More Washington Metro Stupidity

[richlevy]

I could swear there was the earlier story on the Cellar about the woman arrested for eating a candy bar while entering the Metro. I couldn't find it with the search engine (candy subway metro arrested).

Anyway, the metro cops arrested and wrestled to the ground a 7-month pregnant woman who is alleged to have been yelling into her cellphone and using profanity.

Prosecutors declined to take it to trial after the woman refused to plea out and demanded a jury trial.

Woman on Cell Phone Has Charges Dropped

I don't know how abusive this woman was, but short of physically attacking a cop, can anyone justify taking down an obviously pregnant woman for allegedly being a loud potty mouth? Doesn't anyone train these cops in problem resolution? I especially like the tough talk from the union head.

Even the union representing transit officers seemingly acknowledged an image problem.

"Metro police are not some 'Barney Fife rent-a-cops,'" Teamsters Local 639 business agent Terrence Edwards said in a press release last week.

I don't know if that was acknowledging the problem. Considering other notable arrests were a handicapped guy and a 12-year-old girl, I'd say these guys are pretty smart in picking their opponents.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by richlevy

Considering other notable arrests were a handicapped guy and a 12-year-old girl, I'd say these guys are pretty smart in picking their opponents.

As someone who rides Metrorail every day, I wish that the cops would enforce the law more than they currently do.

Normally when a person violates the law by eating or drinking on Metro, they are warned to stop immediately. The cops also have the authority to ticket them without a warning if they want to. But arrests are extremely rare.

With the twelve year old girl travelling home from school, department policy stated that a ticket couldn't be issued to a minor, so the officer's only option was to arrest the minor or look the other way as the law was being broken. The officer arrested the minor, brought her to the station, and called her parent. It wasn't the officer's fault. Those were the official procedures at the time. They have since been modified.

I don't know the story of the handicapped man, but the article you quote says that he received a ticket for disturbing the peace. He was not arrested. He just has to pay a fine.

With the adult who was eating in the Metro before being arrested, she became verbally abusive to the cop as the cop tried to get her to stop eating. She also continued to eat after the cop told her she was violating the law. She was arrested because of the way she dealt with the cop. She lost in court, by the way, so the cop was vindicated.

The pregnant woman who was screaming obscenities on her cell phone in the metro was clearly disturbing the peace. She was first given a warning by the cop and asked to lower her voice and stop swearing. She instead started yelling and swearing at the cop. At that point she was only guilty of disturbing the peace. After ignoring the warning, the cop had a choice of ticketing her or arresting her. The fact that she was continuing the disturb the peace, even after the cop talked to her, made her arrest almost certain. When the cop tried to cuff her, she resisited, so she got put down on the ground. That's when resisiting arrest was added to the charges. The DA supposedly dropped the case because they didn't want to spend the money on a jury trial, but it was really dropped because it was a political hot potato. I wish they hadn't dropped the case. A jury decision would tell us a lot more about who was right and who was wrong.

Maybe the cops need more training. Maybe they could have diffused these situations before arrest became the only option. I don't know. I wasn't there. Neither were you.

[Kitsune]

Glatt, I haven't been on the Metro in many years. Is it still as clean as it used to be? I was very impressed with the quality of the trains, lack of graffiti, etc.

[glatt]

It is still very clean. No grafitti. Some of the cars are getting really old and dingy, and the carpet needs replacing. They have been purchasing new cars to add to the system, and those are very nice, but they need a lot more.

The system as a whole is having severe financial problems, and that's causing congestion, delays, and elevator and escalator malfunctions. The Metro system is unique because it goes through two states and the District, so getting any one governmental organisation to consider it its "baby" and take care of it is very hard. Nobody wants to pay for it.

[Kitsune]

I like the Metro quite a bit better than the mass trasit system I used everyday in Atlanta: MARTA. MARTA trains were old enough that the windows were starting to get fairly heavy graffiti, the floor was scumy, and the trains were starting to develop an odd funk especially on rainy days. And MARTA never beat taking the interstate because the trains made so many stops that it took just as long as sitting in traffic.

