Police presence and intervention is a deterrent to crime on the city’s public transit system — something that is hard to even talk about in these days of stifling expectations of the politically correct.
By MARY FRANCES DAVIDSON
With the LA Metro system now staffed with an array of guards — from police to armed security to ambassadors — riders can definitely feel more self-assured while jumping on and off.
In April, the LA Metro board declared a public safety emergency due to sudden increases of violence including attacks on bus drivers, one of whom was stabbed in the back in Venice, and the April death of Mirna Soza Arauz, 66.
The mother of three, returning home from her job as a security guard, was attacked at the Universal station by a knife-wielding, homeless individual who randomly stabbed her in the throat and stole her purse. To the dismay of family and friends, she soon died at an area hospital.
In June, officials called for an immediate surge of law enforcement throughout the Metro system, on buses, rail cars and stations as well as the creation of an in-house security force.
The force, known as The Transit Community Public Safety Department implementation plan (TCPSD) will evolve over a five-year phased transition with riders’ safety concerns, particularly at night and related to homelessness and rule enforcement on buses, trains, and platforms emphasized. Integration of social work and mental health principles are included.
Police presence and intervention is a deterrent to crime — something that is hard to even talk about in these days of stifling expectations of the politically correct.
Politicians’ constant hand-wringing over the issue has been baffling, and the new presence of law enforcement on the metro reveals the truth about the problem — the homeless are able to follow rules when they are required to. Period.
Having been on the metro of late after my car died from a sudden catastrophic failure, I can clearly see the solution — discipline. It’s obvious if someone is in such a condition to roam freely covered in their own body filth, engaging willy nilly in theft and harassment of all kinds, howling, fighting, and surely terrified themselves from being exposed to such an unpredictable environment, they need to be told what to do. They require guidance.
Guidance for them is compassion from those who provide it.
Now, with numerous officers, Metro security, contracted security, and metro ambassadors onboard to intervene, such individuals have fallen in line, following the rules more or less like the rest of us.
Riding on a train or bus is still like being in a moveable and constant scene from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and the stark contrast between the homeless population which frequents the relatively new, beautifully designed LA Metro train stations is heartbreaking. The thought, effort, planning, materials, engineering, funding, all ruined and made unsafe and undesirable by haphazard social design.
But now with the armed police and other guards — and I’m just going to call some of them babysitters- everywhere, basic rules such as refraining from bringing food and drinks onboard, blasting loud music, selling most likely stolen items such as speakers and other electronics are more often adhered to, not perfectly, but more often.
I can attest to this after quickly selling my car at Carmax in Duarte last week, taking out my old Metro tap card from a few years ago, reloading it and jumping on the A train at Monrovia station. August temperatures reaching into the triple digits in the San Gabriel Valley drive one toward cool ocean breezes little more than an hour away at the end of the line, Pacific Avenue in Long Beach.
Happy not to be driving for a change, the beauty of the train stations and the trains themselves is apparent. But the disharmony of the homeless subtracts from the appreciation of the system overall as I fortify myself with safety plans, which I know I need as I have watched the news and am aware of Arauz’ death and the other violence, and I simply hope nothing bad happens to me.
But then as we move through downtown Los Angeles and further along through Compton and Willowbrook an atmosphere of safety is noticeable when guards in pairs wearing bright yellow shirts with such titles as Metro Ambassador, or armed guards in blue shirts emblazoned with Metro Security, are present. I saw LAPD present on a DTLA platform. The guards move on and off the train in a coordinated effort and communicate with radios and earpieces.
I watch a man with a loud speaker and plenty of electronics to sell turn down the sound upon coming onboard. The change in atmosphere is palpable with the presence of all the guards. And very noticeably there is so much less litter, trash and the detritus of daily life irresponsibly strewn about by unhoused people who politicians have placed above the law.
I even made a mistake and came back onboard with a water cup after eating at Johnny Rockets on Pine Avenue in Long Beach forgetting about the rule. When he noticed it, a security guard stared at me and my drink, and I quickly clutched the cup in front of me as I exited the train and hurriedly made my way to the nearest waste receptacle on the platform. It’s so much better this way, I thought.
Now, with recent federal laws passed disallowing encampments and further solutions for those with substance abuse and other coping problems, hopefully there will be continued relief for the homeless and all who ride the Metro.
Also on a more positive note, LAPD arrested Arauz’ alleged attacker, 45-year-old Elliot Nowden, several blocks away and his case is now making its way through the system.
MARY FRANCES DAVIDSON is a writer-at-large for LAMonthly.org. She attended the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. She could be reached at davidson.mary@myyaho.com
