“Dear PoPville,
As much as I hesitate to post a picture of a man clearly going through a tough life situation, it needs to be done. This man was on the same Red Line Metrorail car as my social work colleague yesterday. She called an outreach employee, called 911, and the Metro Transit Police (911 EMS told her to call them). She got off the train to try to halt the train, called for the conductor, etc. The train ended up leaving, but she talked to the Metro station employees about her fear of the man potentially dying (he was unresponsive)– one laughed at her,
another she made call the Metro Transit Police in front of her to ensure it happened.
Long story short, this man has extreme medical risk factors. She was the only one on the train who didn’t look the other way. She’s the only one in that station that tried to intervene. We HAVE to do better, DC. We live in the seat of social justice movements in the country, and yet we don’t always apply that in our everyday lives (I say we because I am culpable as well).
Look out for each other– you might be the reason someone survives another day.
Said with love for my city and its people,
Amanda”