South Station’s users rail vs. Occupy
Commuters upset over dirty ‘mess’
Commuters and merchants in South Station say they are fed up with Occupy Boston squatters who are hogging electrical outlets and taking sponge baths in bathroom sinks, turning the bustling terminal into a unsanitary locker room.
Transportation officials said they have sealed up some outlets after fearful commuters worried Occupy members powering up electronic gadgets close to ATM machines could see PIN numbers being punched in. Yet, there’s no quick solution to sharing the bathroom.
“The bathrooms seem more crowded and grimier,” said Roy Woodton, 36, a banker from Attleboro as he rushed to catch a train yesterday.
“They are always asking for food, for handouts,” said Eva Yuen, a manager at Serenade Chocolatier inside the station. “They smell intoxicated. It’s a mess.”
Station officials said they are fielding more complaints every day.
“There have been reports anecdotally about an increasing level of frustration by customers at South Station,” said Scott Farmelant, spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad company.
Farmelant said MBCR ticket managers have been given an earful at times from peeved rail commuters upset over members of Occupy Boston’s tent city using outlets as their personal power source and soiling bathrooms.
“They are complaining about the bathroom issues: long lines, they’re becoming unsanitary, people are taking sponge baths in there, washing their hair, sort of camping out there with a lot of clothing,” Farmelant said.
Julia Tanen, spokeswoman for South Station, which is managed by commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield, said crews Thursday covered three outlets next to Bank of America ATMs near the Summer Street entrance because customers taking cash out felt uncomfortable with people hovering nearby charging their phones.
“They were afraid people could see their PIN numbers. ... If people complain, we have to make them feel safe,” she said, adding the other outlet near the bathrooms on the main concourse was capped, too. “They were creating a hazard. People trying to get into the bathrooms were practically tripping on them.”
Alex Ingram, a spokesman for the leaderless Occupy Boston movement, explained that it’s difficult to police the behavior of a large group of people.
“We try to assume that everyone knows how to behave themselves in a public place. It’s an assumption that might be misguided,” he said, adding that the camp provides solar-powered electricity to charge some cellphones. “We do appreciate South Station letting us use the bathrooms and we don’t want to do anything to damage that relationship.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1376788
Commuters upset over dirty ‘mess’
By Richard Weir
Photo by Matthew Healey
Commuters and merchants in South Station say they are fed up with Occupy Boston squatters who are hogging electrical outlets and taking sponge baths in bathroom sinks, turning the bustling terminal into a unsanitary locker room.
Transportation officials said they have sealed up some outlets after fearful commuters worried Occupy members powering up electronic gadgets close to ATM machines could see PIN numbers being punched in. Yet, there’s no quick solution to sharing the bathroom.
“The bathrooms seem more crowded and grimier,” said Roy Woodton, 36, a banker from Attleboro as he rushed to catch a train yesterday.
“They are always asking for food, for handouts,” said Eva Yuen, a manager at Serenade Chocolatier inside the station. “They smell intoxicated. It’s a mess.”
Station officials said they are fielding more complaints every day.
“There have been reports anecdotally about an increasing level of frustration by customers at South Station,” said Scott Farmelant, spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad company.
Farmelant said MBCR ticket managers have been given an earful at times from peeved rail commuters upset over members of Occupy Boston’s tent city using outlets as their personal power source and soiling bathrooms.
“They are complaining about the bathroom issues: long lines, they’re becoming unsanitary, people are taking sponge baths in there, washing their hair, sort of camping out there with a lot of clothing,” Farmelant said.
Julia Tanen, spokeswoman for South Station, which is managed by commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield, said crews Thursday covered three outlets next to Bank of America ATMs near the Summer Street entrance because customers taking cash out felt uncomfortable with people hovering nearby charging their phones.
“They were afraid people could see their PIN numbers. ... If people complain, we have to make them feel safe,” she said, adding the other outlet near the bathrooms on the main concourse was capped, too. “They were creating a hazard. People trying to get into the bathrooms were practically tripping on them.”
Alex Ingram, a spokesman for the leaderless Occupy Boston movement, explained that it’s difficult to police the behavior of a large group of people.
“We try to assume that everyone knows how to behave themselves in a public place. It’s an assumption that might be misguided,” he said, adding that the camp provides solar-powered electricity to charge some cellphones. “We do appreciate South Station letting us use the bathrooms and we don’t want to do anything to damage that relationship.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1376788
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