What is it with the young Black Males who solicit?
I'm trying to enjoy a quick nap on the train when I'm suddenly disturbed by these two young black males who are selling candy?
I've seen the same kids do this a few weeks ago. I would never buy candy from them because:
-they're definitely not at school like they should
-clothes are so dirty and ripped
-agressive approach
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You need to notify the
You need to notify the operator on that one. Give a good description of these kids, so we can get BARTPD on the train to take care of it.
I would do that but by the
I would do that but by the time any PD arrives, those kids are gone. I'll try to do that sooner but here's a tip, I see them starting from West Oakland all the way to Bayfair where I get out. The sad part is that they bother every rider. Isn't this illegal on BART? On the other hand most riders like myself really need to take the effort of hitting that button at the end of each car and notifying the operator. Honestly, most of us don't want to be the "narc" so we hope someone else does it. Of course nothing gets done.
I know that no one wants to
I know that no one wants to be the "snitch" but passengers do have power on trains, and can make a difference.
You hardly NEVER see or hear of the things that BART passengers complain about on trains on DC Metro. Because their passengers know, and abide by unwritten rules and don't tolerate it when someone gets out of line.
BART passengers will complain about everything once they get off the train, but won't lift a finger to do anything when they're on it.
NOBODY WANTS TO HOLD UP THE
NOBODY WANTS TO HOLD UP THE TRAIN WAITING FOR FRIGGIN BART POLICE WHO SHOULD ALREADY BE ON THE TRAINS OR AT EVERY STATION.
Having ridden the DC Metro
Having ridden the DC Metro during commute hours, Operator9 is correct. DC riders don't put up with the BS we deal with on a regular basis. Of course, on the Metro, you never know who's a cop, FBI agent, MP, Secret Service or just plain rider. At least they know how to be polite and are quite helpful to new riders, unlike some people in the Bay Area.
No, you only think they are
No, you only think they are long gone what is actually happening is that they are going back to West Oakland for another go round. They are harassing your fellow commuters on the trains behind you because the commuters in the trains in front of you didn't report them. Get what I'm saying? If they are reported, BPD already knows who they are and will eventually stop them because yes, it is illegal.
How to fix this problem. Report them as "aggressive panhandlers" and give the discriptions (head to toe of what they are wearing) to the T/O, what car you are in, and where they are going.
Not good enough? you want a permanent solution?
Offer to press charges it will make their mother/father/guardian/parole officer/caseworker take notice.
I say everyone gang up on
I say everyone gang up on the solicitors like they did on Flight 93! Beat their ass back to school. That will teach them.
Did I forget to mention a
Did I forget to mention a kid was busted for having a gun on him this year?
Please intercom the Train operator (the red button at either end of the car you are in) tell the T/O whats going on and what car you are in. You pay lots of money for your ride and part of that money buys you one of the best highly trained Police services in the country.
FYI a BART cop can give someone a ticket or arrest them on the Southshore of Tahoe just as easily as he or she could cite them at Disneyland. BART cops are the last true cops in california they are professional and yet have no problem kicking ass when needed and the best part is that they are a button push and a short conversation away.
Do the intercoms work, both
Do the intercoms work, both ways, at the same time??????? NOT. Can you use your cell phone in the tunnels? Odds?
Heck yea! Dude, I'm up for
Heck yea!
Dude, I'm up for that. I bet they think twice after that.
Yeah, well these guys carry
Yeah, well these guys carry huge knives with six inch blades, not box cutters. I've seen them whip them out in a second. You want to be filet and pate?
Ever spoke with a BART Police Officer, they are less than charming so no one wants to bother talking to them either.
fuck bart police. they
fuck bart police. they harrassed me today at 24th st- they said i jumped the fence. obviously they didn't see me wait in line at the ad fare machine near the exit gate. they wasted my time- just as they are wastes of my tax dollars. if it wasnt for the nice woman who exited after me explaining that she was behind me at both the add fare machine and the exit gate, who knows where i'd be now.
Next time, use your ticket
Next time, use your ticket dipshit! Then the police won't have a reason to "harrass" you. That is, if you really added fare to your ticket like everyone else (doubtful).
fuck you idiot. i did pay.
fuck you idiot. i did pay. duh... that's the reason i have a gripe not just some dumb ass two cents like your comment...
