Unsuck DC Metro: Station Manager's Advance Creeps Out Rider

Monday, March 14, 2011

Station Manager's Advance Creeps Out Rider

Anyone else experience something like this?

From an anonymous reader:

On Sunday morning, I was walking back from a bar by myself after being out with friends, it was around 1 a.m.

I went through the gates at Eastern Market and was walking toward the platform when I heard someone say "excuse me."

I turned around and saw the Metro employee in the booth leaning out trying to get my attention.

If see a Metro employee trying to get my attention, I respond.

Besides, I came through the gates right behind someone, so I thought maybe I accidentally piggy backed or something.

I walked back the kiosk, toward him, and when I got up to the booth, he leaned out, smiled and asked me my name. He was definitely hitting on me. It had that tone.

I turned around immediately and went down to the platforms.

I realize on the scale of getting hit on, this is minor.

But he used his position as a Metro employee in a way that borders on abuse of power.

I was alone, late at night, and until now, I've felt like getting to a Metro station is a safe-haven from potential rapists because it's well lit and manned with people whose job it is to prevent that stuff from happening (Maybe that is a naive worldview.).

To use your power in a Metro uniform in the Metro booth to call over a girl who is alone (and possibly visibly intoxicated - I wasn't that drunk, but when you add a couple drinks and wearing heels, walking becomes precarious), that's just wrong.

To use the illusion that he needed to talk to me by calling to me from the booth ... I don't know, I was creeped out.

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Comments (68)

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+4 Vote up Vote down

nc22 · 736 weeks ago

Definitely an abuse of power, and rude considering you could have missed your train.

+12 Vote up Vote down

MGR · 736 weeks ago

That is creepy. I would still be more careful on metro especially at night. Station Managers are basically useless. They didn't do anything to help that guy who got beat up in broad daylight and in my many years riding metro don't do anything when folks are eating drinking smoking and being obnoxious etc. Also sit behind the driver while by yourself at night or during the time all those awful teens are on the trains in the afternoon since they usually tend not to bother folks close to the metro train operator.

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

-4 Vote up Vote down

thedofc · 736 weeks ago

"On Sunday morning, I was walking back from a bar by myself after being out with friends, it was around 1 a.m"

Metro closes at 12:00 on sundays. Something's wrong with this article!

+8 Vote up Vote down

ANONY · 736 weeks ago

Man, you are really dumb. What station do you manage?

Sunday morning begins at midnight!

+1 Vote up Vote down

Sam · 736 weeks ago

Crap, I gave you a thumbs up by mistake. You'll just have to pretend that your post rating is lower than it says it is.

-61 Vote up Vote down

James · 736 weeks ago

STFU, he was trying to holl@. That doesn't mean that he was trying to rape you, you self absorbed b$%#h.

8 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

+40 Vote up Vote down

Corresponding Toads · 736 weeks ago

yo James, there's a point where a holl@ becomes a harassment. you don't holl@ when you're on the job. unless you're a pimp or something.

chicks constantly get holl@'ed at by despicable guys. good guys don't holl@. good guys strike up conversation in a reasonable setting.

+14 Vote up Vote down

Ever Anonerly · 736 weeks ago

Right on, Toads! And James, your own posts demonstrates the very reason for concern.

+6 Vote up Vote down

VeggieTart · 736 weeks ago

For once I agree with something Toads said.

James, when you are at work, you simply do not "holl@" at the customers, especially late at night. You don't call someone back so you can leer at them (which I gather the guy was trying to do) and hit on them.

As for the against the law to "insult" a Metro employee, I hope they meant "assault" but someone who went to DC public schools wrote it and got the two confused.

0 Vote up Vote down

WDC · 736 weeks ago

The recorded message says "assault a mtero employee" not "insult". Moron

+15 Vote up Vote down

Mike · 736 weeks ago

James- typical lowlife that probably also works for Metro.
Back at you James- STFU.
As the old adage goes- Better to keep your mouth shut and let people assume you are an idiot than to open it and remove all doubt.

+12 Vote up Vote down

One take · 736 weeks ago

What does holl@ mean? What exactly does Holl@-ing actually entail or what is the desired result of a holl@?

To approach women in such a manner, while on duty, and wearing the uniform of your employer is simply despicable and ridiculous behavior.

Metro is a public transportation system; it’s not ‘da club’*.