MARTA wasn't able to sustain itself, either, which I don't fully understand. On most days during rush hour, you would end up waiting until the next train because the one you were trying board was full. Charging $1.50 per rider, I have no idea how they managed to fall into financial problems except that the bus system might have been their downfall.

One thing I loved about the DC Metro: the blinky lights on the floor that let you know when a train was coming. Those kicked ass.

[Radar]

Screw those cops and those laws. I'd love to get about 100 people together and all get on the train with a bunch of pizzas and eat them right in front of the cops and DARE them to try to stop us.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Radar

Screw those cops and those laws. I'd love to get about 100 people together and all get on the train with a bunch of pizzas and eat them right in front of the cops and DARE them to try to stop us.

The trains don't get cleaned until the end of the day, which means law abiding citizens will be sitting in your grease drippings and crumbs. Your right to eat pizza stops where my right to ride on a clean train begins.

[wolf]

I'd love to watch you try, Radar. Unfortunately, because of that no photography rule, my nefarious master plan to take video of the whole event and sell it to the highest bidder amongst the news agencies, falls flat.

Originally Posted by wolf

I'd love to watch you try, Radar. Unfortunately, because of that no photography rule, my nefarious master plan to take video of the whole event and sell it to the highest bidder amongst the news agencies, falls flat.

What? You can't take pictures on the metro, either? What's wrong with that? As an aside, I too, remember the metro from the old days. It was this wondrful, very clean, streamlined system. I liked those little lights, also. I also liked knowing that I was riding underneath the Potomic River. It felt like Jules Verne or something.

[Radar]

Originally Posted by wolf

I'd love to watch you try, Radar. Unfortunately, because of that no photography rule, my nefarious master plan to take video of the whole event and sell it to the highest bidder amongst the news agencies, falls flat.

My guess is they wouldn't notice you video-taping them while they were trying to deal with us. There's also the whole "hidden video" thing. They've got cameras that look like buttons on your clothing.

Originally Posted by glatt

The trains don't get cleaned until the end of the day, which means law abiding citizens will be sitting in your grease drippings and crumbs. Your right to eat pizza stops where my right to ride on a clean train begins.

You don't have a right to ride a "clean" train any more or less than I have a right to eat pizza. Although in the end, eating food that you obtain honestly is a right, and going through life without being bothered isn't.

I swear to god when I go to D.C. I will ride the trian and I will eat and curse, and if a cop even tries to touch me I will shove his stick straight up his ass.

[wolf]

Sounds like a GTG to me ... in addition to a cellar tee shirt, I'll be wearing a hat that says "innocent bystander," however.

P.S. I will not be travelling to our nation's Capitol until well after the elections.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by marichiko

I liked those little lights, also.

They now have computerized signs on each platform that tell you how many minutes until the next train comes. Sometimes they are turned off, or the information is not helpful, but those signs are often a real help, especially when there are delays.

Overall, Metro is great. It's just exceeding its capacity right now, and funding is a problem. They are trying to get enough money together to add more cars to each train to reduce overcrowding.

I'm not aware of photography being illegal in Metro, but it's been a year or so since I've taken pictures down there. Early 2003 I took a few of crowded trains.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Radar

You don't have a right to ride a "clean" train any more or less than I have a right to eat pizza. Although in the end, eating food that you obtain honestly is a right, and going through life without being bothered isn't.

So does that mean you think you have a right to defecate on a train?

How does that saying go, "My rights stop, where your rights begin"? Something to that effect. I have the right to engage in any non-criminal activity I please. I can eat pizza, but I can't eat it at your desk and leave grease all over your paper work. I can listen to music on my headset, but I can't start blasting it at you top volume from my ghetto buster. That's called disturbing the peace. Everyone has the right to not be bothered by someone else's thoughtless behavior.

[Cyber Wolf]

Originally Posted by Radar

Although in the end, eating food that you obtain honestly is a right, and going through life without being bothered isn't.

The right to go through life without being bothered may not be a right, but it's well within my rights to react to something that's bothering me. Make your stand all you want, just be sure you and your ilk clean up and take the trash with you when you leave. It'll make more of a point if you do the eating then leave the place as clean as it was when you got there cuz it'll show people can eat and not make the place a mess. Of course, if part of the reason IS to make a mess, then I'll be cheering the cops on.