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Assault and battery with a dangerous iced coffee reported at South Station
By adamg on Thu, 07/23/2015 - 9:18am
Craig Wright reports on an incident on the inbound platform on the Red Line at South Station around 9 a.m.:
Woman hit older woman with iced coffee, then dumped on her head because she was "intentionally blocking her."
I guess from boarding the train? Who knows! To the older woman's credit - she just pretty much laughed it off.
The coffee dumper then walked away, he said.
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Comments
Classy
Classy
I've noticed a large uptick in door blockers.
Last week I literally bumped two people at the same time, both on either side of me, to get out of a red line car.
They're a scourge
But they're not worth my coffee!
yep
Door blockers, and no concept of queues/forming lines...everyday social contract type stuff is nearly non-existent, dwindling over the last 5-8 years. Lately for me it's been bus passengers taking up 2 seats, placing their bag in the window seat, and seating themselves on the aisle seat. and of course people who, when the bus comes to a stop at the end of the line, rush the front of the bus - touching, slamming strangers - rather than waiting their turn to exit. or exiting at the (closer) rear door. Or getting up 40 seconds before the bus pulls in to move close to the door. though, that's far more of a problem during the school year when the students are back.
Uh huh
Why, back in my day, everybody was polite. Violence didn't exist and humans lived in harmony. Children respected their elders, and something about walking to school.
...and the buses had to go
...and the buses had to go uphill both ways, and didn't break down or catch fire...
T
My quality of life has shot up exponentially since starting to bike to work. People are wretched, especially at rush hour.
FYI to anyone out there
FYI to anyone out there who might be wondering for some unknown reason if it's okay or not okay to block the doors: it's not okay to block the fucking doors.
FYI to people out there
who feel the need to always interject expletives into conservation. Causal swearing is not "cool". Rather, it just makes you sound like an unintelligent idiot.
Almost as bad as people who insist on walking (or running) up or down escalators when there's a perfectly good set of stairs for them to use instead.
Fuck off
n/t
52 likes to the above comment
52 likes to the above comment, to your 1, and 22 to the reply below. I think the people have spoken there.
And, walking up escalators? Yes, that's what people do when they're in a hurry; you walk up the up escalator or down the down escalator to speed things up. If you use the escalators during rush hour and don't do that, you sound like you're as bad as one of these door-blockers (and probably in need of a few expletives).
thanks, mom
They carefully used a single expletive to drive home the point. I think it was quite effective and well-communicated.
it's not okay to block the
So describing doors as "f***ing is now considered an effective and well-communicated thought.
God, our country is in serious trouble.
Neither is...
...misuse of quotation marks.
While we're being all schoolmarmy, ya know.
Mass Re-Education Needed
People in Boston do not understand:
-how not to block train doors
-how to wait for people to get off the train before getting on the train
-how to form a line to board a bus, as opposed to a human glob around the front door.
It makes no sense to me. I even see tourists from places like Japan and Europe unlearning their public transportation manners within days of arriving in Boston.
The T should run a PR campaign and have operators make instructional announcements. Of course, they won't, because WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY.
Can we add...
blocking the isle next to the bus driver in the front, people just stand there and if you want to get off the bus, the person who is standing where will not move!!!
There's an island next to the bus driver?
Yes that's a problem when people do that on the bus. But I've always had tremendous luck saying "excuse me" or "con permiso" and they either move or have adequate warning that I'm about to bump past them.
Having a what used to be
Having a what used to be called a "stocky" build, try to slowly move to the door before the train pulls into the station so that I am near, or at the door as it opens. When the door opens, I move forward - sometimes saying "excuse me" and sometimes I just move forward and see the startled look on the face of clueless, premature boarder.
I don't use my size to push my way past other exiting passengers.
Cool
That's cool of you. Thank you.
I'm not the smallest person either - and I will use shoulders and elbows when people who are staying on board don't move after repeated "Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me, pardon me ..."s, etc
Stand your ground
I have been known to just stand there as I expect to leave the train and say to the offending oaf "I can't move until you you get out of the way - step away from the doors".
I will get a blank look, and then comprehension and movement when the person realizes that nobody is going anywhere until they move out of the way and let people off the train first.
