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Cleanup

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One of a number of signs that have been up on sidewalks in Roppongi where the bar touts hassle passersby.

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finally!

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I hope they round up these guys and send them to Guantanamo!

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I am absolutely certain that the sight of those two cartoons of cutesy-poo police officers will strike terror and obedience into the heart of the biggest yakuza-employed Nigerian.

And instead of putting infantile pictures up, why don't the policemen who sit in the koban on Roppongi Crossing walk across the road and do some police work instead of sitting on their arses smoking?

Oh of course, that would be doing something, instead of creating the perception of doing something. Silly me.

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Good. I wish they would keep their dirt hands away from me as I am not their 'friend'.

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Oh sure, that will put the Nigerian touts out of business. Not.

Why don´t they replace the Koban with a sign "don´t comit crimes here"?

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Could they please do the same for the people who block the train station exits while handing out advertisements, tissues, etc.? They block the orderly flow of pedestrians, and make for an unsafe landing at the top of the stairs.

And what is the punishment that they mention? Coming from the police – shouldn’t they be arresting, and not punishing?

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This is great. Apparently there is no Nigerian word for "no thank you" and despite these guys' fairly decent English, they don't comprehend the phrase.

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And it should be "either of the following", not "any".

Furthermore, who chose the typeface, and who can't punctuate properly?

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it wouldn't be a problem if they could take no for an answer the first time...

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"Could they please do the same for the people who block the train station exits while handing out advertisements, tissues, etc.? They block the orderly flow of pedestrians, and make for an unsafe landing at the top of the stairs." Are you Mr. Safety Patrol Man? Are you serious?

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they can take no for an answer if you say it nicely no problem with them being told to calm down, but not sure this will be enforced with any vigour

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Are you Mr. Safety Patrol Man? Are you serious?

Actually - I am serious. I walk with a limp and depend upon the hand rail for support. So exiting at the top of the stairs where the hand rail ends is challenging when they are blocking the way and thrusting their wares into your belly.

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Well that's bound to work! Now the police don't need to patrol the area - this sign takes care of everything. hmmmmmmm

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TJ random...my apologies!

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glad to see semicolons put to some good use.

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This banner doesn't reflect seriousness of the message that it carries, people might take it as a joke..

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Unfortunately, this is not just a problem in Roppongi. Out here in the suburbs, there are lots Nigerians (dressed up as gansta rappers) who accost young kids on the street to get them to buy clothing. These folks have the full package, including (bad) fake American accents and serious attitude problems. My elder son (a junior high school kid) had a run-in with them in town. They wouldn't take no for an answer in English or Japanese (their "sales tactics" border on intimidation). My son (no shrinking violet himself) was rather distressed and ended up calling me on my mobile to come and save his axse. It took some convincing from me and some persausion from my larger dog to get these guys to back off. Typical Japan, not a policeman in site when you need one, and nobody willing to step in and help kids (lots of spectators, however, for the face off between two crazy foreigners) (lol).

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people making a living, so they are a bit annoying but success goes to the annoying.

live n let live. if you dont like it, there are many others places to go besides roppongi.

are all touts nigerian? sounds a bit racist. are all bars owned by the yakuza? doubt it.

whiners, get a life

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You've got to love those cutesy police signs in Japan - a little manga thrown in with hello kitty!

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Foot patrol cops please! Its a very small section of the city where this is a problem, and getting the cops out of the koban would do the trick. A sign isn't going to do it.

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I agree Sensei. If cops were serious they could find plenty other reasons to stop these guys or close down their bars.

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I find the best way to deal with these guys is:

1/ don't let them catch your eye 2/ say nothing 3/ keep walking

Works every time for me.

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Seen groups of guys 'scouting' models for a new movie and then dragging protesting women down side streets to love hotels.

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Wouldn't the English "No touting" be sufficient?

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If ya go to Roppongi go armed with OC Spray and spray the annoying people with it. A fews days with their face buried in the pavement burning from the OC Spray should give them the message to leave people alone!

As for Japanese Police, OH PLEASE, they are as useless as tits on a bull!

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The best way to avoid hassle is to go arm in arm with a woman (or two) I've found, then these guys never hassle you. The other approach is to claim that you are gay - some of them are a bit "traditional" about that

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They should put some cops there or send round the immigration van. Those African guys on the strip are a right pain.

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warning is good. isn't going out and arrest these guys better? (if indeed what they do is illegal)

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That is a good thing. timeon, arrest? for a suspended sentence?

