psycho

How did they pitch the concept of public transportation?

"Its a mass transit system that will allow everyone to get anywhere in your city."

"And the downside is that it allows everyone to get anywhere in your city."
 

I have been a bussy since my car exploded a little over a year ago (though when I have enough money saved up I will be buying a new car presently), and really, unil lately, the only problems I've had have been minor annoyances. Late buses, schedule changes, smelly, rude people, loud teenagers, etc., but in the last few weeks I've witnessed and been party to several things I wish I hadn't. Three weeks ago as I went to run some errands, I found myself happy that I hadn't taken my son with me. I was in Westpark Station waiting for my connecting bus, reading my african american history textbook and listening to music, when a few dozen junior high kids got off of their bus in order to take a rapid further east. No big deal on a normal day.

This was not a normal day.

A riot broke out. No shit. A full blown riot. between the girls. Until the very end, after many braids had been pulled out of scalps and much nose blood had been spilled, the guys stayed out of it. These girls went nuts on a scale that I've never seen before, and I've lived in mostly hispanic or black neighboorhoods most of my life. I've seen two women soldiers fight with each other once, and with all of their deadly training and aggression, it wasn't like this. This was nuts. Junior high school girls. And yes, they were black, but you know what? They were all wearing nice clothes. Leather jackets and boots and that kind of thing. They weren't the poor unfortunates that so many people expect so little from. They go to what used to be considered one of our better junior high schools. Now, there are huge fights there on a daily basis, mostly between girls. They have no shame, no fear of their parents, no sense. If I went home at 13 with blood all over my clothes my mom would have called the cops. What the hell?

I personally had to put my body between three of the girls that were tumbling around with each other and a woman with downs syndrome who was scared out of her mind. My textbook got a spot of blood on it when they crushed against me. I just rode that out. Fucking weak.

Second encounter:

Cleveland has some serrious public health issues. One of the worst is the state of our rather limited capacity to diagnose, treat, and provide for those with mental illness. Cleveland is worse than any major city I've been to except New York in that regard. There are alot of homeless crazies here. Most of the time, they're nothing to worry about. Most of the time. I'm always on my guard because of the training I've had, but moreso when around sick people that you can't predict- but I don't go out of my way to offend them, stay away from them or that sort of thing. They're sick. It sucks. Life's like that. I don't judge. In the opinion of this humble citezen soldier we're all just one bad year away from being nut jobs ourselves.

I see this one guy frequently. He is taller than me, and all fat, he outweighs me by at least 200 pounds. Big guy. To put that in perspective, I am 6', 258 pounds, weightlifting/football/martial arts body type. This guy is huge. I never felt threatened by him until last thursday on my way home from work. He was in the back of the bus, talking to himself as usual, just little murmers. Nothing new. I had my Ipod out and was watching Deadwood, since I can't ever watch it at home due a two year old. While the bus was making its short way downtown, I noticed the guy shift gears. In the five minute bus ride to public square, he started getting louder, and jerking his body about, began to reach out violently towards me in punching and pointing motions. I was sitting in the back of the bus near him, but not next to him, but we and two other people were the only ones back there. The motions really were toward me. And they got continually worse in the next couple of minutes.

So I got off at the stop before public square and told the bus driver that the guy was freaking out, and medics or transit cops might be needed. I was determined to not make the guy my problem unless he actually touched me. Then he ran to the front of the bus and punched my arm.

Umm... No.

I pushed him away from me and got off the bus, hoping that would diffuse the situation. He got off the bus shortly thereafter, ahead of me. I was walking to my next bus stop, and he's near it, acting like he's taking pictures of me using (serriously) a piece of paper as a camera. The whole time, I'm trying to keep that uncle sam agression response in check, and I'm thinking, "If he attacks me and I defend myself, do I go to prison?" Also I'm thinking, "What is the spirit of the bayonett? BLOOD RED BLOOD MAKES THE GRASS GROW GREEN DRILL SERGENT!" Yeah, I'm fucked that way.

And then, he starts yelling, screaming the word prick at me, pointing at me, and I stop and take his measure. He's wearing this huge coat (for 50 degree weather it must have been hot) that could conceal anything. I'm watching his hands, his face, his feet and his knees at the same time. The old hyperalertness surges back. My pulse quickens. He rears up like a bull, and starts running towards me screaming. I drop my back pack and get into my ingrained fighting stance, watching his hands for a knife and his feet for the innevitible kick. He kicks at me about five feet  away from reaching me. He's totally nuts, but I think he got the message that my stature, my posture, and my obvious training should make clear to anyone, and backs away, screaming the word prick and pointing at me in awkward, compulsive motions. Everyone around us is staring. An older lady beckons to me to just move on, which is a good idea.

His foot was five feet away from being the first part of him to get beat down. I wanted to. I really did. I just knew it wasn't justified when he stopped short and backed off. So i picked up my backpack and moved on. He didn't follow me any more after that.

I did about two hundred push ups when I got home until my son woke up and kept trying to ride my back.

And that was the high point of my weekend! I got really sick saturday - tuesday, and am still feeling it. Woot.

Any thoughts?