ridin' the rails

Have you ever read The Tipping Point? It was pretty popular a few years back. The first chapter talks about how the crime on the New York City subway was getting so bad that when a man was getting robbed by some thugs, he pulled out a gun and shot and killed one of the attackers. Everyone cheered for the killer. They were fed up with all the crime.

I understand where they are coming from. The violence and crime on the el has been escalating lately. It used to be that if you were smart and kept to yourself that you would be fine. Not so anymore. Everyone is a target.

As you may remember from a previous post, I had my iphone stolen out of my hands while riding the green line. A few weeks ago I read an article from one of my favorite Red Eye writers, Mark Bazer, describing the same exact thing happen to his wife.

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/redeye/2010/01/theft-theres-an-app-for-that.html

But it doesn't stop there! A friend's little brother was beaten up riding the green line home around midnight a few weeks ago. A gay man tried to break up a fight between two guys on the el just to have both guys turn and attack him, mainly for him being gay. They didn't let up until the man started bleeding and lied and said that he was HIV positive.

My favorite story of late is of the man who was minding his own business, watching a movie on his iphone as he rode home. A group of thugs punched him in the face and tried to take his iphone. What they didn't expect was to find some resistance. The iphone owner pulled out a knife and stabbed two of his attackers! Yes! Perhaps they will think twice about attacking someone again!

When will it end? How do we stop this? I don't feel safe. It is to the point where the hassle of driving to work and searching for parking seems worth it. Maybe I will do that from now on. Oh wait, I don't have a car. I don't have a choice but to ride the el.

Wish me luck.