It’s like something out of a Stephen King movie (who reads the books anyway?). Joe Sharky rides into town with nothing on the 687. He frequents the downtown mall and before you know it he’s eaten 6 Miller’s jazz musicians and kidnapped 10 puppies. He’s actually a zombie.
WCAV calls them “Unwanted Travelers,” but I think they should be named “Unwanted Smells.” Miller’s isn’t the nicest place in town, but it’s got cheap beer and a waitstaff that doesn’t take any bitching. I like that.
It’s not that I’m intimidated by military-esque attire and a lack of any brain power. Seriously, when I want to drink a beer at Miller’s and the middle patio is full and the only seats remaining are next to stinky people, I’m stuck. It’s like I’m stuck between a pile of garbage and a sewer (those sewer problems have not gone away). Maybe the solution would be to speed up trains in Charlottesville so the “Train People” can’t jump off. At least that would make my wait times at railroad crossings a lot less.
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Tagged as: Albemarle County, Charlottesville, Downtown Mall, Government, Miller's
I’ve noticed an influx of them recently. They used to hang out under the 14th street bridge, but I guess they’ve found the downtown mall. This reminds me of two things. 1) The recent South Park episode about the homeless (give nothing whatsoever to the railroad people), 2) the 1973 movie starring Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine called the Emperor of the North Pole. In the old days, train conductors used to literally patrol trains armed with firearms or blunt objects and literally toss hobos from trains in transit. Maybe they should go back to doing that. This people are vagrants by choice, not by circumstance, and they deserve no pity.
I actually had to leave the Mudhouse for the first time Tuesday from the aroma of this newer group of visitors. I feel really bad for even saying this but it is effecting business for the merchants. The diversity of the downtown mall has been colorful experience to date for me for this is where I have an office. Most of the sudo-homeless have been pulling their weight, either by paying music, reading Tarot cards, etc. However this new bunch was shaking down pre-teen females for money in addition to being a concern for some female associates of mine.
these guys are like the pied piper. i’ve been seeing tons of kids following them around–some also train people, some clearly not (for example a 15 year-old-or-so looking, somewhat preppy girl this afternoon).
these guys suck. like ethan said, they are homeless by choice not chance. hopefully they ride out soon. walking around cville has sort of sucked lately, with these smelly people and the gang initiation youths punching people in their faces. maybe the two groups can square off.
How time and context changes your sensibilities. 15 years ago I would have enjoyed these “edgy” fringe people discomforting the stodgy middle class existence of everyday Cvillians, sticking it to the man. Now? Keep them away from my kids and my enjoyment of the downtown mall by any means possible. I might even go so far as ask, “WWDCD?” (What Would Dick Cheney Do?)
I’m ok with some “edgy” people “sticking it to the man” still. I am, in fact, only 25. These people do seem to be pretty much worthless though. I don’t consider constant drunkenness to be a very useful talent.
I’m glad everyone agrees that the smell. My nose is the masses.
those aren’t just miller’s regulars?
(ba-dum-ching)
The article says they start out as paying customers, but where do they even get the money? Steal it, I guess?
There’s 2 guys that have to be on speed or something. One has a reverse mohawk and the other just a goatee and they are always walking up and down the mall yelling at people and cursing loudly. They smell terrible.
I do think the kidz sort of idolize these people, just as I once looked up to deadheads who toured around the country. I don’t think they are dangerous, but they aren’t pleasant to have around.
And I just think it’s awesome that Charlottesvillians, for all our tolerance, can join together in collectively agreeing that these kids suck.
Hurrah!
I ought to track down the guy with the reverse mohawk. I haven’t seen one of those since Big Jim Martin was in Faith No More.
[…] The bar is certainly THE dive bar of the downtown mall. It attracts everything from the train people to regular Charlottesville joes. Molokuoltra writes: I have been a patron of Millers for over 10 […]
Wow…I’m just reading this entry. The WCAV story says the train people usually move on after a month. I guess they’ve decided this is a long term stay.
I don’t work on the mall and therefore see them less often than most, but I wanted to bring something up that really bothers me: the dog. If you want to be homeless and live on scraps, fine, but dragging a big dog around with you? I can’t imagine that they have the money to take care of that poor thing if they’re panhandling and spending their money on alcohol.
Hahahahahhahaha
I’m usually fairly sympathetic to the various down-and-out folks who frequent the mall, but the ‘gutter punks’ have to go.
A month or two back I saw a group of 8 to 10 of them with something I knew they’d stolen from the truck of a friend (I recognized it because I’d given it to her as a gift). Kind of pissed me off. When I confronted them their whole attitude changed from ‘tough’ to ‘wussy’.
They apologized and started calling me “sir” - and we were all alone on Water street. They don’t even have the balls to be ‘bad’ when they outnumber me on a dark street. Don’t know why, but for some reason they went down, further, in my already low opinion of them at that point.
-gary
Yeah, they’re just a bunch of weenies in smelly clothes. My pathetically small but overly self important (read: stupid) dog thought it would be a good idea to try and pick a fit with one trainee’s dog as we walked by. When I apologized profusely, he got all uptight, saying crap like “my dog could eat your dog… he’s part timber wolf, you know,” like he was all disappointed my little hound had been the aggresser and that he was no longer tough because his dog is actually rather sweet and sociable. He kept shouting the point to me while I walked away for a good five minutes in this increasingly defensive and pathetic “I’ll show you” tone. Whatever (and I say this with full mid-90’s gusto).
Speaking of which, anybody know a good dog trainer?
That dog would have to be sweet to put up with the behavior of those idiots. Lys, I like the name “trainee”. I hope it sticks.
I’ve heard that All Things Pawssible is good for dog training, but don’t have any personal experiences there.