*The Club

+7 Vote up Vote down

Kate · 736 weeks ago

Newsflash: women HATE that, and we tend to want to slap everyone who, er, "hollas" at us. It's disgusting, rude, and disrespectful. And no decent man worth a woman's time behaves like that.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Kat · 736 weeks ago

Amen. All it shows is that you’re immature and we should keep on our way. Of course, when women ignore hollas, we get responses like James calling us self absorbed bitches.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Radner · 736 weeks ago

The loud speaker recording on my bus this morning was: "It is unlawful to insult a Metro employee." This was followed by something along the lines of action being taken against someone that insults the employee. REALLY? It is unlawful to insult them? Is stating an opinion based on fact an insult? "You're creepy." - Insult? "You're bad at basic communication skills" - Insult? Does this woman have to submit to listening to this douche bag hitting on her or face a fine?

5 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

+13 Vote up Vote down

wanderer0 56p · 736 weeks ago

"It is unlawful to insult a Metro employee."

So the First Amendment is suspended within WMATA jurisdiction. Who is keeping a running tally of how many of the Bill of Rights do not apply in Metro? #4 (no unreasonable search and seizure) is also walking a tight rope at best nowadays, i.e. bag inspections.

+7 Vote up Vote down

anon · 736 weeks ago

If you insult Metro employees, you believe in slavery.

+4 Vote up Vote down

HurricaneDC 76p · 736 weeks ago

Uh you guys do know it says "assault" and not "insult"? WMATA is utter shit but they're not Constitution-violators (yet).

+4 Vote up Vote down

Radner · 736 weeks ago

It sounded like "insult" to me. I'll listen a little harder next time.

And if it is 'assault', shouldn't it be a little obvious that 'assault' is illegal? They need a recording for that?

0 Vote up Vote down

Sam · 736 weeks ago

You'd think it would be obvious... but unfortunately, there are lowlifes that ride the bus that don't realize this.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Kathryn · 736 weeks ago

Eww! I had a bus driver do this to me once, he was basically hitting on every woman who got on the bus. We did not see him on our bus route again! I wonder if someone reported it.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

+20 Vote up Vote down

Frustr8dCommuter · 736 weeks ago

He got promoted to Station Manager

+16 Vote up Vote down

Kennedy · 736 weeks ago

I see many station managers flirting all the time. I've also seen people in need of assistance get ignored while station employees chit chat with friends. These employees obviously lack much needed supervision.

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

+13 Vote up Vote down

Mike · 736 weeks ago

You obviously have a wrong assumption in your logic ;-).
Metro employees are there to collect a paycheck, they are not here to assist you.
It makes the time go much faster when they can chit chat, talk on the phone or watch as riders needing assistance are ignored. /sarc/
Too bad, we can't get some competition running the Metro. Or figure out a way to do it automatically without all the deadwood (90% of Metro and its upper management).

0 Vote up Vote down

Badger · 736 weeks ago

I've been harassed by a manager (he yelled at me) when I tried to get his attention because my card didn't work-- and he was too busy screwing around in the booth to help. I've seen Metro POLICE who were too busy to deal with people drinking from open beer bottles on the Metro...seriously? I pay $4 a ride for this?

+2 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 736 weeks ago

The only "supervisors" they have are the ones you see with a white shirt on, but they themselves are just former Station Managers and they are all buddy buddy with each other. I hardly see those supervisors and when I do see them they are standing around doing nothing and collecting a supervisor's paycheck. Its all a joke and I don't take any of them seriously. Its sad that its up to us to supervise them. I have the phone numbers for customer complaints and Transit police on my speed dial.

+20 Vote up Vote down

anony · 736 weeks ago

Are you telling me that a metro employee shouldn't be allowed to sexually harass a customer? Apparently, you believe in slavery.

Of course, you could report this to metro with two pieces of information that would allow them to figure out who it was (station and time), but they won't do anything about it. You'll need not only video of the incident, but also the following information: station manager's dog's name, whether it was a full moon that night, the temperature outside, the temperature inside the station, and who the station attendant voted for in the mayoral race.

2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

0 Vote up Vote down

JJJJJJJJ · 736 weeks ago

LOL

0 Vote up Vote down

JacksonsGirl · 736 weeks ago

And their shoe size!! Don't forget that!