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Yo, Nigerians, that means you. Word. Hopefully we can now walk down the street without being grabbed on the shoulder by these gold-chain wearing gangstas, demanding us to come to their bars in their jive talk. "Yo, dawg, come to tha club...come to tha club...free drinks bro..." Notice how you usually only see these guys at night, they can easily slip away into the darkness of night in the unlikely event the J-cops work up the courage to approach the gang-bangas.

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Best way to avoid the Nigerian touts, don't go to Roppongi.

Mori has had these guys run around for years to drive down the prices of the land so he can snap it up for a song. I guess Mori got all the land he wanted now, and want to clean it up?

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Best way to avoid the Nigerian touts, don't go to Roppongi

If only it were true. As I pointed out in my earlier post, this is not a "Roppongi Only Problem." Out here in the suburbs they prey on teenagers, trying to sell (dodgy) gansta fashion items. A hand on the shoulder and away you go. As I pointed out in my earlier post, my elder son was basically bailed up by these clowns in the middle of an arcade (along with a couple of friends). Luckily he had the peace of mind to get on the phone to me straight away. When I turned up with my friend (our larger dog) about 15 minutes later, 6 or 7 of these guys were preventing the kids from going about their business. Again, not a cop or good samaritan in sight. A couple of young cops turned up after everything was over (and were balled out by my son's friend whose dad is a cop). A total disgrace. The cops should be right on these guys. Arrest them, go over their visa status, and hopefully put them on the next flight back to Nigeria or where-ever the hell they come from.

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Nigerians, the bad ones, are the biggest scam artists online right now. They think nothing of outright stealing a couple thousand and will even end their scam with a 'God Bless'. Unfortunately, Nigerians, the good ones, are completely indifferent to criminal Nigerians. I saw an interview with the Nigerian equivalent to the Chief of Police ... it was obvious scam artists give him kick backs. The law doesn't matter, they behave exactly like Somali pirates. They don't care cause no one does anything about it. Disgraceful! Shameful! Evil!

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They really are a pain and it's about time they were clamped down on. But what I can't understand is; how they are there. I wouldn't be allowed to live in Japan due to not having a degree nor a specialised proffesion. So how do they get in? Or can you get bachelor degrees in pestering people in Nigeria and take a TNFL course?

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Nigerians, the bad ones, are the biggest scam artists online right now. They think nothing of outright stealing a couple thousand and will even end their scam with a 'God Bless'.

Those bars they work for, go there and:

a) you'll be charged upwards of 400,000 for maybe one drink, or a private dance. b) marched to the atm in the morning to withdraw money c) drugged and wake up with 500,000 charged to your credit card.

If you want to go to a dancing bar in Roppongi, Seventh Heaven is probably safest.

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They really are a pain and it's about time they were clamped down on. But what I can't understand is; how they are there. I wouldn't be allowed to live in Japan due to not having a degree nor a specialised proffesion. So how do they get in?

Why do you assume that these people don't have a college degree just because Nigeria is poor? Thanks to the internet, people anywhere in the world can earn an advanced degree from a prestigious online university.

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been posted a bunch of times here.

Dont like the action in Roppongi, go somewhere else...

I havent seen a single nigerian tout in my neck of the woods. why not try going some place with some class for a change?

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@IvanCoughalot C'mon, admit it, those manga figures strike terror in your heart. @frontandcentre Pretend to be gay, brilliant, "ooh I like my men like I like my coffee, black and sweet ..." they'll be heading to Narita in no time.

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I have a different complaint: I would LIKE to not be discriminated purely by my caucasian appearance while walking down any street and be given tissues. It would save me some money;

hakujinsensei

sometimes I think that is all foreigners do here is complain .... Why. We are foreigners in Japan, it´s natural to complain. We are losers. If you see any foreigner praising Japan, then be bery bery careful: those are the losers who think they are winners.

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Does this mean that all the naggers in the area will have to go nag elsewhere? I think we are all forgetting that the naggers also include the Chinese massage ladies.

I have learned that if you're on a mamachari in Roppongi, you are pretty much invisible to everyone.

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Not sure if Japan has an equivalent to the US's First Amendment, but isn't a blanket prohibition on all "calling out to ask someone to be a prospective customer" a little overkill? I can understand the need to stop someone from harrassing pedestrians by repeated attempts, but that sign suggests an old fish store worker calling out "irasshai!" on the sidewalk would get punished.

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This is a good thing although a police presence would be more effective. Now, if they could only do something about those bloody knobheads coming around selling newspapers. They are harder to get rid of than Nigerian touts!

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I didnt think of that!

