Gang activity on Bart
Although Bart is for the most part, a fairly safe system, today was the first time I felt slightly afraid for my life on board a Bart train. I was on the SFO train that gets into West Oakland at 7:38pm, Car 1659. A thug, dressed in black, and his girlfriend run into the train, blasting portable iPod speakers. As the train descends into the Transbay Tube, thug takes out a knife (the type that can swing out with the press of a button...I assume for stabbing purposes) and brandishes it around his girlfriend. Within the tube, thug uses his knife to scratch XIV (I assume a gang symbol) onto the back of the seat in front of him (he was seated in the middle of the car) after a brief 5 second break from a public making out session with his girlfriend.
I would have reported the crime to the TO, but it is impossible to hear anything within the tube. The thug already had a "What the f*ck you looking at look" on him when I glanced at him when he boarded the train blasting his iPod...and I'm sure showing the knife off was not only to impress his girlfriend, but probably to intimidate other riders (like me) too. He had his eyes occasionally on me for much of his ride to Balboa Park, so I'm sure that moving to a different car would have sent the wrong message to him. Any advice, fellow barters and Shrapnel?
XIV is a symbol of Norteños,
XIV is a symbol of Norteños, members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang. These thugs typically wear red, ranging from simple red tall-tee's to 49ers or even Nebraska apparel. Half the time XIV tags are done by dumbass kids (around the corner from my house is an XIV tagged on a fence, but my neighborhood is mostly Vietnamese, not Mexican-American.)
Who knows if the thug was actually affiliated. He could have easily just been some punk kid trying to look tough. In your situation, I would've had my hand on my leatherman just in case, and to only watch his movements. His PDA, vandalism, and shitty taste in music are tools for achieving his goal: making passengers feel uncomfortable enough to move.
As a T/O my advice is to move
As a T/O my advice is to move to another car and let us know what is going on especially if you feel unsafe, that way we can get riders like that off the train quickly. If at the point when you are calling is too loud wait until the next station to call or come up to the cab and tell us.
That's actually a great idea,
That's actually a great idea, and one that I hadn't thought of -- you could have made it look like you were getting off at Embarcadero but then walked up to the T/O as he/she was doing a look back and let him/her know what was going on. Then you could have reboarded in a different car. This is what I will do in the future.
What would actually happen in
What would actually happen in this case? I mean, aside from a goon's dirty looks and posturing and possibly confirmable tagging and vandalism, is that enough grounds for a BART cop to pull random offenders off a train?
I'd be afraid for my health if I ended up running into a gang member a second time after previously reporting them (and having any of them arrested). A lot of the assaults & killings in the Bay Area are committed by these gang-affiliated dirtballs who have extremely low regard for laws or life.
Can't they call from their
Can't they call from their cell or text something to let the train operator know without being so obvious. If they move that could trigger something for the person and they they could possibly get hurt for looking suspicious. I know this wasn't the case, but I'm curious as to how would someone alert the operator or Bart Police if in a situation where they needed assistance and had nothing but a cell phone and confined to their seat.
Theres no way a passenger can
Theres no way a passenger can contact the T/O expecpt via the intercom or in person, but you can call BART police from your cell (if you have a signal)
As for calling BART Police,
As for calling BART Police, put our 1-877-679-7000 toll free number or 1-510-464-7000 direct line to BPD Dispatch. If you call 911, you will get C.H.P. and unless the train fell off the trackway and landed on the freeway, they aren't going to be much help and it will delay our response by a minimum of two minutes by the time you are transfered from CHP to the local PD and then to BART PD. I have witnessed it several times now. CALL US DIRECTLY! Please be patient and answer all of the questions the BPD dispatcher asks. They have to have certain information before they will dispatch officers to the call.
I was working yesterday and heard a similar sounding call. The officers downtown stopped the people but were not able to find any damage to the train. Maybe they moved seats or there was no one willing to point out the damage.
I understand a lot of people don't want to get involved because they don't want to give their personal information for the report. I have no problem taking your business address and phone number for contact if you feel more comfortable with that. I'm sure other officers will understand too. It is often easier for investigators to contact you at work during the daytime hours anyway.
I'll quit rambling now.
Thanks Jo-Jo I couldn't
Thanks Jo-Jo I couldn't remember the number off hand.
This is my biggest gripe
This is my biggest gripe about crime. Everyone says they are afraid and don't want to get involved. Crime doesn't get better by itself. If you aren't going to get up, walk up a few cars to the T/O and either contact the T/O or call OPD on your cell, stop complaining. I am amazed at the number of incidents you hear about where something happens and the "victim" does nothing, or calls their spouse, or their mother, anybody but the cops first. I cannot believe how clueless people are about what to do when they feel they are in jeopardy.
If I actually feel threatened, I'm damn sure not going to sit there hoping I don't get stabbed or robbed. I'm going to get up and move. I've done it and I'm an old lady. Grow a pair and stop being so passive.
I gotta agree with the old
I gotta agree with the old lady here. If you feel threatened you have a afew choices, and most people refuse to report crimes. I call the local cops quick in my neighborhood when I see something wrong (and do it from my cell) and they show up. As far as BART, BPD will pull people, it's a closed system so where can a criminal go? As far as retaliation, well I can certainly understand; it's a tough call.
