Category: Story Archive

Photo by Roshan Vyas

Roshan has this disgusting and far-too-common story to share:

This shelter is at Sacramento and Fillmore in Pacific Heights, in front of the Marc by Marc Jacobs store. One morning last summer, when the old shelter was in place, I was walking to the stop to take the 1 to work. The sun was still rising and blinding anyone walking up Sacramento, so I was squinting when I approached and noticed no one was actually standing under the shelter. Usually one or two people are, even on a nice day.

As I got closer, I noticed why no one was standing there: In the middle of the covered shelter area, someone had left a giant pile of poop. This was no dog dropping either. This was human. Everyone was rightly standing outside the shelter and I joined them there.

Checking my phone while waiting for the 1, I noticed the following email from my other half, who had left for work 10 minutes earlier.

Subject: Alert! Poop at muni stop!!!!!
Body: Watch out!

Indeed. It was quite the harrowing experience and made for a great story.

As the day went on, questions like “Who would do that?!” and “Who is responsible for cleaning that up?!” came up. Was it the City? Was it a neighborhood association? Was it Marc?

When I got home that night, the pile was gone, but a giant stain remained. Not only that, some of the substance was also left behind as footprints walking away from the pile. Someone had accidentally stepped right in it! How could that happen?! My theory is that it was someone getting off the back of the 1 during the day, who just jumped off the Muni looking forward to getting some Peet’s coffee and maybe a $50 dog bowl at Jonathan Adler.

Little did they know that their day, their summer, was about to be ruined.

That person’s experience is why I now take a moment to look down before jumping off the Muni. If you are waiting behind me, now you know.

You were warned.

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