Unsuck DC Metro: Confront or Not?

Kennedy · 717 weeks ago

I see people with coffee all the time. One quick, hard jolt of the train and someone will be wearing hot coffee and get burned. I have often thought about speaking up, but these girls are a prime example of why I won't. I'm not going to get the crap beat out of me over some Chipotle. Having witnessed many nasty events on Metro you can rest easy knowing I won't even chew gum when riding. Those trains are so full of germs it makes me sick just thinking about it.

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Guest · 717 weeks ago

No way do I confront people on Metro!! It's not worth it and I believe those girls COULD and WOULD beat the sh*t out of me. I've been in metro cars where packs of these type of teenagers come in doing whatever they want. I don't make eye contact and I've changed metro cars on occasion, too, because they scare me. And who would I go to for help if they did make good on their threats--Metro "police?" Yeah, right!! This blog has reported time and time again how well that works!!

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Theo · 717 weeks ago

Mind your own business. You don't have the authority to enforce it anyway. It's a stupid rule that punishes everyone for the offenses of those who would litter. Most other cities don't have that kind of draconian crap. These girls weren't bothering anyone, despite whining about "we don't want to smell your food." Try riding an un-air conditioned New York subway and then you can complain about smells.

9 replies · active 717 weeks ago

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HurricaneDC 76p · 717 weeks ago

I've never confronted anyone about the rules. I don't have an interested in getting shot or stabbed, thanks.

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Wouldratherdrive · 717 weeks ago

Ha - Metro has known about these awful teenagers for at least 15 yrs. I wrote in to both Dr Gridlock and Bob Levey and they both acknowledged that there was a serious problem that was being ignored. They are rude, foul mouthed, disrespectful and just disgusting. I have confronted and not confronted depending upon how many of them there were. Metro REALLY needs to enforce the no food rule. I am less worried by coffee in a container than I am this pile of messy burrito that probably ended up all over the seats and floor. The girl who got nailed over french fries a while back??? totally deserved it. Fine the crap out of them - I don't care if they are 14. Maybe if their parents have to shell out cash or better yet - have to clean metro cars one night, it will stop. One can hope can't they?

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Kat · 717 weeks ago

I give people like that the stink eye. For me the worst aren’t the eaters, but the people who play music without headphones. Sorry dude, but the rest of the train doesn’t want to hear the song you’re playing for your lady.

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shrike58 0p · 717 weeks ago

There's no point in arguing with animals.

2 replies · active 717 weeks ago

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F'n JD · 717 weeks ago

Yes. I confront. I also confront the WMATA employees who don't do anything about it.

Who I confront from there is my next question....Stessel and Sarles do nothing.

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vanceastro 111p · 717 weeks ago

I do confront them. I'm also prepared for what could happen afterwards, both physically and mentally. There are some crazy, rude, obnoxious people in this world and the majority of them seem to ride the Metro when I'm on it. But the way that they are able to keep operating in this state of unacceptable behavior is because no one ever calls them on it. It's very easy to shoot your mouth off to the one person who has the temerity to call you out on your behavior while the rest of the car stands there in silence while nervously looking at their shoes. It's another thing (and I've seen it before) when an entire car stands up in indignation and calls the person out for what they're doing. I'm not as moral crusader or anything, but Andrew Jackson once said, "One man with courage makes a majority." So yeah, I'm prepared for either a verbal or physical throwdown every time I confront someone on the Metro. But maybe one day, in my pie in the sky world, others will decide that the best way to improve civil behavior on the Metro is not to complain about what happened to them in a video on YouTube after an incident has already happened, but to stiffen their spine, stand up, and say what's right when a person is doing something we all know to be wrong.

I commend Michelle for doing exactly that.

2 replies · active 717 weeks ago

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VeggieTart · 717 weeks ago

How could the train be going to Shady Grove if the girls mocked and threatened the OP from Metro Center to Rhode Island Avenue?

At any rate, given how nasty the teens in this city can be, I probably would have brought it to the attention of a Metro employee, but why screw up your commute to try to nail some nasty little brats who don't think the rules apply to them? Especially given Metro's problems with keeping the trains running.