I was riding the train home one evening. Some guy gets on with his baby mama (and the kid), then as I am looking at something on my PDA, he has the balls to ask if he can use my phone. Now, he had been trying to get my attention for a while, and I ignored him, so by the time I turned and gave him some time I was a little annoyed. Well needless to say I wasn't giving up my cell phone, so he threw a few insults and a few threats. I grew up in the hood, and although I don't live there or act like I am from there I DO not put up with thugish shit, no matter what color, race, creed or religion. I decided to take the diplomatic and profesional route out and explained that I was using my phone to read something. This guy actually started telling me that he only wanted to use my phone to call and check on the ride that was supposed to pick up his daughter (and I guess the baby mama) at Concord BART. Like I give a shit right? Anyway, he continued with the punk threats about he should take my phone. I refused to budge, and didn't say anything and sure in hell didn't move. BART is too expensive to let a bunch of punk ass thugs act like they don't have manners or common sense.
Wow - Deja Vu. Had a snotty
Wow - Deja Vu. Had a snotty teenager ask to use my phone (an iPhone) as well one day and I said sorry, no. She whined and then insulted me. I didn't pay any further attention to her. After about four more minutes of insults, she said I was a @#$%^ to be selfish because she really needed the phone. I told her No, I was a @#$%^ because I didn't give a rat's a-- that she needed the phone. Then I told her I had BART police on Speed Dial. She got off at the next stop.
What was interesting is that I had been listening to the iPod function and had the phone hidden in a pocket, and took it out only to lower the volume when we came out of the Tube. That's when she asked if she could use it. Also, after I said "no", she continued to yell at me rather than ask another passenger if she could use their phone. My personal belief is that she planned to grab the phone when the train pulled in if she could and beat a hasty exit out the door.
My fellow passengers didn't seem very sympathetic to her plight, either, since no one seemed in a hurry to offer her a phone after I turned her down.
i would NEVER let anyone
i would NEVER let anyone borrow my phone except maybe a 95 year old lady who has fallen and can't get up.
everyone has a cell phone these days. especially the punk ass teenagers riding bart. if they ask to use yours, they are trying to steal it.
Another thing, screw that
Another thing, screw that punk, his girlfriend, his bastard parents for raising a retard. I am tired of these ghetto acting assholes, white, black, latin, asian and whatever else I forgot. Our morals as a society keep going down as we keep getting swindled to tolerate anything and everything that comes down the pipleline.
Amen. I want to chillout on
Amen. I want to chillout on my BART ride, not worry about getting jumped.
I do totally understand your
I do totally understand your dilemma, as does Officer Jo-Jo (and I'm sure most Police Officers). Report this thug and risk him going ape shit, or let him do his thing and vandalize BART and intimidate other passengers. It's a tough decision to make, and there is no uniform answer. Every situation must be handled differently.
In your situation, I agree that moving to a different car might send the wrong message. It might signal that you are intimidated (mission accomplished) or that you are about to report him, and that would undoubtedly piss him off.
I would've waited until Montgomery (not Embarcadero - that's a little too obvious) and off-boarded, walked up to the T/O, reported the situation, and sat in the first car right behind the T/O's cab. That way, the T/O can see what's going on with you and possibly intervene (I'm not going to say more than that... again, each situation needs to be handled differently, but no T/O is just going to let someone be killed right outside their door) if necessary.
Another strategy is to text a friend or family member and instruct them to call the BART Police (877-679-700 option 0) with a complete description of the person, what they are wearing, the train destination, current location, car number, approximate car position in the train, and any other pertinent information. Make sure to tell your friend or family member that this is an emergency and that they need to call right away. It might help to text them beforehand (ie: "You there?") to make sure they don't get the text too late... but this is an excellent way to notify the police if you are worried that someone might see you. This happened (Officer Jo-Jo might remember this) after an A's game not too long ago when there was a group of drunks fighting and intimidating passengers. A male passenger texted his girlfriend, who called 911 (was then transfered to BPD) and BART Police intercepted the train and arrested two suspects.
Oh, and I noticed that you said the man carved XIV into the seats? Are you sure? That's a Latino prison gang symbol, and they tend to be most active in the 800 and 900 blocks in East Oakland... and you said he was black from West Oakland?
He was Latino (as was his
He was Latino (as was his girlfriend), but dressed in all black. He got on at West Oakland and got off at Balboa Park, blasting his speakers and showing excessive PDA throughout the ride with the knife popping up when he was taking a break from kissing.
I see it like this. Having a
I see it like this. Having a weapon is one thing, but using it is another. And I'm sure there are some undercover police officers on the trains that will spring into action if the situation escalates. There was one individual that threatened to kill me and I told them, "Go ahead. I'll be resting in peace and you'll be on the run forever if not doing life behind bars. Either way I win." Any criminal knows that they can't win against someone that is not scared to take pain or die.
My recommendation for you is to ride in the lead car where the train operator is. Second option is to aquire a long range, non lethal weapon. I think a taser gun will suffice. I have an 800,000 volt taser that looks like a mini flashlight. I'd like to upgrade to the taser gun that shoots two cable probes out. What about tranquilizer darts that fit in a glock clip? That would be something now wouldn't it? Imagine the look on your attacker's face. But it'll only make them take a nap for maybe 5 hours. ^_^
Serious question: Are Tasers
Serious question: Are Tasers allowed on BART? a Glock certainly isn't.
I don't think your old
I don't think your old enough. Aren't you still in high school? You know you have to be 18 and it's around $500