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The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
Since 1888
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.

BERGER: It is time for Vanderbilt students to reject Limes

A+Lime+scooter+parked+in+front+of+Commons+Center.+Photo+by+James+Long+%2F%2F+The+Vanderbilt+Hustler
A Lime scooter parked in front of Commons Center. Photo by James Long // The Vanderbilt Hustler

There is little that so starkly manifests the predatory, greed-oriented predilections of our society than the acceptance of branded electric scooters such as Limes and Birds. For Vanderbilt students, it’s impossible to walk through the streets, on campus and on Nashville streets, without having to either move a Lime or walk around one that’s parked smack in the middle of the sidewalk. As a runner, I cannot count the number of times that I have turned a corner to be accosted by the menacing body of an electric scooter. Of course, it may seem silly to call for a rejection of an entire industry because of some pedestrian nuisances. However, we must understand this in the context of local and state governments actually marginalizing another, less economically beneficial group for merely existing in public spaces: namely, the homeless.

This high level of scrutiny towards the homeless does not match up with the leeway that electric scooters are given in public spaces.

A particularly blunt manifestation of how little local and state governments care about their most vulnerable constituents is that a Lime often has more of a right to exist in a public setting than a homeless person. Tennessee and Nashville, along with many other localities, have enacted legislation that outlaws “aggressive panhandling.” Advocates for the homeless have derided initiatives of this type as criminalizing homelessness. Additionally, a new prosecutorial system necessitates that Assistant District Attorney Tammany Meade handle all cases arising from downtown Nashville. According to homeless and mental health advocates, this jurisdictional change disproportionately criminalizes and punishes the public behavior of homeless people existing in spaces near powerful businesses. These laws reflect our city’s attitude: the homeless are a blight on Nashville’s economy; therefore, they must be hidden from view.

This high level of scrutiny towards the homeless does not match up with the leeway that electric scooters are given in public spaces. For example, despite Lime’s claims to strictly enforce parking restrictions, the worst penalties that one can incur are minor fees or an account suspension. Considering how many Limes pile up on sidewalks and gutters, it’s clear that the penalties are not much of a deterrent. Limes generate revenue; therefore, their presence in public spaces is allowed.

In the United States, the homeless face chronic problems, from lack of affordable housing to inadequate mental and physical health care. These and other factors have forced them onto the streets, to sleep in public spaces and to bear the elements with little more than the clothes on their backs. Unfortunately, the rights of these people have historically been infringed upon. This has become especially clear in the recent past, as urban communities, including Nashville, have become increasingly gentrified. As rising prices push people out of their living spaces, their existence on the streets has become criminalized. Across the country, local laws that prohibit standing in public have increased in prevalence by 88 percent since 2006. In this same time frame, laws prohibiting sitting or lying down in public have increased in prevalence by 52 percent.

This has become a major problem in Nashville. As one of the fastest growing cities in America, it also has one one of the fastest growing homeless populations. In order to support this burgeoning economy, our city needs to attract residents and tourists. One way the Nashville government can do this is by decreasing homelessness – or to be more apt, decreasing the visibility of the homeless. Case in point: in 2016, in an effort to appease property owners, the Nashville Downtown Partnership bought homeless people one-way bus tickets out of the city. As the city aims to attract tourists with entertaining, easy transportation in the form of Limes, it actively places the whims of private businesses over the needs of our citizens.

The electric scooter industry caters to the wealthy. Those with disposable incomes can enjoy riding on Limes, which cost at least one dollar per ride. However, this is prohibitively expensive for many people. As such, our city becomes more navigable specifically for the well-off. This is a huge problem in Los Angeles, where some residents are so angry about the gentrification associated with expensive electric scooters that they have been throwing them into the sea.

Yes, the outright rejection of Limes won’t solve the issues of the homeless. However, it would symbolize a change in the outlook on public spaces by one of Lime’s target demographics: college students. Much of the revenue that Lime’s receive in Nashville comes from Vanderbilt – why don’t we try to make a dent in their profits? It would show that there is no reason to disallow the public from using public spaces.

Vanderbilt needs to start the movement and reject Limes.

A more direct fix would be to make it illegal to park electric scooters in public spaces, the same spaces that the homeless are so often arrested or fined for utilizing. That would at least show that homeless people should have the same access to public spaces as Limes do. It would force people to recognize, and hopefully even act, to ameliorate the plight of homeless people. This, unfortunately, is very unlikely to happen because it does not grant the city of Nashville and the state of Tennessee the only thing that seems to matter: money.

Vanderbilt needs to start the movement and reject Limes. That is, unless the homeless attain as many rights as the money-making machines that flood the sidewalks of Nashville.

Zeke Berger is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Science. He can be reached at [email protected].

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About the Contributor
Zeke Berger, Former Author
Zeke Berger ('21) majored in economics and is from Scranton, Pennsylvania. When he isn't ruminating on new opinion articles, Zeke is an accomplished eater, practicing up to three times a day.
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Comments (8)

The Vanderbilt Hustler welcomes and encourages readers to engage with content and express opinions through the comment sections on our website and social media platforms. The Hustler reserves the right to remove comments that contain vulgarity, hate speech, personal attacks or that appear to be spam, commercial promotion or impersonation. The comment sections are moderated by our Editor-in-Chief, Rachael Perrotta, and our Social Media Director, Chloe Postlewaite. You can reach them at [email protected] and [email protected].
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M
5 years ago

just another example of anti scoot propaganda; scoot culture will endure

N
Not Zeke Berger
5 years ago

This is stupid

L
Luke Mills
5 years ago

I would have to disagree with you here Steven. The mere existence of these electric scooters allows the homeless population to use their shapeshifting abilities to rest in public spaces such as sidewalks. Have you ever tried to get on a Lime when, just as you step your foot on it, it transforms at the speed of light into a 47 year old man scurrying away from you in terror? You would think that these Lime-disguised homeless people would keep a sharper eye out for incoming riders. Because, unfortunately, these homeless versions of the Limes are not actually rideable as they only possess the ability to transform into the raw material of the scooter, without all the electronics that go into making it work.

I hope you keep this in mind as you continue to explore this idea. It also might be interesting to explore if there is a preference among the homeless population to evolve into a Byrd or a Lime.

Good Luck!

E
Eliot Forster-Benson
5 years ago

no, i like scoot

M
Mike
5 years ago

I can’t tell if this is satirical or not.

C
Common Sense
5 years ago

It is high time we got rid of those concrete tributes to wealth that cater to the automobile owning bourgeoisie. Roads, a hideous display of our society’s greed oriented predilections, must be forgotten in the name of the collective. They make laws for cars in these public spaces yet legislate against the homeless.
Start the movement. Reject cars! No public money should cater to these bastions of four wheeled privilege.

Also screw motorcycles.

Bicycles, YOU ARE NEXT

S
Sam
5 years ago

This seems pretty whack, a lot of grandstanding for the sake of hearing your own voice. Is getting rid of Limes a symbolic gesture? Sure. However, any energy devoted to this is really energy that could be better spent allocated to better assisting the homeless, such as advocating for more affordable/free housing or increasing medical access. I would be curious to see what stats look like on whether or not Citi bikes, OFO (RIP), etc. have had any impact on the homeless. So overall I applaud your ability to make this activism trendy, but I think it is a bit misguided. Also, yes I am well aware this also can give off the vibe of grandstanding, and yes it is, but I had a few minutes to kill and much like you at least think what I am saying makes a lot of sense, even if it might not.

T
trey mckee
5 years ago

nah, i like scoot