Oliver Moss

So, today was a first. I was doing one of the pre-Pride city clean ups today. Arms are freaking tired from polishing a 'high need area'. Had some people see me working and tried to demand that I go clean up some trash they saw. I just waved at them and kept working in my section, and then they, well, treated me like I had communication difficulties and and needed stronger instruction. The more I ignored them, the more insistent they got, but they did eventually leave me alone.

I could hear them just fine, I was just paying attention to the werewolf porn audiobook I was listening to. If they had approached me differently, like just letting me know about some stuff, I would have bothered to pause, but they were being giant assholes.

When I did go around the corner, the mess was... materials that my type of volunteer does not interact with. There were at least three types of nope in that pile. I did go and report it to the team leaders.

I'm a volunteer who can walk away. The assholes seemed to think I was part of some vocational or rehab program, and imagine if I was that? People experiencing difficulties should be treated well, not like servants. Fuck is wrong with people? Now I wish I had paused so I could have told them to fuck off in no uncertain terms. I just defaulted to my typical east coaster refusal to engage.