Super creepy guys harass a woman in a Waymo

[jlw]

Originally published at: Super creepy guys harass a woman in a Waymo - Boing Boing

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[Otherbrother]

@jlw

Something seems disconnected in the SFist story, as it says the rider received support from Waymo but also that they didn’t call her until hours after the incident. I am not sure which it is, but I am willing to believe their customer support sucks.

FWIW, per an article in The Autopian there were other communications with Waymo during the ride:

Due to the unexpected situation, the Waymo had stopped for safety reasons. “Finally when they left, the car was still stalled,” says Amina. Thankfully, she was promptly able to get help with the issue. “I clicked the ‘in car support’ on the screen and they seemed to be aware of the issue,” she explains. “They asked if I was OK, and the car began to drive towards my location.” The Waymo operator asked if she needed police support, which she declined.

She says Waymo staff followed up with her after the event, too. “When I nearly arrived at the location, the in-car support called me again to make sure I was okay,” she says. “I assured him that I was fine and he told me I would be given a free ride after.” Hours later, she got a follow-up call, too. “They asked if I was OK and told me that they have 24/7 support available,” she says.

I’m not a fan of companies testing these unaccountable, multi-ton robots on public streets but in this instance the villians of the story are almost entirely the creeps in the video.

Edit to add: might as well post a screenshot of these folks for public shaming.

[awesomerobot]

@Otherbrother

might as well post a screenshot of these folks for public shaming.

they’d probably be mad if they were capable of feeling shame

[anon29537550]

@Otherbrother

the villians of the story are almost entirely the creeps in the video.

Yeah, nobody else but the assholes there to blame.

[gracchus]

Even worse. they’re super creepy hipster guys.

[cannibalpeas]

Seeing that particular hat is about a 95% guarantee the wearer is a douche. The other 5% is people heading to their jazz quartet gig.

[anon77190095]

@jlw

There was a random guy walking with a blow torch.

I guess he’s gotten over being tackled by a naked man…

[noah]

Blow torch?

@gracchus

Even worse. they’re super creepy hipster guys.

I dunno. They had a certain gauntness and lack of teeth that I don’t necessarily associate with hipsters.

[theodore604]

Do these guys think this will actually work? as in they will acquire a phone number and date? or is it just about being an asshole and making someone else feel uncomfortable?

[FuckThisTimeLine]

Asking for number? Sure, I would even go as far as to call up his potential date for the night through 911.

[anon23281680]

@theodore604

or is it just about being an asshole and making someone else feel uncomfortable?

It’s about exercising power over a woman. Much like any street sexual harassment. They enjoy making women uncomfortable and fearful and being able to claim it’s harmless.

Edit: just in case this wasn’t clear, I do not believe this behavior is harmless.

[JustGoodSense]

So not only do these cars need emergency overrides so the passenger can take control, they also need tasers or skunk juice squirters installed on the front bumper.

[gracchus]

“Brushing teeth is for squares, ma-a-a-an. I wasn’t brushing before it was cool!”

[ElQuesero]

[rikomatic]

This story and those creeps suck. OTOH, I have a number of female friends who tell me that they prefer taking a Waymo versus an Uber because the Waymo robot won’t hit on you while it’s driving.

[Tribune]

They should have summoned more waymo’s and boxed them in.

[drsdl]

I am absolutely not a lawyer, but…

This sounds remarkably like false imprisonment.

Note that the vehicle doesn’t need to be autonomous. In fact, CA PEN §§ 236 seems pretty broad on the face of it:

False imprisonment is the unlawful violation of the personal liberty of another.

Full stop. And, per CA PEN §§ 237(a),

False imprisonment is punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or both

[Otherbrother]

@drsdl

I am absolutely not a lawyer, but…

This sounds remarkably like false imprisonment.

Note that the vehicle doesn’t need to be autonomous.

Years back some paparazzi were convicted of that for blocking Arnold Schwarzenegger’s vehicle when he was trying to drop off his kid at school. They got off easy, considering that he was driving a humvee and could have just crushed their cars if he had a little less self-restraint.

Paparazzi Guilty in Schwarzenegger Case

Edit: I guess I misremembered. The paparazzi conviction was for when he was in a Mercedes being blocked by a SUV, but his humvee had also attracted paparazzi in other incidents.

[shmello]

@gracchus

“Brushing teeth is for squares, ma-a-a-an. I wasn’t brushing before it was cool!”

Bad behavior should not an invitation to mock appearance. Many folks with the same appearance are not douches. Being poor and/or addicted does not lead to great dental cosmetics.

[anon61221983]

@rikomatic

female