The Public Citizen
On my way in to work today, as I walked past a small office building, I was sprayed with dirty water by someone hosing down a dumpster. My sandals and pant legs had little spray dots of black grime on them. I stopped beyond range and yelled out, "Hey! You just sprayed me!"
I was more shocked than angry - for a second or two. But the guy kept spraying and over the din of traffic and water hitting the dumpster and then the sidewalk yelled back at me - aggressively, "I didn't see you - ALRIGHT?!"
Then I got angry, "Of course you didn't see me. You can't see anybody around the building. But you're spraying dirty water out onto the sidewalk - ANYWAY!"
"I didn't do it on purpose! Look, I don't need this shit at 9:30 in the morning!"
"What?! I'm walking along the sidewalk on my way in to work and some guy sprays me with dirty water and says HE doesn't need this shit at 9:30 in the morning?! Stop aiming the hose at the sidewalk!"
"Don't tell me where I can spray on my own property, LADY!"
Anyway, he was unapologetic to the point of belligerence. I was, at that point, going to start swearing. So I walked back to the front of the building and went in to the little reception area. The receptionist was on the phone but she politely covered the receiver and inquired, "Yes?" So I told her what had just happened, ending with, "I wouldn't be bothering you with this complaint except that the guy was rude. If he'd just apologized, I wouldn't be here."
"Oh my. I'm sorry that happened to you. I'll let the managment know."
"Well, it isn't your fault. But thanks. And just a head's up - I think he IS the management."
Then her face kind of fell a bit and I said, "Sorry. Bye."
When I got in to work, I phoned my beau and told him what had happened. We talked of revenge - Hollywood-style - but on PUBLIC property so Buddy Private would be completely at our mercy, his statement, "Don't tell me where I can spray on my own property, LADY!" having particularly rankled since he was actually spraying his private dirt on to OUR public sidewalk. Not to mention - my private being. Then my ex called so I told him and he said, "Uh hunh" and then told me about his neighbours having their lawn sprayed and when he took our dog out for a walk, the dog's eyes were watering and he kept blinking. "All you could smell was weed killer - all over the neighbourhood. I have a headache now. These people all get their property sprayed but you can smell it for days afterwards."
"Don't forget the groundwater", I commiserated. "It all goes down into the groundwater."
Then a co-worker walked by so I said, "I gotta go" and hung up so I could tell him all about what had just happened. PLUS about the dog and his watering eyes on account of all the pesticide spraying where my ex lives.
"Did you complain, at least?" he asked. "Yup. I told the receptionist." "The receptionist? What's she gonna do?" "Well, I don't know. I just wanted to make a point of complaining and not just taking it - you know?" "Yabbut, you should have asked to speak with the management."
"I think he probably WAS the management - the property manager, anyway. He referred to it as "his" property."
"Phff. The sidewalk's not his property."
"Yeah. Well. Now I figure at least the receptionist, who was good-looking and really professional about it all will know that he's a jerk and if he tries to get anywhere with her she can say, "Aren't you the kind of idiot who would aim a hose out to the sidewalk while spraying a dumpster even though you can't see around the building to know if there are pedestrians walking by being sprayed - including women just like me on their way in to work - you neanderthal pig brain?"
Anyway, I feel better now I've told three people. And I still get to tell my sister. She'll love it because she, like me, lives in an apartment building downtown and is a big defender of public space rights - not actually - but, you know, like me - in a word of mouth "there was a lady in here earlier says you sprayed her with dirty water" kind of way.
Because that's what this little incident has morphed into for me - a recognition that public property needs defending from private property owners. That's all it is at the moment, but I expect it to expand into something more - personally, I mean. It's not something I have spent much time thinking about, but that defence of his actions, "Don't tell me where I can spray on my own property, LADY!" really stuck in my craw, so to speak.
I'm thinking placards, bull horns, rallies, before the tear gas, mass arrests, shootings...
Okay. I'll tell you the undeniable "what" of the matter:
He looked like a New Conservative.
I know, I know. But what does a New Conservative look like, Sooey?
Well, Dear Reader, he looks like the kind of guy who would be spraying the grime off his private dumpster, on to the public sidewalk, using a high powered hose, with little regard for any pedestrians who might walk by on their way to work. Because if you aren't in your private car using our public streets - you don't matter and deserve whatever dirty water you get sprayed on you while you're on your way to work. I'm telling you, everything about this guy was reactionary, reactionary to anything involving public rights. He was Mr. Private Property.
Well, I'll show him and everybody and anybody who thinks like him - I'm going to become Ms. Public Property!
Who's with me!
