MTA Crime

I often criticize the MTA for their lack of crime control on their system. It's not uncommon to have roaming gangs of hoodlums harassing the commuters.

In fact, several years ago, I was on the subway coming home from work. It was an especially crowded train - standing room only. I stood on the far end of the train with my tote bag on the ground at my feet. At one stop I hear a gang of 12-16 year old Baltimore City elementary school kids get on the train screaming and hollering and general rambunctiousness. They harassed the commuters and they pushed their way from one end of the car to the other, being totally obnoxious.

Finally, they get to me. An especially tall and intimidating 12 year old stands on my bag, gets within inches of my face and yells, points his finger at me and says, "I'm standing on your shit, bitch! Whatcha gonna do about it?!!" With my eyes nearly popping out of my head and my coworkers standing there speechless, I said that I would move the bag if he would like me to.

You see, most 12 years olds in Baltimore City are usually packing heat. You never know what they have - chrome 45's, Saturday Night Specials, whatever. And most will not flinch to cap you one. Cuz' whitie's got it coming!

Which brings us to today. Two people in their 20's were harassed and finally beaten on a Baltimore City MTA bus. The 9 middle school kids who were being real, were 6 boys and 3 girls between 14 and 15 years old. One of the victims suffered 2 broken bones. This is such a ringing endorsement to use public transportation!

We, as citizens, need to stand up and start kicking the donkeys of these middle school punks. I propose the following: when a Baltimore City child finished elementary school (assuming s/he's between the ages of 10 and 17), they will take a test. Pass the test, you go to middle school. Fail the test, you go to jail. You know they're just going to be criminals anyway. Lock them up early. This steadfast and hard approach to reducing crime will, no doubt, have an immediate and positive impact. What are your thoughts?