At any rate, if someone is taking a sip from a cup that has a lid, and they take care to close it up between sips; or if it's a minor thing, I probably wouldn't confront them. On a hot day like the ones we get in summer, I'm not going to mind someone needing hydration, especially given all the reports of cars sans a/c. If someone were eating a meal, I'd consider it.

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Kat · 717 weeks ago

The confronting needs to be done at the organizational level. It's not the job of the passengers to police the food eating. I agree that social shaming can work in some instances, but most of these kids seem immune to it.

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MadAsHeck · 717 weeks ago

Where are the police?
Not in the trains.

I see groups of kids sitting on the stairs at Gallery Place, blocking the stairs and harrassing people who try to get past them down the stairs.
Where are the police?
Not on the platforms.

They're standing outside the faregates, fooling around on their cell phones. Yeah, not department walkie talkies. Personal cell phones.

We need Metro Police walking through the trains and walking along the platforms.

7 replies · active 589 weeks ago

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Anon · 717 weeks ago

There's no reasoning with people like this unless you're certain you can take the consequences and actually take them on if they try to fight you. I don't try it because I'm too sweet-looking and don't look threatening at all. Plus, think about it; ever read the sodium content of a Chipotle burrito (or ANY menu item for that matter)? If they eat that stuff often enough, those bimbos will knock themselves off within the next 10-12 years!

1 reply · active 589 weeks ago

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Soylent Green Line · 717 weeks ago

In my mind, it's not worth the confrontation. What are you going to do, appeal to their keen sense of civility, or ask them to conceptualize themselves as more than two (badass) individuals in a larger society? They are patently incapable of such abstract thought.

Unless you're willing to face a withering barrage of middle-school level verbal insults, the best course of action is to advise Transit Police. That is, assuming you can find any of them.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Guest · 717 weeks ago

The worst I saw was a girl eating crab legs. At least this was at a platform, not on a train. But still something I didn't want to see or smell.

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pennyworth · 717 weeks ago

i mean they could just mind their own business -

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mahajohn · 717 weeks ago

The first, only and probably last time I ever confronted a person for violating the sacred rules of Metro was a few months ago. This was on a bus. A very full bus. This slim, fit-looking black dude at Corcoran & 16th decided that he had a right to get on the bus using the rear exit, despite the fact that it was tight as could be (because the bus drivers like to pack them full as uncomfortably as possible!). I said "REALLY?" and told him that it wasn't right that he'd get on the bus without paying. He challenged me to a physical altercation, but I wouldn't take the bait. I had to get off at P Street, and since I had to pass him, I knew that he was going to do something. He kicked me in the back as I went down the steps, but I was prepared (since my back was to him), so no damage done. I turned around to give him a "poor baby" look, which seemed to infuriate him, making me momentarily happy.

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mahajohn · 717 weeks ago

Suffice to say, I was the only one who said anything to him. It didn't gain me anything (except a fleeting feeling of smug self-righteousness) and didn't stop him from being a sociopathic jerk, so I'd say it accomplished precisely nothing. It was pretty dumb. He could have been carrying a weapon, or ready to strike out in an especially violent way.

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mahajohn · 717 weeks ago

I've seen him again at 16th and Corcoran, looking generally aggressive and tightly-wound, wearing colorful exercise clothes. He has short hair, glasses, perhaps 5'6" to 5'8". Watch out for him! Unless someone is a threat to others, is being an active nuisance or is in obvious need of some help, IGNORE them. Metro can't police every square inch of the system, and if animals like this guy have no respect for custom or law, it just exposes them for what they are: worse than Hitler (ha, I had to put that in).

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n2deep · 717 weeks ago

i will politely say to people that metro transit police will write them a ticket for eating. most will say say thanks for the warning and put the food away. but looking at who you are dealing with here does not surprise me in the least about their response. these two women represent a lot of the eaters i see on trains. i get shit from them but i never cower or turn away. i stand my ground and maintain eye contact until they finally look away. and remember metro transit police have pretty much been leashed on this issue. their police chief wants them to be customer service reps not cops. the girl that was arrested for eating french fries a couple years ago had done more than just eat on the train before she was arrested. the eating was not the sole reason. that of course never gets reported does it? also the arresting officer did not get any support from his higher ups. they left him hanging out to dry. i don't blame them for not enforcing it more when they are not backed up when stories like this get out.