Good call Jcops. Now enforce this at the supermarket so that fish monger will shutto appu! and I can shop in peace.

This should be a national law! No more irrashamase! would be heaven on earth.

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The police is obviously doing the best they can do. Touting is a direct form of advertisement for bars and wide spread in Japan. Japanese touts can be seen all over the typical drinking places. At first nothing special.

Sadly the situation in Roppongi has gone out of hands. Drugging scams, Brazilian champaign scams, overly aggressive "masagi" girls, aggressive touts, etc. The American embassy has rightly warned their citizens to be very careful when going to Roppongi.

Now that the economic downturn has cleared the numbers of foreign party goers with loose cash, there are too many hyenas and not enough prey. The fight for customers and the temptation for scams will only go up.

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" I think we are all forgetting that the naggers also include the Chinese massage ladies. "

Oh come on. You are not comparing the "massaji massaji" girls with those Nigerian touts who follow you all the way down Roppongi street? Ridiculous!

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Oh come on. You are not comparing the "massaji massaji" girls with those Nigerian touts who follow you all the way down Roppongi street? Ridiculous!

Yeah, but the law makes no distinction (at least as it is stated in the sign).

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hahaha, good call lostinnagoya, I will try to remember that ;)

what is with all the venom toward the nigerians? havent been to roppongi in years but surely there has to be other people that tout? Osaka is primarily pretty little jboys with a colored person thrown in from time to time. I always wish I could be pretty like that with my hair standing up and covering half my face at the same time....

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Those foreign dudes that hassle people in Roppongi esepcially other foreigners passing by or on a night out, I find just put people off going into wherever they are rudly trying to get you to go into. Very unjapanese experience or not fitting in with other areas of tokyo. Even I would be offput if it were another country. I think the places would do better without them or if they changed their attitude and were more friendly and relaxed. would be glad to see the back of them.

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from a prestigious online university

Thats where charisma man got his from too!

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About time. I wish the Japanese would enlist the help of Crocop to run a team down there with big sticks and beat the hell out of them one night, film the whole thing and put it on youtube. Or simply put some street camera's up, film them harassing people for a couple of weeks then use the video evidence to arrest and charge the WHOLE BLOODY LOT OF THEM. Asa meishi mae. Those Nigerians are the worst foreigners in Japan hands down. Mind you, they couldn't exist if there wasn't a demand.

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wow, good news, I can safely crawl the streets of roppongi again...i spend half my time detecting them in advance and avoiding them in a cat and mouse or just plain ignoring them.

I think if each store was limited to 1 or 2 touts then it might strike a balance and add some atmosphere at the same time..but otherwise it puts me right off...even those masaji girls can get demanding,grabbing yur arms etc...but once again 1 or 2 is tolerable...

So now where do these guys go ?? will they be waiting indoors to hit you up even harder for that bottle of Dom P.??

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I havent been to roppongi in ages & probably wont be going anytime soon, but have been hassled a bit by similar types in shinjuku, where there are zillions of scrawny j-boys touting all over the place, same in shibuya.

Wonder if the j-cops will go after them as well, they shud, they really harass a lot of women, while not a bad as these dudes in roppongi it wud be nice if there were a lot fewer of these things on the streets of jpn nationwide imo

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That yellow color is really matching well with the green bars. Why are those sticky Nigerians still there anyway? The cops should check them...I guess it is easier to stick some papers up.

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It's a dog eat dog world out there in roppongi

first you got Asian massage girls and nigerians pretended to be american Please remove these people please

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Please stop me for my bicycle and checking if I have immigration papers

please check the roppongi people please do me a favor Do these people have their fingers scanned ???

Double standard

J society

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It's a dog eat dog world out there in roppongi

first you got Asian massage girls and nigerians pretended to be american Please remove these people please

The Asian Massage girls can stay, but the Nigerians can rack off!

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The Asian Massage girls can stay, but the Nigerians can rack off!

nice double standard, there...

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Haven't been there (yet), but it sounds like the mess you used to find near naval bases back in the 70's and 80's. Guys and girls on the street trying to lure sailors into the clubs they worked for. Very persistent and very annoying. I know San Diego, CA finally had enough of it and rebuilt that whole section of downtown after "acquiring" the properties. It looks like Rippongi may be facing a similar solution.

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yes, thank you police, catch them and throw them in jail please.

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This is long overdue. I avoid going there after dark. Those guys are a nuisance! It looks nothing like Roppongi a few years ago. Time for some house cleaning.

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My experience of Roppongi was like hyper-spacing to the certain parts of Amsterdam. Bit of a shock, like going to the beach in Nagoya. If you can't ban it, at least contain it.