For that odd nimwit who thinks they can shove by me, well, I'm pretty well acquainted with mosh pit physics.
Please don't say "Stand your ground"
as that phrase has forever been ruined by Florida legislatures who think it's just fine and dandy to shoot someone you are afraid of.
just being literal
I'll also make sure that I say "industrial facility" instead of "plant" because plants are nice green growing things.
You're late to the party
I know for a fact that the Orange Line Operators DO make announcements to not block doors and to let people off the train prior to boarding because they did so just yesterday.
And it's not a Boston thing: I was in another country 9 years ago with my brother during his adoption process (the mom stayed home with their other children) and we were about to go up the elevator to our room and he says "Watch this." And after the elevator doors opened, we moved toward them slowly (with child in umbrella stroller) and were promptly cut off enough times that the elevator filled so we couldn't even get on. Typically people let those with bags or children board anything first, but not in that culture - everyone for themselves and no sense of personal space. And certainly no sense of proper queuing.
cutting
I'll say I've never encountered more blatant cutting in line than being in airports in Eastern Europe. EE's love themselves an opportunity to cut you off in any sort of queue.
My favorite Orange Line announcement is
CLEAH THE DAWWWWWWS!
also
Blocking walking access on escalators, especially when there is no stairs option. We get you're in no rush to get anywhere or burn a few calories, but some people would like to do one or both of those things. Speaking of overseas, in Taipei at least, people form a line on one side so other people can get buy if they so choose.
I bet the escalator blockers love the shit out of blocking the passing lane as well.
Now the dumper of the coffee is out of line, but to paraphrase Chris Rock, "I understand". A good chunk of MBTA commuters would be literally trampled over if they tried to pull the same shit on the Tube.
Not True
It wasn't always done 'this way', meaning how it's done circa 2015. 25 years ago (and presumably further back) regular, vigorous public service announcements were made telling people to engage in commonsense behavior. My impression is today that this is too mean spirited and might upset the more sensitive among us. I think part of it is the big push for tourism, and to make Boston a less confrontational, more theme park and tourist friendly place.
They even use to make frequent announcements avout watching you hand bags, wallets,etc.because there were thieves operating in the area.
Let me clarify that for you:
Let me clarify that for you: suburbanites working and/or attending school in Boston and tourists visting Boston do not understand. Us city folk get it... and that goes for Chicago and NYC as well. Got it?
Red Line Commuter
Can't tell you how many times I have to fight my way onto a train because of tons of people standing near the doors, even though there's plenty of room (and even seats) farther in.
Of course, many are suburbanites or tourists who get off at South Station.
"It makes no sense to me. I
"It makes no sense to me. I even see tourists from places like Japan and Europe unlearning their public transportation manners within days of arriving in Boston."
When in Rome...
Boston-Cambridge area has a very large, diverse
and transient population. Many of these people grew up in places where blocking people in the subway, on sidewalks, etc. wasn't an issue. Many are not from urban big cities. My observations:
MANY treat Boston like a theme park. They don;t seem to realize, or don't care, that it's a real big city, with real human inhabitants, who don't want to struggle to get by slow moving or blocking people on sidewalks, slow moving people blocking (sometimes deliberate, sometimes our of ignorance) others from getting to point A to B on the subway, getting off and on, when not to jam yourself on a train, especially with a baby carriage, bike, big backpak, etc.
Aside from the blocking people on sidewalks (AND KEEPING TO THE RIGHT), another thing that irritates the fuck out of me are not KEEPING TO THE RIGHT going up and down stairs! Seriously, WTF is wrong with some people? Common god damn sense, but noooooo....and when they run into you, and act like you just robbed them or pulled a god damn knife on them. KEEP TO THE GOD DAMN RIGHT! WE NEED SIGNS, IN FLUORESCENT COLORS, EVERYWHERE, SAYING "KEEP TO THE GOD DAMN RIGHT".