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Anon Fed · 717 weeks ago

For those who have brought up coffee, Metro's rules do permit passengers to carry food and drinks on board the Metro -- what's prohibited is eating or drinking. So don't confront the guy holding a cup of coffee that he might have brewed at home to save money and pay for the rush hour surcharge -- unless you see him take a sip. Similarly, don't hassle me (as happened recently) when I'm carrying an unopened bag of leftovers home from Hill Country.

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Guest · 717 weeks ago

This is unrelated, but this morning I got on a train @ College Park a little after 7:00. Twenty five miutes and several "We will be moving momentarily" announcements later, the train finally started moving. So much for getting into work early today.

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hrh king friday 13 · 717 weeks ago

I was on the tipsters side until she talked smack about "thier choice of cuisine."

How dare you insult Chipotle burritos, missy. How dare you.

1 reply · active 704 weeks ago

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@NoPants_McGee · 717 weeks ago

I only confront people (often tourists) who don't seem to understand the ideas of entrance & exits or moving to the center of the car, usually when I change trains at metro center. People who stand in the doorways while others are trying to get on/off slow the whole process and often leave travelers stranded on the tracks. I occasionally give people waiting to get on the train who crowd the doors so much that only one person at a time can exit a piece of my mind too.

I might glare at someone eating on a train, but that's about it.

Kevin · 717 weeks ago

They look like pigs. Chipotle is the last thing they need.

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Justin · 717 weeks ago

Eaters on the train are going to be a mess whether they intend to or not and the refried beans or whatever are going to get smashed between the seats or on the carpet. In this instance, the two girls are human trash, subhuman primates. If anyone in their families or communities were any better, they would have taught them respect for themselves and others. I'm referring mainly to their foul language and threats. Why is it that thug girls think they can escape consequences? Oh right, because they can. Time to take the gloves off. One retaliation by one good commuter would send a message to these future welfare queens that they better wise up quick.

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roadwest · 717 weeks ago

METRO needs to do away with the carpet asap.. It would be a hell of a lot easier to clean up the mess. Hire more cleaners, and let everyone enjoy food. The offenders of today may not like the smell of our food tomorrow. Pigs will be Pigs, It is METRO s problem, when you service the public you have to serice the pigs too, and accept what comes with it or get out of the business. Making housekeeping rules and trying to make the public "obey" won't work. All of the public will not conform to a stringent set of rules. It is unrealistic to expect that. METRO, suck it up, clean up after the pigs, its part of human nature. Other transit systems do it, Malls do it, all public buildings clean up after the pigs. What is so special about METRO that they can't

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One take · 717 weeks ago

Stuff your face with Burritos. Squeeze your overweight bodies into $2.00 ghetto fabulous knockoffs that would never fit in any parallel universe, break the law riding metro on your discount fare card, disrespect and threaten other riders, assault and rob other riders and go home and pick up your free section 8 cheese.

All is a day’s work for these hood rats.

No, you should not confront these kinds of individuals. That is the job of law enforcement if they were around.

These girls in the picture and countless others like them spend their lives fighting, committing crimes, drinking and doing drugs, having sex and babies (more babies = more section 8 cheese), and ending up on welfare or in jail, or dead by 22.

Don’t waste your time. Just hold your breath until your metro ride is over for the day.

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DC_Chickie · 717 weeks ago

This morning at Metro Center, there was a girl STANDING on the non-moving escalators blocking one entire lane of people. She was a young girl who seemed more than capable of walking. When people called her out on it and told her to move, she gave them the evil eye as if they had done something wrong.

In terms of eating on the Metro, you know people have to be DISGUSTING to eat on the train. It is nearly impossible to go through the system without touching anything. People poop at stations. People don't wash their hands after using the bathroom. People pick their noses. We are putting our hands on that. And then to use those hands to eat food like Chipotle and lick your fingers causing those things to enter your body?! EWWWWWWW.

I also am scared to confront these people because I don't like being cursed at and they may have a weapon or two, but I also feel sorry for these people for never being taught basic hygiene.