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What a joke. Whilst the chimpira in Shibuya and Shinjuku hassle every girl that walks past them, the politicians and the cops talk about the African guys in Roppongi. I have never felt intimidated by the African guys and they are merely doing what the Japanese catchy do all over Japan. You can even chat with those guys in Roppongi and still not feel the need to follow them. Do the cops do anything about all those chimpira around Isetan in Shinjuku ? Or the model/ AV catchy on Omotesando Dori ? This is just racism, plain and simple.

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I always wonder what kind of visa these guys have. Wouldnt a visa swoop net a lot of these guys or are the authorities scared of approaching them?

The biggest issue I have about these guys is how they tell the locals they're American. How about a bit of pride. Who in 2009 wants to lie about being an American? Damn, most of my American friends travel the world pretending they're Canadian!

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This is just racism, plain and simple.

Japanese racist? NO! I won't hear of it northlondon ;-)

Yanking your chain man. I agree. Still curious about their visa status though.

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These guys are very sexy and cool. Jgirls will marry them at the drop of a hat. Visa is no problem.

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Ah yes Roppongi, human nature at its finest, it is a magnet for the sleaze of Japan both Japanese and foriegners.

I seem to remember that there were Nigerian touts even in Sapporo around the end of tanuki koji, where there was rap/hip hop clothing store.

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@spammy420 the situation has got out of hand, the massage girls are irritating but the touts are right up the street, so getting to a bar to meet your friends starts to be a chore, it's probably killing off business overall

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Sure those signs will work... who are they kidding? Like if that's ever going to work. I've been followed by the black dudes, the 'me love you long time' girls and the Russian maffia girls all over Roppongi when out with my friends after work and it gets old REALLY FAST. You'll be in the middle of a conversation and one of these rude farks will just barge on in trying to peddle his/her bar/club/rubby, rubby massagey hole in the wall.

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What a joke. Whilst the chimpira in Shibuya and Shinjuku hassle every girl that walks past them, the politicians and the cops talk about the African guys in Roppongi. I have never felt intimidated by the African guys and they are merely doing what the Japanese catchy do all over Japan. You can even chat with those guys in Roppongi and still not feel the need to follow them. Do the cops do anything about all those chimpira around Isetan in Shinjuku ? Or the model/ AV catchy on Omotesando Dori ? This is just racism, plain and simple.

very true. i was people watching whilst killing a little time on yasukuni dori in shinjuku the other night and if you stay in once place for a while you will see a lot of j dudes hassling girls. one guy was taking pictures of girls with a full on SLR camera, not making any attempt to be subtle about it. it's funny that you rarely hear girls complain about this, but if you're a girl in this city you must surely get hassled quite regularly. imo the nigerians in roppongi might be irritatingly persistent but at least all they want you to do is go to a bar

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These guys are very sexy and cool. Jgirls will marry them at the drop of a hat. Visa is no problem.

You are right, met a Nigerian age 32 married to a 56 year old Japanese lady in Motown. Visa all sorted with a PR in the works. If Bootcamp Billy can apply for PR in less of a year of marriage, what's stopping these guys?

Moderator: Back on topic please.

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Most of the nigerians are just trying to get you to their hip hop clothing shops. At least in Machida they do. If they did not have proper visas, they would not be able to rent a store and set up business. They are smarter than most of us and make a good living here.

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Most of the nigerians are just trying to get you to their hip hop clothing shops. At least in Machida they do. If they did not have proper visas, they would not be able to rent a store and set up business. They are smarter than most of us and make a good living here.

you're assuming they are owners of the store. it's highly possible that some other entrepreneur is the owner and the nigerians just provide the fashionably appealing front

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imo the nigerians in roppongi might be irritatingly persistent but at least all they want you to do is go to a bar

...and rob you.

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Some would argue that pimps are entitled to a livin', too.

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i really hate the naggers a month ago i am walking along, this guy comes up to me with his "hey friend" and i go "i am not interested", he gets all upset, i am not try to hussle you man, BS dude, they are gettin meaner, put them in a tube and fire it at north korea yakunin tateiru deshou!

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Classic response to a "Hey friend!" from a stranger is, "I don't know you so you're not my friend. You've already started out by lying to me so I'm not believing anything else you may say to me. Be gone." Then ignore the guy and continue on your business. Don't further acknowledge him or act like he is irritating you. If he want's to persist in talking to the stone wall you have erected, then that means he's not making money off of someone else. That's the best punishment I can think of.

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