Muni Douchebag of the Week (or Year)
Photo by Michael
Rider Cat witnessed some truly terrible behavior on the J last week. Things got so violent that calling it “douchebaggery” is putting it mildly.
I was on the 8:15 a.m. J last Friday. There were a group of teenagers, lounging as they usually do, trying to take up multiple seats. Whatever, they do that all the time.
At some point, one of the teenagers started yelling and screaming about how some older man had “moved his leg.” The teen was sitting in the first row of seats that face the driver cabin. The leg in question was sprawled in front of him so that he could block people from sitting in the elderly/handicap seats.
He then got up and loomed over the poor fellow. “You scared bitch.” “I ain’t afraid to pop you in the mouth.” It was very impressive.
Finally, when he wasn’t getting the response he wanted, he slapped the seated man. This caused enough of a reaction from the other passengers that he sat down, proclaiming “I don’t give a shit what you white people think.”
A few minutes later, the slapped man got up and gave up his seat so a woman could sit, the teen left his leg extended so that she had to sit side saddle.
Slapping? I am only surprised that the seated man didn’t slap the teenager back, or that this didn’t devolve into some spiraling violence on the bus. What would you do if you saw such awful behavior on the bus?
Wonder why the hell the driver wasn’t saying a thing about it?
what is more annoying is the drivers reaction to just keep driving?!?!?!
I’d probably call the police. Seems like a petty incident but they can escalate very quickly. I hate MUNI more and more every day :/
On the J Church, of course. Pfff
Ah yes, another fine example of how SFMTA can have fare inspectors but not actual security personnel.
Sooo much more important to keep increasing fares so the drivers can get those raises we riders voted against and the Ed Lee and his ilk have decided to ignore the measure WE PASSED.
That is horrifying. I bet everyone on the bus was too terrified to call the Police for fear of retaliation. I wonder if you can use that same “text about graffiti hotline” to report assault and battery?
SFPD already has a text to tip hotline, but in a past interaction with the service, they admitted they don’t monitor it 24/7 (unlike what they promise on their website), and any text message response comes back hours or days later.
Something like this did happen to my wife once – she was holding my then one year old daughter when she inadvertently bumped into some teenager’s possession. That elicited a slap from said teenager. She knew that the teenager had boarded at the neighborhood middle school. We went to our district police station and the contacted the resource officer who works at that school. The officer was able to find out who did it by listening to the talk at school.
the correct description is a waster of oxygen.
Perhaps you should say,”Would your Mama allow you to act like that?” Then let the guilt sink in.
Unfortunately it was probably their mama that made them that way, so I doubt seriously that would work……..☺
A teenager slapping someone in public?
The embarrassing thing is that no one got involved to put him back in place.
Speak up people!
As a Chicagoan, I’m afraid I’d have to grab him by the collar and smack his damn smart-ass head into the nearest window. I’ve seen it done on CTA buses here – TWICE – and to the cheerful, nodding approval of other Oldie Hawns, both black and white.
SUCK IT UP, SAN FRANCISCO. And you HAVE 911 service – USE IT. MUNI ain’t gonna do it for you!
I have to agree with other commenters. Why do bus drivers allow so much shit to go on? I see people board all the time without paying, showing a receipt, or tapping their card. Not to mention the harassment by troublemakers. A bus driver’s job should also include regulating whats happening on their bus.
I have a question-what would have happened if someone sprayed said teen with some pepper spray because s/he was in fear of further retaliation?
Hi, I am 54, disabled, I walk with a cane, and I was assaulted by teenagers on the #5 bus while the driver watched as he had done while they had assaulted another couple 5 minutes before me. And I didn’t confront them, I just tried to get off the bus, and had to pass one of the bullies, and was attacked just because, but; I had a tazer I drew because this was not the first time, and I am finally fed up, the whole bus went crazy, including finally the driver, who came after me instead, yelling at me to put my weapon away, and when I told him to do his job first and put these bullies off, whom had not paid by the way, but he refused, he continued to yell at me. They finally got off laughing, and the bus driver did the everybody off until police arrive ritual, and as I was getting off the bus by force of the driver, they attacked me again, and took my tazer. The police were called, but they were gone, I waited, had police draw guns on me, handcuff me, and treat me as the criminal, the victim, just because i tried to protect myself. Now in this state I didn’t carry anything illegal, and I didn’t use it, I just threatened them with it, so I was released. The last time I protected myself though with pepper spray I ended up in jail for 30 days for using a weapon, even though it was proven to be self defense. It is stated we are allowed to protect ourselves, but when we shock the world and actually do it, we are treated as the criminals, and the young are learning this, that’s why they are not scared to do it anymore, as long as they don’t use a weapon, they don’t get policed as much as someone who does. So I suggest very strongly to be very careful when it comes to protecting yourself, there are consequences for invoking your right to not be beat up in this country.
I would’ve arouse from my seat and gladly told him, “Well I’m not white, I’m black and you’re a complete idiot.”
Is it politically incorrect to point out how white guilt is letting this go on? Yup! Sure is!