RECENT BUS VIOLENCE
What is wrong with people??? Recently, a guy got shot on the 5 route. Apparently, there was a group of loud, obnoxious teens and he asked them to chill out. That's why he got shot. ????????????????? Being a bus driver, I do that all the time. Some kids ( and I stress SOME) don't know how to act. I often have to ask them to watch their language or tone it down. Am I next? Is there a bullet out there with MY name on it? How stupid. The good news is, the guy is still alive. The bad news is he is in critical condition. The SAD news is that a 15 and a 19 year old are being charged with his shooting. They are in custody. Both turned themselves in after their pictures from the CAMERAS on the bus ( great place to attempt a murder, huh?) showed great pictures of them on the news. Here are two MORE teens that will likely spend a large part of their lives in prison. For what? Because the didn't know how to act in public and when confronted with it chose to try and KILL the person who brought it to their attention. I feel sorry for their families, and the family of the poor guy that tried to bring a little sanity onto a rowdy bus.
There was also a murder just a couple days ago on the 10 route. Seems some 60 year old guy was giving the driver a hard time and some guy in his 40's came to his defense. This was all a verbal confrontation until the older guy took a swing at the other guy. The driver had done as we are trained to do when there may be violence on the bus. He pulled over and opened the doors. This gives people that are scared a chance to leave the situation if they want to so they aren't feeling trapped. It also persuades the people fighting to get off the bus...which is what we want to do to protect all the other people on the bus. After being swung on, the 40-something year old swung back and hit the older guy, who fell down the steps and hit his head on the sidewalk and died. Now the 40ish guy is in jail awaiting charges. Some news reports said alcohol was a factor in this situation. They also pointed out the guy being charged has a record showing more than one arrest per year of his life!! Everything from domestic abuse to not paying his fare on the bus. Sounds like his lack of anger management skills finally caught up with him.
Because these two incidents happened within such a short time, the news media has been having a ball with it. I would like to point out that the last time someone shot someone on a city bus here was about 6 years ago. Not all that bad a record for a major metropolitan area. True, there are a lot of unreported (not shown on the news) incidents of violence on the bus, but that just reflects what is going on in the community as a whole. Don't give the bus, or it's riders, a bad name. Most people riding the bus are good, honest, hard working people just trying to get from point A to point B. It is those people that make my job somewhere I look forward to going every day.
There was also a murder just a couple days ago on the 10 route. Seems some 60 year old guy was giving the driver a hard time and some guy in his 40's came to his defense. This was all a verbal confrontation until the older guy took a swing at the other guy. The driver had done as we are trained to do when there may be violence on the bus. He pulled over and opened the doors. This gives people that are scared a chance to leave the situation if they want to so they aren't feeling trapped. It also persuades the people fighting to get off the bus...which is what we want to do to protect all the other people on the bus. After being swung on, the 40-something year old swung back and hit the older guy, who fell down the steps and hit his head on the sidewalk and died. Now the 40ish guy is in jail awaiting charges. Some news reports said alcohol was a factor in this situation. They also pointed out the guy being charged has a record showing more than one arrest per year of his life!! Everything from domestic abuse to not paying his fare on the bus. Sounds like his lack of anger management skills finally caught up with him.
Because these two incidents happened within such a short time, the news media has been having a ball with it. I would like to point out that the last time someone shot someone on a city bus here was about 6 years ago. Not all that bad a record for a major metropolitan area. True, there are a lot of unreported (not shown on the news) incidents of violence on the bus, but that just reflects what is going on in the community as a whole. Don't give the bus, or it's riders, a bad name. Most people riding the bus are good, honest, hard working people just trying to get from point A to point B. It is those people that make my job somewhere I look forward to going every day.
posted by Jeanne Ree at 2:04 PM
14 Comments:
How awful!
Hey!
Long time no see.
I was thinking, with all these mockumentary movies coming out like Kenny and Razzle Dazzle; i should so tip of all the good directors about you. I think the content and the Literature work of art would persuade then to make a movie - "Life of a Metro Bus Driver" or "The next stop", or any other cool, witty title.
By the way this is Australian Aaron whom has been secretly reading your blog on occasion, very happy to see you're still going strong!
Happy St. Patty's Day for this weekend by the way.
Regards, Aaron.
Elianara, yeah...it can get kind of stressful at times. You have to expect that when you are working with the public in a major metropolitan area. That can be the fun part too so you have to take the bad along with the good. I still love my job!