-27 Vote up Vote down

Not that serious · 736 weeks ago

I've had police officers flirt with me while on duty...it's called seeing an attractive female and trying to use your job as a way to get in good. I'm not excusing it in anyway but unfortunately that's how some guys are. Now if the Metro Employee attempted to grope you or called you a foul name then that would be a different story. I'm not really sure how you take public transportation in DC especially after hours and expect not to get hit on, that's almost unheard of. If it made you feel uncomfortable, perhaps you should travel in packs more often.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

+24 Vote up Vote down

cathy · 736 weeks ago

this is not an acceptable response. no one should expect harassment, or have to engineer his or her life to try to avoid it. the onus is entirely on the harasser for their harassment. you are excusing it, please stop blaming victims and hold the responsible party responsible.

+3 Vote up Vote down

wanderer0 56p · 736 weeks ago

In fairness to Metro, this is NOT a "Metro problem".

Similar behavior is found among a large portion, of a certain subsection of our population.

"UnsuckthePostOffice" could probably post similar material from postal employees. Is USPS to blame?

3 replies · active 736 weeks ago

+5 Vote up Vote down

cathy · 736 weeks ago

it's appropriate to alert an employer when an employee harasses while on the job.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Badger · 736 weeks ago

Agreed, Cathy. The problem stems from an employer (Metro) having an inefficient or unenforced sexual harassment policy.

+10 Vote up Vote down

Ever Anonerly · 736 weeks ago

I disagree. It IS a Metro problem as it is their employees exhibiting inappropriate behavior while on company time. When on the job, you represent the company. Thus it IS a company issue and should be promptly and seriously dealt with by the company. Which it wont. It's Metro.

+7 Vote up Vote down

LalaDC · 736 weeks ago

I would like the writer of this post to know that this happened to me as well at Eastern Market Metro. He asked for my name and I stupidly gave it to him and then asked me out for dinner one night. I just walked away. But to this day it left a nasty taste in my mouth and no offense, but those dudes are really skanky and not classy.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

0 Vote up Vote down

JacksonsGirl · 736 weeks ago

I feel so bad for you two! Or anyone who is treated thus. If it happened to me, I would be afraid to go back to that station in case they were there and decided they wanted to "make me feel badly" for walking away or turning them down. No one should have to feel this way ever.

-10 Vote up Vote down

GDopplerXT · 736 weeks ago

Well I agree this is pretty creepy and inappropriate, and I would say report it if you feel that it is important to you. But if all he did was smile and ask your name, then I'm not sure I would say it's an abuse of power or harassment. Definitely an inconvenience and annoying, but it's not like he followed you down to the platform or made up some excuse to keep you at the kiosk while he checked out your rack.

I think your implication that the station manager was a potential rapist or somehow threatening to cause you harm is probably as inappropriate as the station manager hitting on you.

14 replies · active 736 weeks ago

+5 Vote up Vote down

LalaDC · 736 weeks ago

I don't think she was implying that he was a potential rapist but what the station manager did was not appropriate. Ever since I found out about the Dupont Circle prostitution rink, I've been disgusted by the station managers, male and female. So even a smile from them to initiate a flirt is totally wrong and disgusting. Act professional.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Sam · 736 weeks ago

Yes, it was inappropriate. But, to paraphrase Sigmund Freud, sometimes a smile is just a smile.

+6 Vote up Vote down

Anon. · 736 weeks ago

It wasn't meant to imply he could have been a rapist. I never felt like I was physically in danger. My point is that he abused his power. I don't think it's that big of a deal other than it being unprofessional and maybe a sign of something worse. Who knows what could have happened if I was drunk and didn't get out of the situation as quickly as I did.

When it comes down to it, I was creeped out and tweeted about it and unsuckdcmetro asked for more details.

+5 Vote up Vote down

basil cronus · 736 weeks ago

"Who knows what could have happened if I was drunk"... yikes! That's scary right there.

0 Vote up Vote down

GDopplerXT · 736 weeks ago

OK, fair enough. Many already know that one of my gripes about this site is that annoying or inappropriate incidents that happen on the Metro tend to be described in the most sensational ways (for maximum shock and outrage, I suppose), and I felt your letter kind of sounded like that.

+13 Vote up Vote down

unsuckdcmetro 92p · 736 weeks ago

People should be outraged by Metro and what is allowed to go on there.

+1 Vote up Vote down

GDopplerXT · 736 weeks ago

Yes, but that doesn't mean conversely that everything that happens on Metro is outrageous.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Jim · 736 weeks ago

Every time you pay their outrageous fares, it's an outrage.

-3 Vote up Vote down

Ever on · 736 weeks ago

You're of the male persuasion, aren't you?