The best thing I've seen so
The best thing I've seen so far is a bunch of Oakland youth with a spindle full of pirated DVD movies. Five bucks for two unmarked DVD movies in a paper sleeve. That's a way better deal than the crappy candy that kids try to sell you.
I was on that train.
I was on that train.
two years ago?
two years ago?
They peddle their crap so
They peddle their crap so much you could've been on any of the 5 trains those guys were on... TODAY.
Dont be an asshole, theyre
Dont be an asshole, theyre kids. Maybe they need the money for some new clothes.
And what does their race have to do with it? Let me guess, youre from Walnut Creek?
what worries most people is
what worries most people is yes they are young and black. Isn't that a scary thought that they are starting out soooo young?????? Wait till they get older - soliciting on BART is just kids stuff to them.
As a former resident of NY
As a former resident of NY now in the Bay Area, sorry to say, but folks in the Bay Area are afraid of everything and offending everyone.
Oh, I live in Oakland and catch the West Oakland Bart to Civic Center everyday. Sometimes you just gotta get back in their face and don't back down, let em know what's what. IF they gonna bother you, then bother them back. Yea you make risk a fight, but I tell you what, 9 times outta 10, the others that have been putting with the same crap will back ya! But then again, this is the Bay Area where I notice most people complain about things rather than take care of their community through teamwork and action.
Applause for you!!! This is
Applause for you!!! This is so true.
If you go to almost any other commuter transit system, you will NEVER see the BS that happens on BART there because those people don't play that. DC Metro, NYC Transit, you will NEVER see someone eating or drinking on trains there. Commuters don't play that. You'll NEVER see kids soliciting on trains there. Those commuters don't play that, and will handle it one way or another. They actually take pride in, and police their own system. Those kids on the trains continue to solicit, bother and harrass passengers because they know that none of you are gonna do anything about it.
Like I said before, people in the bay area will complain all day about BART when they're off the train, but won't lift a finger to do anything while they're on it.
last week this happened to
last week this happened to me so I told the Train Operator after the boys went up the other cars. I never seen any police get onboard. In fact, I got off about 5 stops later and no BART police anywhere.
Listen ~ since these BART
Listen ~ since these BART cops are so suppossedly well paid and professional, and it's not our job, the paying customer, to play policeman for you, maybe they could start doing their job and start policing these punks.
Now, if you want to allow us the same opportunities as the police and scumbag solicitors mutually have, namely the open ability to utilize violence without reasonable expectation of recourse, then, well then, we have a whole new dimension to ending this crap and quickly! If these punks had to wonder about whether or not the next person they harass plugged them with a pistol, they'd find weaker marks elsewhere ....
Personally, I'd prefer BART scrap this "well paid police force", lower our fares accordingly, and allow us to defend ourselves more effectively.
The only one impressed with the BART police are the BART police.
Just so you know, BART tried
Just so you know, BART tried to get local law enforcement to take care of the system but they all refused. Now, about the kids. They usually have an adult with or near them 'pimping' them out. As I'm sure everyone's figured out, the money is not for basketball or clothes or anything else but their handler's drug habit. If you do not call it in, it is a good bet BART PD will not show up. If they do, and no one is willing to sign a citizen's arrest form, NOTHING can be done. That is the law, it is an infraction not committed in their presence.
What about aggressive
What about aggressive pandhandlers at the entrance to the stations? Why don't BART PD ever look at the video cameras, what are they there for? I see Black males eating their Barbecue Ribs on the train and wiping their dirty hands all over the seats and then leaving their mess behind. Charming Bunch.
The trains have video
The trains have video cameras that go straight to video tape, and are not being viewed in real time by a live person, so by the time someone pulled the tapes and reviewed them, the offender would be long gone.
And let me guess, you're
And let me guess, you're from Oakland.
