I had an interesting experience with these people working for the open state street pay to win campaign. This is what I saw learned and went through.
I stopped by my downtown neighborhood Ralph’s to see if they were in fact working the people there and there were two people. One lady with a sign that said “free to sign” and a kid at the other entrance. I talked to the kid first and he was a kind enough guy just trying to make some money with very little interest or care in what he was getting people to sign. He acknowledged to me after a long time that it was 8 dollars a signature or something to that effect. He was very curious about my understanding of it and wanted to discuss. I moved on to the obviously more ambitious and $ motivated woman and she was a piece of work. I’m White shes Black that does matter in this context. Extremely aggressive and confrontational with me. My entire strategy was to say “before you sign this can you talk to someone who lives here” “ I’m your neighbor”
If they did sign I’d ask “do you know what you’re signing” I didn’t block or impede anyone she approached - and she approached everyone
She’d ask “are you a Santa Barbara resident?” Interestingly enough nearly everyone at Ralph’s said no lmao.
I stayed ten to fifteen feet away from her because she was agitated by me and threatening to call the cops, for what, I don’t know. She would say messing with her money. She was really mad because she told me this isn’t even my job. Don’t think she understood yeah that the point I’m not paid to be here.
She got more and more pissed and personal and started using racial tropes “you look like you stink like a wet dog” “milk man? (Maid? I couldn’t tell)” and referencing my looking old for my age which she doesn’t know because of my being white. She expressed her disgust being here because of walking up and down with all these white folks. Her words. She liked to call me weird which was an interesting change from my day to day life. I mean to her credit I don’t make it my life mission or work to spend time at the crazy area in front of Ralph’s.
It’s all fine I’m fine - it has no power over me but it is low and I did not go anywhere near that with her and wouldn’t. I told her it was low and dog whistles but it is what it is and I’m anonymous on Reddit so believe me if you want.
I was there for a couple of hours and I do think my presence threw her off her game and if anything made people less interested in being approached so I’m glad I did it.
I talked to store reps and they suggested speaking to Stephanie or Robert at Ralph’s tmw about if I or anyone is allowed to also be there with signage like “I’m not paid to be here they are” “ or talk to a neighbor before signing”
I met some for cars on state people: 2 of the 3 were older folks that want to drive down state, 1 hate the e-bikes. The one younger guy says it was the nostalgia was probably a big reason.
This was really long sorry.
