by Travis Mateer
On Saturday I watched a half-dozen fights inside the Adam’s Center after a buddy roped me in to attending with him. The violent spectacle reminded me of the nickname our police department had for the Authorized Camping Site before it closed: THUNDERDOME! Isn’t that funny?
After filing yesterday’s butthurt report on myself, I put on my best dystopian outfit, dusted off my rollerblades, and proceeded to roll around downtown with my new method of fundraising.
What you are looking at is an old plastic Missoulian mailbox screwed to an antique rifle. How am I using this contraption? It’s simple, I just roll around town, striking up conversations about local media, then I panhandle my marks for money. I’m happy to report I made ONE WHOLE DOLLAR yesterday, which is almost like a full gallon of gas, or half a cup of coffee. Who needs an online gofundme account when THIS method is proving to be so lucrative?
My THUNDERDOME moment came when I crossed paths with a homeless busker with a guitar. He looked me up and down, then jokingly asked if we needed to battle. Could there be an opportunity here? Like Bumfights? I mean, it didn’t seem to work out too terribly bad for Rufus.
From the link:
Former “Bumfights” star, Rufus Hannah, has since retired from a life of homelessness and alcoholism to become a property manager, activist, and author.
“Bumfights” first aired on the Internet in 2002, a product of Indecline Films—a less than reputable indie filmmaking company that became notorious for exploiting homeless subjects to yield their views. In exchange for their antics, the makers of Bumfights would provide Hannah and the other stars with booze, smokes and change. It wasn’t long before other filmmakers all over the world were attempting to replicate the formula, resulting in multiple civil lawsuits. Despite the emergence of a bum-fight video trend, Hannah remained the king.
The trigger for filing a butthurt report on myself over the weekend is the emerging homeless trash removal movement some locals think Ryan Tollefson has started by stirring shit up along West Broadway. Being an expert in the art of pissing people off myself, I’m impressed with how Ryan has managed to upset both law enforcement AND those living marginally in this area of Missoula, as evidenced by Ryan’s claim that some homeless person assaulted him with a lock and chain. How THUNDERDOME is that?
An anonymous comment provides some more context on Ryan’s mission to stir shit up, including a “FI” designation that I find fascinating. Here’s the comment:
While Ryan Tollefson calls 911 to escalate the trash scandal he’s stoked, I’m putting my transit truck on the Craigslist radar for local assistance, which is the first step in a more formal plan I’m cooking up to address the trashy consequences of “urban camping”. Will local media shift away from mis-reporting on my actions when they’re not studiously ignoring me? After the performance I’m planning for April 8th, I think it will be increasingly difficult to ignore what I’m up to, so stay tuned.
If you want to be a part of the REAL solution to what’s happening in our public spaces, it’s as easy as clicking this link and providing me with some monetary resources to do my shit. I guarantee you’ll get maximum BANG for your buck when you support MY trash removal efforts.
Thanks for reading!