More respectful riders
As a daily Metro bus rider, I confess to relishing the rare moments when a transit scofflaw is called out for littering, eating or “manspreading.” Still, I was troubled by the video of an 18-year-old woman being forcibly removed from a Red Line train after she persistently refused a police officer’s request to take her feet off a seat — both because it’s disturbing to watch any young person get manhandled by a cop, and because of the woman’s flagrant disregard of the rules meant to keep public property in good working order.
But to the Los Angeles Times’ letter writers, only the woman’s behavior is problematic. As of this writing, not a single reader has expressed great concern about the officer’s actions.
Paul Thornton, — letters editor
Mark Benoit of Long Beach bemoans the “Wild West” atmosphere on public transit:
I support the Los Angeles Police Department sergeant who was videotaped forcibly removing a young woman from a train. I would probably ride the trains more frequently if I saw the rules being enforced effectively.
It is like the Wild West on those trains. Loud music is almost a given. Drinking alcoholic beverages is common. Passengers shout across the cars at one another.
Putting one’s feet on a seat may seem like a minor thing, but it is one of the rules passengers agree to obey when they ride transit. Witnessing frequent violations of those rules makes a law-abiding traveler feel insecure, to say the least.
Los Angeles resident Mariana Bension wonders what “deescalation strategies” the officer’s critics have in mind:
Perhaps the Times Editorial Board, which criticized the police officer, can enlighten us on what other “deescalation strategies” could be applied.
Should we deploy a team of mediators to make troublemakers want to obey the rules? Perhaps we can give them Amazon vouchers to get them to behave. How about also offering them tickets to Disneyland?
This editorial promotes the sad cupcake culture that doesn’t hold people accountable for flouting the rules that benefit us all. Officers have a hard job to do, and unless we’re dealing with cases of unjustified police violence, we should just let them do it.
Mary Flanagan of Los Angeles compares the police officer to an exasperated parent:
I am a Metro rider and find it not always pleasant.
This incident did not appear to be just someone displaying rude behavior; rather it was more like a tantrum thrown by a 2-yearold. The police reaction was similar to an exasperated parent who was attempting to remove this “child” from the scene. It was not pretty to watch.
I sympathize with the officer as I would with any parent who has to contend with an out-of-control toddler. Reading the Metro chief ’s apology for this incident just added to my disgust, as the seats are dirty, people who should know better take over multiple seats, and when the police are called in to enforce the rules, Metro does not support them.