Aaron - Good to see you again! I always thought it would be interesting to have a movie or series on life on the bus. The characters change by the minute! What could be more fun?? How about this for a name..."Picking up Strangers" ?? Hehehe
The strangers we sometimes pick up are not so funny.... The stranger I picked up Hijacked my bus on the 21, trying to strangle me with a bandana, told me to keep driving, taking me off my route, He was goning to kill a gentile , I was able to stall for time, call for help. got to an S.A. stopped, The police were able to swarm the bus and get him off, It has turned my life upside down, It's given me night mares, anxiety, panic attacts, mean while I,ve been back to driving ,waiting for trial, moved 3 times, request for speedy trial, request,s for evaluations, The Defence Lawyer knowing what she was doing, requested a speedy trial, If he isn't tried in 120 days he has to be released, funny ! this was drug out 1 day past his 120 days, He was released on his own cognizince! he was not competent to stand trial BUT.... he was well enough to let him out!!!!!! Just as I thought I was doing O.K. My world was turned upside down again!!!! What is wrong with this STATE?!!!! Imagine going to work eveyday in FEAR! What would you do?
Anonymous - I read about that in the paper when it happened. I feel so bad for you. Have you seen him before or since? Didn't he get on around Lake and Bloomington? I am doing the 21 for about 10 and a half hours tomorrow and I plan to memorize that guys picture before I go out...maybe get a copy for myself. I hope you at least got a different route to drive and permission not to drive the 21 until this goes through court. How stupid...to let him out. That doesn't make sense. He's too crazy to stand trial so let's put him out on the street to find more people to victimize??!!??!!?? I hope you are taking advantage of the peer counseling our company provides. I've heard it can be helpful. It would suck to have to go to work in fear every day, but I can understand what you mean. I've had a couple incidents...none NEARLY as scary as yours...and you feel like a target for a long time afterward. The only thing I could suggest is to talk to your manager and request to just do the "yuppie routes" as I call them...the express rush hour stuff that is 99.9% business people at least until this gets done in court and this guy gets the time he deserves. Good luck...I'll keep you in my prayers.
Thank you for your support! I,ve had lots of it, that's what keeps me going! If it wasn't for all my fellow drivers, and the compassion iv'e recieved from every one I don't think I would of come back. Yes I have used our peer support system, GREAT PROGRAM! I sure hope others use this service, after all this program was started by a couple people years ago because they did not think drivers got the support they deserve. I'm surprised at the amount of drivers that turn it down, They can handle their own problems. I can say one thing, when you go through an exsperience, you havn't gone thru, It is great to know others care and you don't have to go thru it alone! We do have a lot of tough drivers that do exist on there own! I would love to know how they do it? Geanie, You did make my day! You made me laugh on a rough day! Thank You, hope I run in to you again, 9204
Glad to hear you are getting the support you need...and deserve. I've heard nothing but good about the peer support. Luckily, I've never needed it. I have yet to (and hope never to) have an experience as traumatic as yours but it's good to know the help is there if it is needed.
I'm glad you didn't let this one psycho ruin your whole career. Don't ever let one person take that from you. If you're anything like me...you love your job. It would suck to go through something that scary, but most of our passengers are fun, decent people that make the job interesting.
Stay strong and enjoy the GOOD people that we meet every day.
Jeanie, Thank you! let's get together someday, I like your additude and most of all your advice and sense of humor, I have 15 yrs. with co. I can give you alot of stories! I just don't know where to start to put them on here and I believe you would put these on here better than I could, How can I leave you my number? Diane
I bet you do have some great stories!! I think the safest way to exchange phone numbers is probably inter-office mail. I work some strange hours and am in the process of getting my house ready to put on the market but am sure I'd have time to chat with you. I'm at Nicollet #2116
I will try to do this tommorrw, thanks talk soon
I WAS BEING FOLLOWED ON A 3 LINE TODAY, CALLED CONTROL, NO SQUADS AVAILABLE, i SAID...........iF THIS CAR FOLLOWS ME INTO THE 5 STREET GARAGE, i,M DRIVING THROUGH AND PULLING IN, tHEY HAD COPS AT nICOLLETT, gOT BACK TO e.m. CALLERD TO FIND OUT ANY INFO.............. none!!!!!!!!!!! i,LL CALKL POLICE TOMMOW TO FIND OUT ... why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wHAT nEXT????????????????/
What?? Who follows a bus? I would think that if they really were following you that they were more than likely following someone that got onto the bus and were waiting for them to get off. Let me know what happened. Did they go through the 5th st. garage? Good thing to keep your eyes open and know what is going on around you. Just by doing this, you are probably safer than a lot of people out there.
I did ask the people on the bus if anyone knows him, no responds, God! don.t get involved, but until they need something, it,s all about them right?
Typical, unfortunately.
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