I was coming up the stairs (keeping to the right) at Kendall the other day. There's a sharp turn where you can't see who is coming down, a moron came slamming down the stairs, on the left, running right into this kid. The kid (with a Boston accent, so he's a 'townie') yelled at her to keep to the right (she looked like MIT student or biotech worker). If looks could kill, she gave him the stink-eye. I give up :(
The London Tube has "walk
The London Tube has "walk left, stand right" signs all over the place. If the T wanted to copy them, it might be the best ~$100,000 they ever spent.
if everyone keeps to the right, in both directions
many of these irritating as fuck daily issues would cease. Instead many people choose to walk down the middle of a sidewalk, blocking others, walk 2,4+ abreast, and not move enough (or not at all), out if theway so the person in the opposite direction can get by.
Subway: If you're going to stand around, do it against the wall, as best as possible with consideration for how crowded things are, so people walking by in both directions can do so without zig zagging like they were trying to avoid a mine field or slam into people. Up and down stairs, keep to the right, both directions.
WALK ON THE RIGHT!
If everybody followed this simple rule, Boston, and the world, would be a much better place.
Drive on the right side of the road
Walk on the right side of sidewalk. Not complicated.
and...
....if you wouldn't slam on your brakes in the middle of the road or just pull out without looking, why do it when you're walking?
Unconsciously, I swear!
I've unconsciously dipped a shoulder when people haven't gotten out of my way, I think in anticipation of the hit. As a short female, don't underestimate me - I grew up with hockey brothers and won't gently step aside if you're being rude. One teen girl was genuinely flabbergasted when she bounced off of my stiff shoulder.
Further
I've even come to a complete halt when someone walking toward me hasn't moved to be single file with her girlfriends. It was at the last minute and she had to put on quick evasive maneuvers to arc around my left shoulder or risk running into me. I think she didn't realize I was there until we were inches apart. My raised eyebrow and direct stare threw her off.
I'm probably going to get shanked one of these days.
Living in a city, or anywhere for that matter, includes recognizing that while your mom and dad think you're a special snowflake, the rest of the world does not. You have to learn to work with others and be considerate of others and use the freaking manners you were or weren't taught growing up.
Please and thank you.
I do this too
and it drives my husband crazy, but tough. If you don't move for me, I don't move for you! Sometimes I even utter "Share the sidewalk" at them. Wasted breath, I'm sure.
Knowing the T, they'd spend
Knowing the T, they'd spend $10M for the same signs, stupidly copy them exactly (that is, the "walk left" part) confusing everyone and making the problem worse, and then 6mo after the signs are hung, due to corner-cutting and lack of cleaning/maintenance, they'd be rusting, illegible, covered in black grime, and falling down.
Headline perhaps more accurate than you think.
For example, I once was involved with a case of A&B DW, to wit, a roast beef.
I kid you not (and I was not on the giving or receiving end of said roast beef).
I've noticed lately
People will stand in the aisle and prevent people from exiting the train, instead of shuffling their ass to an empty seat.
On the flip side, I've had several occasions where I've asked people to remove their bags, so I could sit, and they flat-out refused. Fucking animals!
There ARE good folks too
I rode the Franklin line two weeks ago and, when I got on at Ruggles, the train was packed. I found a 3 seat with two people and asked if I could sit. The girl on the aisle had luggage that was too large to fit in the overhead. However instead of saying No to me, she crushed herself into the middle seat with the bag and let me sit. As soon as I could get another seat I did, for which she thanked me.
(Yes I could have stood, but f*ck that.)
Bags on seats
I have no shame about asking people to move their bags, and usually it works. The one time someone said no, I told him he could move it, or I could sit on it. His choice.
He moved it and I enjoyed both the seat and his irritation. Good times.
IF they won't move the bag
you toss the bag on the ground, or sit on it. Either is good
Eyyyyyy Sit on it
Happy Days, good times.
Why ask?
Sometimes people get on an uncrowded car and forget to remove their stuff once it fills up. I usually just aim for the seat with the stuff on it; the prospect of my sitting on their stuff is usually enough to make them move it. For some reason, this causes less static then asking them.
On the other hand, since I walk with a stoop, people on the Orange Line have generally gotten up for me if there are no seats, which I really appreciate.
People do much better now....
... than they did 17 years ago when we moved here.