this is as sophisticated as it gets
Ray Sanchez knows what the city won't tell us: No one is really doing anything about subway security. But then, why should we be surprised? The subway isn't the politicians and bureaucrats' thing. They don't use it.
At the same time it hasn't escaped the notice of some of us that there's still talk about entirely shutting down Penn Station and the Main Post Office during the Republican Convention for the safety of hundreds or thousands of treasured Republican plutocrats.
The conductor stood in the cab of the subway car, her door ajar. People have a false sense of security on the subway, she said. "The politicians who never ride the trains are very reassuring, aren't they?"And, in the event, the riders too, if there's going to be no direction from "security."The New York Police Department is rushing to train 10,000 officers in counter-terrorism in time for the summer's Republican National Convention, but there are transit workers without fire and evacuation training.
"I'm one of them," said the conductor, who has eight years on the job. "You hope common sense is enough to get you through an emergency, but, you know, common sense goes out the window."
[image from Rachelle Bowden at rachelleb]
I can remenber spending literally hours "trapped" on the LL under the East River in the early 1980's, after
brake failures that caused huge fire/sparks and the brakes burning. Firemen and MTA people passing by in the dark with flash lights AND not one annoucement to the riders , who by the time firemen arrived were actually sitting on the floor - trying to find a smoke free breathing area, people praying and crying and not one person attempting to leave !
I always thought New Yorkers after that to be hopeless cattle. Not to proactive as it were. Maybe the 9/11 pitch in "Let's Roll" spirit will now be the norm and not the early 80's wait and see.
- as a note - The MTA just finished training it's first group of workers how to respond, a little slow getting the first group trained I think.
Also - as to closing the Penn station trains down, I work at an art foundation on 31st - how the hell am I to get to and from work during this horrible period of our history that that asshole Ed Koch is asking for Democrats to volunteer to show the Asscrofts and the twoheaded monster CheneyBush a good time ! What are we suppose to do Ed ? Bend over and take it for fun, and free? Smiling to show what great folks we New Yorkers are while being screwed? Aren't we fucked with and fucked up enough ?