After The Thinker and I merged households, I found myself riding the green line as that was the closet stop. I’ve never felt unsafe or threatened. In fact, I’ve found the green line to be the most courteous line to take within the DC metro system. People offer their seats to the elderly or a pregnant woman. When people are carrying more than one should, but have no other alternatives, someone is there to lend a helping hand.
With the new gig, I am now commuting to Old Town. The ride starts on the green line with a transfer at L'Enfant Plaza. The transfer always leaves this uneasy feeling inside of me. I cannot quite place my finger on it and this was prior to the brawl that broke out there earlier this month.
Despite my sprint up the escalator and the mad dash to the opposite side for the yellow line train, I approached the doors just as they closed. I moved to the back and leaned against the wall to read The Express and wait for the next train. As I switched pages, I looked up to see a young punk punch an older man square in the jaw. The kid then ran up the escalator leaving the man stunned and repeatedly saying “I told you I was sorry.” There was a woman with the kid that then started to berate the man about the apology being too little, too late.
Granted this incident didn’t escalate to a full out fight. But seriously, what is wrong with our society when we cannot accept one’s apology and move on. L'Enfant Plaza is one of the busier stations with people trying to make transfers. And for what it is worth, I don’t think it was one of the most well thought out designs. Given the recent event, I wonder why metro police haven’t stepped up their watch or doing more. This could have been much worse especially if the kid had a gun or a knife.
Looks like I need to order some pepper spray at the very least.
1 comments:
I used to sell pepper spray online at one time and I sold some to this lady that traveled to DC everyday. Before she bought it she had concerns about carrying it into DC because it is illegal in DC.
So, I called the DC Police non-emergency number and talked to someone who told me that it was illegal to have it if you are a DC resident but if you are from a state like VA where it is legal they won't take it away nor will they press charges because they go by the state that you are a resident of.
Just an FYI. I'm not persuading you not to I'm just telling you what I know. You are a law abiding citizen and would only use it if you needed to. I would rather get in trouble than assulted or worse.
If I were you I'd buy some. They have the ones that look like regular writing pens and lip stick but they don't spray as far and they don't hold as much pepper spray as a regular bottle of pepper spray.
They also make stun guns that look like regular cell phones which are cool because they bring in the element of surprise on a would be attacker or assulter.
Please stay safe and blog when you can.
I don't even sell the stuff any more so this is not a sales pitch.
Ray
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