Personal security on the rails

January 7, 4:30 PMDC Transportation ExaminerKatherine M. Hill

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A California man was shot and killed, "execution style" New Year's morning after he was yanked off a BART train with a group of others.

Reports say that Oscar Grant, 22, was peaceful and non-resistant before he was shot by a BART officer, who was possibly intending to use a stun gun. From San Francisco Bay View:

In fact moments before he was shot he was pleading with his friends who were all cuffed up to calm down and be cooperative with police. Grant was seen begging the police officers, who had pulled tasers out and pointed them at the heads of his friends, not to shoot.

For reasons unknown to us, the police officer pushed Grant to the ground. One officer kneeled on his neck while the other officer pulled out a gun and shot him point blank in the back. The bullet went through his back, hit the ground and bounced back up and pierced his lung, killing him.

The police then ran around and terrified witnesses by taking away their cell phones and video cameras for “evidence.” The video, which was shot by a witness named Karina Vargas and has been seen by everyone on KTVU, was also going to be confiscated, except her train started moving as police attempted to snatch away her camera. The cops obviously did not see the other video cameras buzzing away.

What precipitated the passengers' removal from the train is not reported and remains unclear, while the overall issue at hand is excessive force. And while I am not doubting the authority of transit police—as I think the general public dismisses the authority of transit police, mall cops and security officers—I want to feel safe on my train.

...And I don't know that I feel safe—looking out a Metro window and witnessing excessive violence (which is how the case appears; clearly I wasn't in San Francisco and didn't witness the incident). I want to pretend that public transit is the last place where we should feel in danger. That with the press of a button harassment from other riders will end, and with a bevy of witnesses, crime is forced to exist elsewhere, even when I know that isn't true.

I've always felt safe riding Metro, even if I've never felt like I could depend on help for directions or assistance, riding Metro. When the security levels are raised, I've never felt unsafe with additional security in the form of German Shepherds and large, imposing artillery. ...But I think it will be awhile until I feel great riding the BART.

If you're upset about the incident, Race Wire has 5 Things You Can Do Right Now, which includes contacting BART. The post includes a longer video shot by a BART rider, as opposed to the short video in the newscast with the SF Gate article (linked below). Watching is at your own discretion.