A trip on Muni becomes strange..
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by Richard Midget/PNN Media Intern I remember the trip to San Francisco on the bus leaving a city that had trampled on my civil rights and heading for someplace better… The first few days where a bit rough but the city and some other organizations helped me settle in my new home. One of these groups had helped me to get some long-term shelter out on Folsom Ave near the water. This is when I encountered the other side if San Francisco. The rude and disrespectful City Employee. Now this is not all city employees but a certain percentage of them and the them are the ones not believing in or held to any standards of accountability professional or otherwise. One of my advocates had suggested I take The "66 Quintara" (bus) to my destination. I got on MUNI and showed the driver a transfer, the same time I asked him about the 66 line. He began to yell at me about my transfer being expired and how should I know this already. Being he was a bus driver and every other stop for the 66 line was missing(from what?) I thought he might have some grasp on the concept of bus stops and destinations. Obviously I could have been wrong. I went on to advise him that I in fact had the fare but he was the one in fifteen billion who had asked to see it since my return to the city by the bay. He continued to yell at me in both English and what I thought to be Tagalog. I stated to this gentleman he had no reason to be rude as I was paying my fare but he continued to yell at He drove another block and a half and turned on to second street and yelled out "last stop!" I asked again where was the 66 line and again he yelled out, "last stop! You need to get off the bus!" So I looked at this man oddly and exited the bus. After I exited, I noticed another bus parked in front of his so I walked up to the door and asked the driver if he could call a supervisor as I was treated disrespectfully by the driver of the bus that just left. I was told by this driver, "I don’t have a number" I said what about using the phone in your bus he replied, "cant do it" I attempted to appeal to this mans sense of reasoning as a professional and stated, "You have the ability to call a supervisor and I am requesting you call one as I wish to make a complaint regarding your driver and I know someone is in the field" Again he towed the party line, "cant do it". So being a worldly man I stated to the driver "next time you S.O.B's ask for a raise don’t consider my vote!!". As I was walking away from the door I heard a voice from behind call out "who you calling a b…." and the sound of something snap. When I turned around I had a uniformed muni driver standing in front of me with a 5 inch hunting knife opened, he was holding it in a position to strike me. I began to state calmly at first and then more loudly to draw the attention of the passengers on the bus seated, "Are you going to stab me?!!" I repeated this line a few times till the driver noticed passengers beginning to raise and move toward the door . I got back onto the bus, we argued a bit more as I was afraid to take my eyes off of him, he looked as if he was going to get out of his seat again and charge the door. Eventually he started the bus and I stood outside the door till he pulled away. |