Serena Neumeyer, Madison Mcgill, + Gabriel Schneider
Safety: Perceived + Actual Danger
03
A third-year marketing student at San Diego State University had someone try to force a painting into her hands in a trolley car late at night during her freshman year. She still carries a keychain with pepper spray and a whistle every time she rides the trolley.
Sophia Brown isn’t alone in her uneasy experiences, either. According to the Metropolitan Transit System’s (MTS) press release about the new initiative, a “passenger satisfaction survey” is the reason for the proposal and approval of increased security at bus and trolley stops across San Diego. The initiative will double the number of patrolling officers and add more trolley security teams.
MTS Director of Transit Security & Passenger Safety Timothy Curran wrote that the initiative's implementation is already happening, which entails hiring more code compliance inspectors and setting up security at busy transit stops. According to Curran, these busy stops include San Ysidro, 12th and Imperial Avenue, and Lemon Grove.
Multiple students said they continue to take precautions on their rides.
Take Sam Seeley, a political science student, who travels via trolley from San Diego State University to his car at Amaya Drive twice a week. He said that he hardly sees security guards near or on his route, and even though he hasn’t purchased a self-defense tool, he has considered it.
“I feel like every time I’m in a situation where I’m like, ‘No, we could use a security guard because I know this guy’s going to, like, do something,’ they’re nowhere to be found,” Seeley said.
“That’s Amaya, where I get on. I’ve seen maybe one…one time I’ve seen a security officer there,” he continued.
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Seeley said he won’t take the trolley at night.
Fifth-year media studies major Natale Canepa, who started using the trolley service for environmental reasons, has similar concerns. Canepa said that he would rather walk 30 minutes in the dark after going to a club in the Gaslamp area than ride the bus or the trolley.
“There’s a lot of really sketchy stations around,” Canepa said. “12th and Imperial is a war zone. Yeah, I’ve seen dudes shooting meth at the Mission Valley Center station or, excuse me, shooting heroin. Crazy stuff happens and there’s never a dull moment at the trolley stations.”
Canepa explained that he noticed more security on his routes every day. He said that he fully supports adding more MTS security, especially at night, and he may feel comfortable enough to ride the trolley at night if these increases stay implemented.
Another part of the initiative is a security hotline number, which transit riders can text or call when they feel unsafe. Before, there were two separate numbers to contact and it could be contacted for anything, from cleanup to safety. Curran wrote that the hotline number, on the other hand, is intended for safety issues.
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Brown, who travels on the Green Line trolley every week for an internship at the County of San Diego, said she has difficulty finding the current phone numbers in trolley cars.
It’s unclear whether this security hotline number will be more accessible to transit riders in the trolley cars and buses.
These students ask for countywide and service-related acts that would make them feel safer on public transportation, such as mental health resources, homeless resources and increased monitoring. However, they said it could be difficult because MTS may not have the staff to do this.
Curran wrote that the new initiative will “boost the number of officers conducting homeless outreach to seven days a week coverage.”
Mental health resources may not be completely unattainable, though. San Francisco’s extensive Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) system started a crisis intervention program to help people experiencing mental health crises, using drugs or experiencing homelessness. According to Next City, ambassadors reduced police calls for intervention and reduced sexual harassment reports by 1%.
Transit agencies that explore approaches to safety through advocacy and intervention, rather than enforcement, are growing throughout California cities. Visibility, funding and training are key to enaction and success rates.
Some SDSU students don't want safety measures to inflict bias, though.
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“These (homeless people) need to get around, too, and they have every right to use public transit,” Canepa said. “Whether they pose a safety risk to others from, like, erratic behavior…you can’t generalize an entire crowd of people from doing that. Like, you can’t say all homeless are bad because one tried to attack me on the trolley.”
In the meantime, SDSU students said that they’re comfortable with increased security, as long as it’s visible and available. MTS riders can contact security at 619-595-4960.
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