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guest · 717 weeks ago

I once confronted a young guy on a crowded Orange line train for cracking open a beer and drinking. I told him to read the rules against eating and drinking clearly posted above his head, he ignored me and continued drinking. I then said "I'll be more than happy to point you out to the next transit cop we see." Shockingly this got through to him and he actually put the beer away, even though I knew there was about a zero per cent chance we would see a Metro officer. The kid must not have been a frequent Metro rider.

Mike · 717 weeks ago

The things I confront people on are the ones that directly affect me. If I'm leaving a crowded train wait for me to get off before you get on. I will check you out of my way. Do not stand on the left side of the escalators or I will insert myself into your space until you move.

William in DC · 717 weeks ago

I'm a live and let live kind of guy. My view? If it was truly disturbing and painful for you and others that they were eating, then confront. If you felt their eating wasn't an assault on your sensibilities, then I'd just let it be as nobody was being harmed.

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@danielleRwest · 717 weeks ago

If WMATA isn't going to confront them, why should the riders? I see people get on the bus everyday with a big cup of coffee, which is a clear violation, and the bus drivers don't say anything.

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alkebulan · 717 weeks ago

I would have confronted them if I was truly disturbed by it, but I would not have video taped them. If someone begins to take footage of me to post on the internet, there probably will be a problem.

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J-Dub · 717 weeks ago

I almost never say a think because it almost always ends the way it did for the folks in the article. It's sad really. The tough part is that no one is willing to enforce the rules who actually have the authority because then that becomes a big headache for them. So, they ignore as much as they possibly can.

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DMCinDC · 717 weeks ago

If they ate quietly and didn't suck their fingers or lip smack, I would let it go. It's the gross sounds, and if they littered, that would send me over the edge. I mean, I don't mind people breaking the rules a bit... just show some courtesy for others on the same train is all and then it's all good as I see it.

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Ted · 717 weeks ago

Sorry, but I am not going to get my teeth knocked out or face scratched over some crazy ass females eating Chipotle.

As soon as the woman next to you said something, you should have simply let it go instead of escalating the situation. You could have gotten yourself seriously hurt , and I HIGHLY doubt you would receive any recognition from Metro.

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David · 717 weeks ago

What other people are doing on the Metro is none of my business.

James. · 717 weeks ago

What? African-American teenagers on the Metro breaking the laws and being loud and violent about it to boot? Shocker.....

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@cabaretic · 717 weeks ago

Sometimes I pity people who break the rules, like the woman who decided she needed to loudly discuss her sex life on the 96 bus. But in situations like these, I fume. I tend to shy away from confrontation like this because, wrongly or rightly, girls like these only understand confrontation. There's got to be a different way to reach them.

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Dave I · 717 weeks ago

So the young ladies who have been referred to as thuglets, subhuman primates and b*itches are being discussed for eating on the train ...
BUT
the Starbucks crowd who drinks their coffee on the train is OK, as they are usually a lil better dressed [ or is it something else ] ...
Eating and drinking are illegal on Metro, so both are breaking the law.
So does the woman usually point out the error of their ways to the coffee drinkers?
Does she tell the teenagers who sit on the floor on the Montgomery County ends of the redline that they are causing unsafe conditions or making it difficult for other Metro users to board and exit the trains?
Just curious?

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Justme · 717 weeks ago

I told a visitor to our area yesterday that she is not allowed to drink her coffee, she said no one told me. I said there are signs around, just letting you know its illegal and if the police see you will get a ticket. With an attitude she said she would though it away, then she started putting the 5 creamers in, wish I took a photo.

I have saw someone drop a full Venti coffee on the floor of a full train, yes people got coffee on them. The person was most apologetic.

There are some people I will not correct, don't what to get shot or beat to death.

Sasha Fierce · 717 weeks ago

This story reminded me of an incident that occurred in NY when another rider confronted two ladies over eating on the train.
http://youtu.be/az4qASdPD4Y

DJ530 · 716 weeks ago

The underlying racism in alot of these posts is just as appalling as the girl's behavior.

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Dave I · 716 weeks ago

TOUCHE!

Really? · 716 weeks ago

Like previous commenters said, I will NEVER go out of my way to confront anyone on Metro. One day you will confront the wrong person.With that said, you might not make it home that day!!