Police Looking To Hunt Down A Suspect
The police are on the hunt for a knife wielding suspect who is responsible for the stabbing of 23 year old Tony Sterling. The incident too place this past Friday at the Brooklyn College-Flatbush Avenue station on the 2 & 5 lines.
Mr. Sterling & his girlfriend were walking along the station’s platform when the suspect started to heckle them. Mr. Sterling stepped in between the suspect & his girlfriend which led to a fight between the suspect & himself. During the encounter, the suspect pulled out a knife & stabbed Mr. Sterling in the torso. The suspect fled the scene immediately after.
Mr. Sterling is currently in Kings County Hospital where we underwent surgery on Saturday. He is in stable condition & is expected to fully recover.
Hopefully the cops nab the asshole responsible for this. While I don’t believe people will heckle me based on my size, I always prepare myself for the situation possibly arising. I suggest everyone have a plan of action in mind for different scenarios that could occur. As I have told others, “a prepared rider is a smart rider”!
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Man Stabbed 19 Times In Sayville
- Woman Arrested In Bronx Bus Slashings
- Thief Targeting L Subway Line Riders
- Man Stabbed At 161 St-Yankee Stadium Station
- Man Pushed Onto Subway Tracks By Urinator
Question Of The Week 10-01-07 – 10-07-07
I have just updated Eye On Transit with this week’s “Question Of The Week”. The update also includes the result of last week’s question & changes to the poll archive page. This week’s question focuses on the L train & its recently released grade from the rider report card . With the overall grade being a C after being broken down into 21 categories, what do you think the L will grade out next year?
As always the poll will close down this Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST so get your vote in by clicking here!
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Question Of The Week 09-17-07 – 09/23/07
- Question Of The Week 09-24-07 – 09-30-07
- Question Of The Week 09-10-07 – 09/16/07
- Question Of The Week
- Question Of The Week 10/15/07 – 10/21/07
MTA Increasing Emergency Training
The MTA’s New York City Transit division will be increasing emergency training this week. Employees from the agency’s commuter railroads & bus lines will receive their own increase in emergency training very soon. The training will be broken up into half day sessions which will include how to identify & report suspicious activities as well as deal with crisis situations.
The training sessions were prepared by various consultants from two different organizations. The two organizations responsible for the creation are “The National Transit Institute” (Rutgers University) & The E.A.I Corporation (Science Applications International Corporation).
MTA CEO Elliot Sander sees the importance in these training sessions & had this to say about them:
“The MTA’s front-line employees are both our first line of defense and our first responders in case of emergency. We have a responsibility to train our men and women for potential emergencies, and I believe this new course will help protect our entire system.”
Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint had this to say about the upcoming training sessions:
“It’s heartening to see the MTA finally take a common-sense approach to terrorism in our transit system. For too long, we have stood by ourselves in demanding that transit workers are trained to react and respond to the dangers they face on the job every day. This initiative gives our members some of the tools they need to face the new reality of our transit system after 9/11.”
I know this is a long shot but I would love to see one big issue addressed at these sessions. The issue I would like to see addressed is the way transit photographers are treated. Every time I turn around, I am reading a story about a fellow transit photographer being harassed while legally partaking in the act of transit photography. I myself have been hassled a few times & have reported each incident. In my case I tend to have more issues with transit workers as to actual cops.
The fact is transit photography is legal within the system & even says as such within the MTA’s posted policies. While there are a few exceptions to the rule, they are of the obvious nature such as not using flash, tripods, etc… Most photographers I know did not break any of these rules but it did not stop them from being hassled & looked down upon by either cops or transit workers if not both.
The reason I am bringing this up now is because many like to look at transit photographers as suspicious or engaging in suspicious activities. The reality is many think what we do is weird although most are keeping to themselves & not causing any problems. Unfortunately this society is filled with many misguided individuals who think it is weird when someone does not partake in something that is considered to be status quo. I think this would be an excellent time to reintroduce employees to the fact that transit photography is legal & to stop reporting us.
Lets hope something good comes out of this for transit photographers although that might be asking for too much! In the mean time photographers keep shooting!
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- MTA Employees Taught To Think Like Terrorists
- Woman Attacked At 34th St Subway Station
- MTA Statement On Subway Homeless Issue
- MTA Criticized For Its Plan To Cut Emergency Workers
- MTA Worker Assaulted In Harlem
NYC Taxi Drivers Dealt A Huge Blow
This past Friday, NYC taxi drivers were dealt a huge blow as a federal judge declined their request to have the installation of GPS units & credit card machines blocked. The drivers continue to feel that the city overstepped its boundaries by mandating the installation of both devices.
U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman is responsible for the huge blow that will most likely lead to another strike. According to Judge Berman, such technology which helps improve service for passengers outweighs the privacy rights of drivers. He wants to see both sides to negotiate & be prepared for the next hearing which is scheduled for October 10th.
The city was obviously happy with Judge Berman’s decision as the head of NYC’s law office Michael Cardozo had this to say: “satisfying legal victory — and a victory for all taxi passengers who will enjoy the benefits of these service improvements.” Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Matthew W. Daus chimed in about the ruling saying: “allows us to continue to advance and progress without distraction or delay.” The decision did not seem surprising considering Judge Berman was skeptical about the taxi drivers’ argument saying “It’s not a Mona Lisa painting. It’s a car.”
I have to question the attitude of Judge Berman & many others who are siding with the city on this issue. It is one thing to feel the need to have credit card & GPS units installed. It is a totally different ball game to walk around with the attitude that the privacy of your employees does not matter. Such thinking can never be considered a good thing in a country that is supposedly the land of the free. I guess to some privacy was not part of the deal!
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Round 2 Anyone?
- Oh No!!!!
- Round 2 Is Set!
- Fight Between City/TLC & Taxi Drivers Continue…
- Round 2 A Dud?
Update To Previous Service Alert: Now No A & C Service!
The service alert has been updated to state the following:
Due to a police investigation at the Rockaway Avenue Station, there is no service in both directions on the 
and 
trains between the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street Station and the Broadway Junction Station.
As an alternate, customers are advised to use the B25 bus on Fulton Street.
Please expect delays in service on the and trains at this time.
