“Absolutely Disgusting Behavior on Red Line This Morning”

Update: “MTPD detectives are asking for the public’s assistance to ID the two individuals pictured here in connection with an assault of a blind passenger”

“Dear PoPville,

Around 7:45am, I boarded a red line train at Ft. Totten heading towards Shady Grove. There was a swell of people near the doors, so people shoved their way on once they opened. Among the people pushing through was a blind man with a seeing eye dog. Once the man sat down, he was approached by two teenagers, a taller kid with kind of a scraggly beard, and a younger one with a bandaid on his face. The older one asked why the man was pushing. The blind man responded, “Because I’m blind, that’s why I have a seeing eye dog.” One kid asked, “You blind?” The blind man said yes. The older kid said, “Don’t push me again, you blind

motherfucker, or I’ll smack the shit out you.” There was a woman seated next to him holding an umbrella. She chastised the kids. The younger one responded, “Bitch, shut your ass up before I smack the shit out you, too.” The older one then grabbed her umbrella and shoved her. The woman said, “Oh real nice, you’re assaulting an old woman, I’m already on the phone with the cops.” The older one responded, “I ain’t assault no one, bitch. I got all these witnesses on the train. I’m about to assault you though, you keep running your bitch-ass mouth.” This continued for the next two stops. I got off at NoMa station and called the cops. As the train pulled away, I saw a brawl between those two kids, the blind man and the older lady, and a bunch of passengers who were trying to intervene. A Harris Teeter worker went to the station manager who laughed dismissively (or what seemed to me to be a dismissive laugh) and said, “Yeah, we know. The cops are taking care of it.”

Well, the cops didn’t take care of it, and red line service continued unencumbered for the rest of the morning. The whole incident really, really disturbed me, from the assault (both verbal and physical) of the blind and elderly by two kids, to the non-response by the station manager. I wanted to share in hopes that someone else who was on that train could let us know what the conclusion of this whole ordeal was, if either of the two victims pressed charges, if the police ever came, or if other station managers took care of it. Because if the station managers aren’t there to protect or serve passengers, what is their ultimate function?”