-3 Vote up Vote down

Michelle · 736 weeks ago

"...if you feel that it is important..."
"...all he did..."
"... I'm not sure I would say it's an abuse of power or harassment."
"I think your implication .... as inapropriate ..."

Let me guess, you are a male, right? *sigh*

Sorry guys, I know most of you are good people. :)

0 Vote up Vote down

GDopplerXT · 736 weeks ago

I don't follow your logic.

Also, in case you missed them, here are a few more snippets from my post:
"I agree this is pretty creepy and inappropriate"
"Definitely an inconvenience and annoying"
"as inappropriate as the station manager hitting on you"

-2 Vote up Vote down

Michelle · 736 weeks ago

"an inconvienence" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

+2 Vote up Vote down

GDopplerXT · 736 weeks ago

Are you saying it was not an inconvenience? Look, if you want to form a thoughtful coherent statement with which to disagree with me, that's fine. Believe me, I can live with that.

But instead you just quote selected words from my original post, add some embellishment such as "*sigh*" or "!!!!!!!!!!!!!", and post it as if it clearly expresses something (presumably that you think I'm a creep or not one of the "good people", but I'm not sure because you're not really using your own words). That's pretty lazy, and call me nuts but I'm not going to assume that I know what you're really trying to say.

+2 Vote up Vote down

VeggieTart · 736 weeks ago

She wasn't calling him a potential rapist; she was saying she thought Metro was a safe haven FROM "potential rapists". Women have been taught to seek well-lit, well-populated areas if they don't feel safe for some reason. This guy apparently shattered her sense of that.

BTW, several hours later, I thought of a perfect response for anyone leering at you and asking your name the way this station manager did: "Towanda!!!!"

-16 Vote up Vote down

hrh king friday 13 · 736 weeks ago

Come on, rape? She suggests booth guy is going to rape her. RAPE, people. First of all, booth people are way too lazy to go off and rape someonw. Secondly, and I don't want to be a dick here (wait, yes I do!) but in my experience drunk girls in thier 20's typically go through a phase where they think EVERY guy who talks to them is going to start dry humping them any minnute. And yet these are girls who aren;t all that attractive to being with which is probably why they go run and tell the world. Yes, yes, yes-- he was out of line and shouldn't be doing that, but I'm just not worked up about this. The real cuplrit here is people watching too many Lifetime made for tv movies. Oh, and Metro sucks.

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

Badger · 736 weeks ago

Do you have a girlfriend, sister, daughter, or female friend? Any women in your life? Because I think you'd rather those women be extremely aware and cautious than assume that strange men are totally safe. Sorry to say, but women do get skeezed on quite a bit. Most of the guys are pretty harmless and the furthest they'll go is sleazy comments and looks, but it is best for young women to be cautious.

+1 Vote up Vote down

hrh king friday 13 · 736 weeks ago

Yes I do and none of them would claim that the black man in the booth of thiking about raping them just because he was flirting. But then again, none of the women in my life watch a whole lot of Lifetime either.

UnSuck, if you post a topic amid your daily belittlement of an entire organizatin and all of its employees (which i totally love btw) be prepared for candid responses from your readership. If you start censoring comments the way Dave S. did on Why I Hate DC, you take all the fun out of your (and our) blog and defeat its purpose whcih includes, among other things things, an opportunity to vent frustration. I need not mention obsurdidty of outright stifling free speech and open debate-- which any true jouranalist should be celebrating.

+2 Vote up Vote down

hrh king friday 13 · 736 weeks ago

Oh UnSuck.... I can't stay mad at you and your deliciously clever blog. You make me hard.

+3 Vote up Vote down

gac · 736 weeks ago

He had no business calling her to come back to the booth. That's the point. Report the guy. And he shouldn't be hitting on the customers - but the "abuse of power" was calling her back to the booth

-7 Vote up Vote down

Rory · 736 weeks ago

I don't think you can condemn this very strongly unless you reject all romantic overtures between people who meet in the business world. That he sits in a booth all day and doesn't exactly have the charm of Charles Boyer doesn't mean he forfeits the pursuit of his happiness.

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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Dee · 736 weeks ago

So where do you work where sexual harrasment is considered an acceptable business practice? Yes, any unwanted romantic attention or abuse of power to do such qualifies.

-3 Vote up Vote down

Michelle · 736 weeks ago

So where do you work anyway where sexual harrasment is allowed? Because that is what this is, even if it is a minor form of it.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Rory · 736 weeks ago

The conduct described was definitely not sexual harassment in a general legal sense, though the fellow surely broke a bunch of Metro rules. I just think it's important for people to be sure that they're offended by the message rather than the messenger. If you wouldn't be offended by someone in scrubs standing outside of a hospital, then the same approach shouldn't offend if it comes from this man in his little booth.

