WTF Metro!

This is a post unlike any of my others as it is a more personal matter for me...

Last night my husband came home and was very upset. Apparently at 1pm yesterday on his way to work he was on the #7 bus headed to Columbia City and 10 15 year old kids got on. Husband was talking on his cell phone to his brother and got off once they got on as they were being really loud and calling him "faggety ass white boy on a pink phone" (his phone broke so he is using an old phone of mine which happens to be pink). He just ignored them. Then a Hispanic family got on and they started yelling "swine flu, swine flu" and scare the family so bad they got off. Then one of the girls told husband she was getting off the bus so he moved out of her way and instead she stole his seat and called her friend over. Husband said "No, move your ass over". Well that unleashed the beast in them. He now had to stand as it was a packed bus and his seat had been stolen. They started flicking him, grabbing his bag, pulling on his iPod cord, spraying him with perfume, called him names, pushed a sore on his neck and saying "swine flu" and just went on and on. No one on the bus said a word... It was a packed bus too... filled with people who wouldn't even look his way.

Husband had no idea what to do since they were kids. Had it been an adult he would have lashed back... What kind of rights does an adult have against kids? I know one solution would have been to just get off the bus but then aren't you just fueling what they are doing?

Five of the kids got off at his stop to go to the alternative school by where he works. He is going to contact the school but not sure what else to do. I wanted to at least post a blog about it as I think it is so wrong of people to just watch something like this happen. All someone had to do was tell the bus driver a guy is being harassed call the police. Then the cops could meet the bus at the next stop and handle this situation. Husband was not hurt but he felt powerless. Thankfully he wasn't hurt as you never know what kids who act like will do... They were basically showing off for one another, the pack mentality.

I read a story yesterday about a woman who asked a bus driver to call 911 but supposedly he refused. According to the article: "The woman claims she told the male Metro driver that "she wasn't with this man and that she needed him to call for help," but the suspect told the driver they were engaged and she "was just mad at him," police said. According to the police report, the Metro driver is alleged to have told the woman, "You're with him now — deal with it."

I also did a search on metro bus just to see what other stories I could find on the Seattle Times website and I found quite a few...

It saddens me that things like this are happening. What can we do to make riding to work safer and cleaner? (cleaner is a whole other issue - I learned recently from a bus driver that Metro NEVER cleans the buses other than just blowing the trash out. No wiping down of the seats, rails, etc. YUCK!)

I love riding the bus, I really do. It's so easy and quick. Everyone is entitled to a safe, clean, harassment free ride. I wonder if that is possible?

I just wanted to share this info for any and all who may read this. If you see someone being harassed or harmed or even get hurt do something about it. Don't idly stand by and do nothing. What is that was you, wouldn't you want to be helped? This goes for all instances... You see someone fall in the park, ask if they are ok, don't just let them lie there. Come on people, treat others as you would like to be treated! It's as simple as that.

Ok, enough of my soap box. Thanks for reading.