When there are lots of seats available, I leave my stuff on the seat next to me. If no one is likely to need it, it is nice for me because it is more comfortable and doesn’t bother people around me. (Unlike, for instance, taking off my shoes and letting the smell of my sweaty feet disturb people around me.)

When it’s starting to be slim pickings, I put my stuff on my lap.

I’ve never had a problem when I asked politely if I could sit in the seat where someone kept their stuff. It’s just nice to give people the benefit of the doubt for something like this.

If someone singled me out for this, I would wonder to myself why they chose to direct it at me. Did my RBF strike again? Was it just random chance? Is this part of a scam? Are they a bigot? If I’m getting a full rant for something small and easy to resolve, I do question how far the person will go, since their reaction seems disproportionate. Are they going to escalate further? How much further? Is this person going to follow me when I get off at my stop?