a nice touch.

Anybody that thinks that this guy was some sort of artsy photographer is delusional. A photographer might have asked if he could take her photo, and he definitely wouldn't have wonked out when she turned the tables and took his.

[loveisnoise]

Wrong on all counts.

Dang, dogpile on the OP.

I support you, girl. I know that the standard female response to creeps is to let them know that you see them being creepy. I think taking a photo of him was a nice touch.

Anybody that thinks that this guy was some sort of artsy photographer is delusional. A photographer might have asked if he could take her photo, and he definitely wouldn't have wonked out when she turned the tables and took his.

[asdf]

Wrong on all counts.

Tell us why a legitimate photographer would have freaked out when one of his subjects took his picture without asking permission.

[darthsinatra]

Tell us why a legitimate photographer would have freaked out when one of his subjects took his picture without asking permission.

What's a legitimate photographer? Do you decide that?

[asdf]

What's a legitimate photographer? Do you decide that?

I would think we could probably agree on such a broad definition as "anyone taking photographs without a perv motive," but perhaps that's too bold an assumption.

[darthsinatra]

I would think we could probably agree on such a broad definition as "anyone taking photographs without a perv motive," but perhaps that's too bold an assumption.

How do we know anyone's motives? What does art have to do with motive? We have exactly one side of the story here. Unless and until the guy pictured in the first few posts of the thread logs on and gives us his side, I stand for his "legitimacy" as a photographer. It's called PUBLIC transportation.

[guzzijason]

Tell us why a legitimate photographer would have freaked out when one of his subjects took his picture without asking permission.

Take a look at the very first post in this thread again. And observe the following:

1. In the photo that she took of him, he's not even paying attention to her. He may not even know that his picture was taken.
2. She goes on to say that she was "staring him down".

My thinking is that he could care less about the photo (assuming he even realized she took one of him) and that he probably "freaked out" when the OP was staring "staring him down". After all, what the purpose of "staring someone down" unless you want to agitate them or get inside their head.

Once again, I'll beat this dead horse and say that I think the OP made this situation far worse than it could have been, by her aggressive overreaction to simply having her photo taken. In fact, the only actual evidence we have in this thread is a photo of a guy who appears to be minding his own business.

__Jason

[the mule]

Pretty disgusting how people ganged up on the OP. Creepy behavior can be subjective, but this seems pretty clear cut. The guy yelled at her after she took his picture. If you're a street photographer and someone avoids being in your shot you don't get angry at them, you respect their wishes and move on. This guy didn't do that, and chances are if he did the OP would have continued to stew in her seat and had a story to tell people but it wouldn't have escalated.

With that said, saying he's going to grope someone just because he's probably taking pictures to save for later is a stretch. I've seen plenty of idiot frat boys take pictures of girls in bars unbeknownst to the subjects, but they're more for creepy trophy purposes than to stoke some deep seeded desire to sexually assault someone.

I often take photos in sketchy areas, mostly of buildings and larger scenes, but almost never shoot individuals. I have been aggressively confronted before by people who believed I was shooting them and I always calmly explain what I'm doing, tell them I'll be sure they're not in the pictures if they don't want to be, and I've been lucky it's never resulted in violence considering where I am sometimes. It's never important for me to assert my right to photograph them or explain that they don't have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

[darthsinatra]

What's disgusting is that the "accused has very little chance of ever learning of this thread and having a chance to tell his side of the story.

[guzzijason]

Creepy behavior can be subjective, but this seems pretty clear cut. The guy yelled at her after she took his picture.

Frankly, I think this was anything but clear cut. The OP's story doesn't add up, IMHO.

__Jason

[Moth]

Dang, dogpile on the OP.

I support you, girl. I know that the standard female response to creeps is to let them know that you see them being creepy. I think taking a photo of him was a nice touch.

The OP Taking a photo of him is fine. But posting it online and insinuating the guy may "grope you or worse" is not fine.

If I were this guy and ran across this website with a picture of me being portrayed as a groper or worse I would 100% take legal action If this guy was a friend of mine I would be inclined to suggest that he take legal action against OP.

You cant just go around posting pictures of people on the the internet insinuating that they are gropers or worse. You cant do that.

[theREALalesis]

I heard he was taking your photo for a new website: buttaface.com

You are a pretentious byatch to think he was taking your photo for pervy purposes. You are NOT "all that" given your avatar pic. Just sayin'.

[szekely]

Pretty disgusting how people ganged up on the OP.

I feel the same. She's already been assaulted once, so I think she deserves some slack. A lot of slack.

[theREALalesis]

Sorry that this happened. It's good you caught him on "film". Will show to the wife.
Thanks.

Why? Think she might be interested?