Transit

Not my favorite subject but I still think it is important to talk about. I noticed on the Petworth Listserv today that someone had written that a friend of theirs was attacked outside the Petworth metro at 10pm last October. The writer says that the friend was severely beaten and as a result the writer doesn’t use the Petworth Metro anymore. I certainly don’t mean to dismiss the severity of the attack that took place last October but I find the poster’s conclusion terribly sad. I’ve always advocated that people come up with there own comfort level as far as safety goes. For some that is not taking the metro after dark for others it is not taking metro after midnight and apparently for others it is not taking metro at all. So I will contradict myself. I believe not taking the Petworth metro at all is excessive. I think of it like someone saying they will never ride the underground in London because there was a terrorist attack in July. Yes, it is frightening. Terrifying. Believe me, I am as soft as they come. I saw a shooting while sitting on my porch a couple of summers ago and was scared shitless but it doesn’t mean I never sit on my porch anymore. And I’m not going to stop riding the metro because of a horrible mugging. There has to be a balance. Screw those thugs. I’ll try to be smart. I’ll try to be especially alert in the evening. I’ll put my ipod away. I’ll avoid dark walkways. But I’m riding the freaking metro. The more people that are out and about the safer we will be, I believe. Of course, the victim himself could understandably not ever want to take the metro again. I’m not talking about that.