in which our plucky heroine is extremely vexed...
worst Tri-Met bus scene so far (this year)... a man (not young, not old, sort of middle aged white guy, hard luck type) gets on the bus carrying a sizeable snapped-open pocket knife, blade pointing out, in one hand and a box in the other... driver lets him on. After said guy passes where I am sitting, I go up and ask the driver, who says that he thought the guy was holding a cup of coffee. Driver goes back to check and comes back and tells me that since the knife blade is not over 3 1/2" long, it is acceptable. I decide to get off and wait for the next bus.
It was particularly disturbing because it was right at the Hollywood Transit Station, near where the stabbing knife murders took place last year...
I call Tri-Met and try and find out if openly carrying an OPEN knife blade, point out, on transit, is in fact allowed and approved. I am told that unless the person is actively threatening people it is not "forbidden"!?!! (What if the person stumbles, or the bus makes a quick stop, or goes over a bump?) I understand that it is acceptable to openly carry knifes in public, and have no problem with that, but always thought that meant openly visible but safely closed. The one time years ago I opened a pocket knife in public to show a friend (not while riding on the bus), all my other friends jumped all over me about how that was illegal to do and I could be arrested for "brandishing" a knife in public. I am really confused.
I tried phoning the non-emergency police information line, and got no help at all other than "look it up on Google" which has not been helpful. There is information about concealed carry of knifes in Oregon, but nothing about open knives in public in an unsafe way. Honestly, sometimes I plum hate having to ride on transit.
Seriously, I am not the best at it, but I try and maintain a semblance of situational awareness. No one else apparently noticed, including the driver... This makes three times this year I have felt it to be safer to simply exit transit and wait for the next one, even at the cost of being late and missing an appointment. Times are getting weirder and more disturbing, and no, I don't think I am being paranoid
Thursday, September 27, 2018
4 comments:
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I don’t know. Perhaps he was just trying to open the box? Weird stuff happens though and if it was bothering you I don’t blame you for exiting the bus. We call it “adventures in public transit” every time we use Vancouver’s system.
ReplyDeletethe box was one of those clear plastic snap boxes from takeout food, and don't *usually* require a knife to open... I just felt unsafe, and figure, better safe than sorry
DeleteI can't fathom how anyone would not be alarmed at an open knife blade on a bus. I'm so glad you protect yourself by exiting the bus, and hope you have a pass so you don't have to keep paying another fare.
ReplyDeleteThe fare payments here are a weird system, but the biggest problem was that I was on my way to a medical appointment, which I missed because of having to wait for a later bus.
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