+6 Vote up Vote down

lfdjkkljsdf · 736 weeks ago

The metro employee just wanted to get another look at your butt. Seriously, I see this often in this city where guys who are working (crappy jobs) will try to get a woman to walk toward them by calling out something to them, then when the woman turns to walk away they stare at their butts and make lewd comments about what they would to to them, "DAAAAAAYUM!," "tap that a**," if they weren't pathetic losers that is. I once was almost run over in a busy crosswalk by a cop who was making a left turn but was too busy turning his head 180 degrees to the left to check out a woman who wouldn't even think to consider giving him the time of day. I was going to comment about how this town is full of guys who have no clue what women find attractive in men, but in truth their "game" works in their hood, they eat that lewd attention up. Oh, and age doesn't seem to mean anything to the metro, UPS, couriours, police either. I've seen a lot of bus drivers stare young girls up and down to the point I've told them staring at kids like that is sick.
I'm a married guy by the way, not that it should matter.

DC is low in the having class dept. when it comes to service employees.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Frequent metro rider · 736 weeks ago

I feel bad for this woman. Women hate to be "picked up" like that anyway, and it's worse that it was late at night and she was alone. What concerns me is that if the woman really was visibly intoxicated, its very easy to assume that he would have tried to take advantage of the situation thinking that she was an easy pick up. I've seen this happen many times on the metro, it's happened to me a couple of times. Bus drivers, especially on routes that go to college campuses, walk through the bus and talk to women. I've had a metro train operator try to talk to me while waiting for a single tracking area to clear. I know that workers aren't perfect, but is it too much to ask that the people who are working in the booth, given all the creepy things to be seen on the metro, especially at night, not be one more thing you have to worry about?

+5 Vote up Vote down

One take · 736 weeks ago

So what is it?

Is it illegal to ‘insult’ a metro employee, or is it illegal to ‘assault’ a metro employee? I am thinking that it might actually be ‘assault’ but, rest assured I’m going to ‘axe’ somebody to get to the bottom of this.

Good thing this warning wasn't posted on a sign, or you'd have to stand on your head to read it.

Godspeed….mes amis.

+3 Vote up Vote down

Kathryn · 736 weeks ago

I think part of what makes the flirtiness so very creepy is that when you ride the Metro you are underground and in an enclosed space, with a lot of your control already taken away. It amplifies little things like flirting behavior into something more threatening, beacuse there isn't an easy escape route.

+1 Vote up Vote down

anon · 736 weeks ago

There are two levels at work here - what's illegal and what's unethical. Explicit advances that make the victim feel, at the very least, compromised and uncomfortable are not permitted - it's assault (as opposed to battery, which is physical).

But even merely calling someone back to your little booth just to hit on someone is an abuse of power. As station manager, you have all kinds of power. You da man. So simply by using that power to get in good with the ladies is a huge ethical breach. Any normal company would be all over this.

Most of you probably work in an office of some sort. Imagine if someone there pulled this crap. You'd file a complaint with HR if it bothered you enough, and you'd win - easily. But no, not Metro.

Someday they'll get slapped with a ginormous sexual assault (again, not battery) lawsuit.

I like unions. I think that in general they give the common worker a lot of leverage that he or she would never in a million years get from the huge companies in the country. Good unions protect workers' wages (without them, the companies could say 'fuck it' and pay everyone just barely enough to survive).

But Metro has the shittiest union since the early 1900s. They can do anything they wish. They're made men. They need to be disbanded. Every single employee, in a perfect world, would be terminated on the spot, and then they'd have to WORK to get their jobs back (that is, the good eggs could make it back if they jumped through the right hoops, but the vast majority that suck at life would be SOL and wouldn't be able to return).

The economy SUCKS. A lot of people are still out of work. It's utter bullshit that these people still have jobs in what's essentially an employer's market. But the union's in their way. Get rid of it, start over, form a new, not-corrupt union.

2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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Mike · 736 weeks ago

While I agree with you, given that we are in DC where poor performance is the norm (just look at DC schools and Govt.) , where most of the Metro employees think they are owed everything they can dream of, and where those in power (unions) will WORK like hell to keep that power, your suggestion has an much chance as a snowball in the bowels of a Metro station (aka HELL) ;-)