I was actually called out as
I was actually called out as a snitch for letting the train conductor know about an agressive panhandler on a night time train ride this week. The girl doing this was actually trying to engage the other black folks around her to join in her ranting at me about how I was going to make the train late because the police were going to come. Unfortunately for her these punk ass black kids dont scare me. I am totally willing to play the race card with cops that would respond and she would be adding to her already (probably) voluminous juvenille criminal record. The sad fact is that no one would step up to this guy and at the least tell him to shut up. I was closer to the intercom button than him so I chose that option but would have said something to his face if I had the proximity.Anyone that calls the operator on the intercom needs to first state the car number they are in. Most of the conductors don't ask right away, though it should be the first thing said in the exchange. They dont have a camera on each train pointing at the intercom which I think is a common assumption. A lot of the conductors don't have the sense to ask and have to be told.
The outcome of this incident was the conductor making 2 announcements about panhandling per their protocol. Obviously a "crime" serious enough to warrant police action was being committed so they were not called and no one was delayed. It will never cease to amaze me that a group of people who admire a "prison/ganster" type identity have so little understanding of dominance, control and how the world works!
Race has everything to do
Race has everything to do with who they choose to solicit and the level of aggression used in the soliciation! Dont kid yourself that they dont think about this even on the most base and racist of levels!!!
Let me guess you're from Berkeley right?!
Ya know what I wish. I wish
Ya know what I wish. I wish the BART system had a central operator you could call from your cell phone to report panhandlers and riff raff on your train. That way you wouldn't have to get up, walk to the button, have a speakerphone conversation with the conductor, and risk being singled out by the individuals you were reporting. It seems as if everyone has a cell phone, and sadly everyone seems to be on them while riding BART :(
Not to sound chicken, but I much prefer not getting in to a fist fight over someone panhandling on the train. But if I could easily report them without it being obvious I probably would.
call BART police at
call BART police at 877-679-7000 they WILL stop the train and get at whoever is bothering you. we need people to report anything and everything that's a problem on the trains. if you call the operator we have to report it and central has to call in BART police.
BART train operator
i agree with one of the
i agree with one of the anonymous posters in this thread. It bothers me that nobody every points out the race of an offender UNLESS they're black.
If some asshole is taking up 2 seats with his bag... most people are content just to say he was an asshole.
But if that guy was black, you can best believe they are gonna start off by saying "well there was this black guy....."
It drives me crazy.
They don't use money to buy
They don't use money to buy clothes! They steal clothes just like they steal bart rides. Drug dealers take only cash. You don't really think those kids paid for that candy do you? Get real. You are talking about a lifelong criminal in the early stages of his career. Surely you notice they always travel in packs. If you see only one, look in the car in front of you or behind you, the rest of the pack is close at hand ready to pounce if someone tries take the candy or worse yet, the money. When these kids approach, ask them if they remember Bernie Goetz. Of course they don't, but you can explain what ole Bernie did to the thugs that tried to rob him on the NY subway.
Remember one thing, these
Remember one thing, these panhandlers are not going to use the money for a ticket to get home, their mother's operation, bus fare to the hospital to see their dying grandmother or any of those other sob stories. They are going to ride bart for free, buy their drugs and then panhandle someone else for more money. About two years ago, there was a tall, slim white "kid" with a southern accent who used to "work" Embarcadero station. The agents were on to him and if they saw him in the station, they would make PA announcements telling people not to be fooled by his southern charm, that he wasn't going to Bay Point and that if they gave him $5, he was just going to buy drugs with it. He'd run out of the station and hustle upstairs for awhile, then try to sneak back into the station but the agents somehow always saw him and would start making PA announcements almost as soon as he got back downstairs. So, who was calling the agents? How did they know when he was back in the station? and the point of all this? DON'T STAND AROUND SAYING "SOMEONE SHOULD DO SOMETHING" YOU ARE THAT SOMEONE ! D O S O M E T H I N G
Woo Hoo! Someone who makes
Woo Hoo! Someone who makes sense. I've been fortunate in my dealings with the candy selling kids. The ones I've run up against haven't been agressive, have taken 'No' for an answer the first time, been polite and neatly dressed. Who knows where the money is going but I treat BART panhandlers just like I treat the San Francisco panhandlers - I ignore them. If they want to start something, I stand up and look down at them. They tend to back off when the person they are trying to intimidate turns the tables on them.