Passenger Trains > LA riders bail on Metro trains amid “horror” of drugs…

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-14/horror-the-deadly-use-of-drugs-on-metro-trains

The news item from the LA Times describes how drug use (and the homeless) are driving people away from using the Metro subway system.  

Sad to see so much money put into a subway system that won't be used by many people due to perceived crime.

From the beginning of the article:

Matthew Morales boarded the Metro Red Line at MacArthur Park as classical music blared over the station loudspeakers. It was rush hour on a Tuesday afternoon, and Morales made his way to a back corner seat and unfolded a tiny piece of foil with several blue shards of fentanyl. As the train started west, he heated the aluminum with a lighter and sucked in the smoke through a pipe fashioned from a ballpoint pen.

(Edited to clean up some of the formatting)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/23 13:18 by jofegan.

LA's new mayor ran on "fixing up the homeless problem".  We'll see how she does.   The City and county of LA is having a hard time finding where to draw the line on dealing with homeless, which is estimated to be largely mentally ill and drug addicted.

They are trying to house these ppl somehow (no, not with gracious living quarters, like some nuts out there think) just with some sort of temporary shelter. But if you've never dealt with ppl with mental issues, u just dont know.  There's PTSD, and lots of fears, paranoia, and especially lack of trust of anyone. They dont do what u or I consider "rational" , or even in their own best interests. Any many are US military veterans, so you'd think the govt would do something.  

The ivory tower crowd would just like them to disappear by whatever means necessary.  Dealing with these issues just so interfears with playing golf, and sipping mint julips.

In the mean time, seems that putting 2 police officers on each train wouldnt be a bad idea for now.   That of course will just put them back on the street, which isnt good either.  Hopefully getting the homeless into shelters will work for now.

We are having the worst winter in LA in 50 years...so im sure that has something to do with these problems...

Quit riding in 2015. Will never ride again. It’s time to quit building anymore useless Metro lines and lower the sales tax in L.A. County.

Posted from iPhone

SanDiegan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Quit riding in 2015. Will never ride again. It’s
> time to quit building anymore useless Metro lines
> and lower the sales tax in L.A. County.
>
> Posted from iPhone

Thank you for your well reasoned and thoughtful comments. 
Maybe shoud stop widening freeways too,  or doing any sort of public service.   Im not saying LA does everything right. PPl dont draw the lines correctly.  Im so sick of the far left, and the far right, and the tax complainers.

i think the increasing amount of dangerous drugs fueling deaths, addictions, homelessness, and/or mental illnesses that keep people from seeking the shelters or treatment they need are the problem.  unfortunately,  public rail transit can't deal with those issues. 

however, public rail transit can take measures to make riders feel safer...........

66 

  

You know what I'm tired of?  EXCUSES.  These people are bums, are breaking the law, and are putting all of us at risk with their drug use, especially Fentanyl.

Bust them right out of the system.  They CHOSE to get into drugs.  Really stupid of them, but they have to pay the price now, or CHOOSE to change.

And re-open lots of mental hospitals for all the other whack jobs.  Living on the street IS NOT the answer.

               Making people 'feel' safer is worthless crap. People need to really BE SAFER and not have to wonder or worry if they will reach their destination alive, or robbed or anything else. Just feeling it DON'T GET IT.

Before COVID I would ride the Metro whenever it made sense and never minded the longer ride than driving. Since COVID I just can't do it. The disturbed people basically using it as self-daycare are overwhelming. I have no interest in a political fight here, but I certainly do hope something is figured out. (I've experienced the same thing in other cities too.)

mitigating the problems that decrease ridership on public rail transit in this day and age BEFORE spending millions on more systems/routes seems like a good idea to me..........

66

It sounds like the LA Metro these days isn't safe to ride. My brother lives in Hollywood, within walking distance of the Hollywood/Vine Metro Station. I haven't ridden the Metro Red or Purple Line at all since 2017. I was in LA last year but never rode the Metro given what's been happening. I may be back in LA this Fall and hope to ride the Downtown Connector if its open. Hopefully these issues underground with the drugs and crime will stop.

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You know what I'm tired of?  EXCUSES.  

We are all tired of people like you being judgmental. What is YOUR excuse for not helping to make a change you are obviously so passionate about?

> These people are bums,

Judgmental generalization that is not even close to being true per the actual definition.

> are breaking the law,

As are most people operating a vehicle by speeding, not completely stopping at a stop sign, running a red light...

> and are putting all of us at risk with their drug use, especially Fentanyl.

Drunk drivers, distracted drivers and entitled drivers ignoring traffic laws by far have way more potential to affect another person.

> They CHOSE to get into drugs.

Your lack of compassion and understanding of how something can entice a person then addict them precedes you.

> Really stupid of them, but they have to pay the price now, or CHOOSE to change.

True, but what came first, the chicken or the egg? You have to attack the source of the drugs as well. And we all know too well that our legal system protects the providers of drugs as much as possible.

> And re-open lots of mental hospitals

We all look forward to your political career or at least activism to accomplish that.

> for all the other whack jobs.  

Another judgmental generalization.

> Living on the street IS NOT the answer.

No one ever said it was.

Rather than arresting and imprisioning I think a better way is stronger entrance barriers and a no-ride list with enforcement at the entrances to keep them out.  There must be several hundred problem children that cause problems over and over. Target those people and don't let them in the system.  Putting people in jail is expensive and doesn't accomplish much as they get out.  Petty crimes like the ones these people commit don't get long prison sentences. 

 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

longliveSP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> coach Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You know what I'm tired of?  EXCUSES.  
>
> We are all tired of people like you being
> judgmental. What is YOUR excuse for not helping to
> make a change you are obviously so passionate
> about?
>
> > These people are bums,
>
> Judgmental generalization that is not even close
> to being true per the actual definition.
>
> > are breaking the law,
>
> As are most people operating a vehicle by
> speeding, not completely stopping at a stop sign,
> running a red light...
>
> > and are putting all of us at risk with their
> drug use, especially Fentanyl.
>
> Drunk drivers, distracted drivers and entitled
> drivers ignoring traffic laws by far have way more
> potential to affect another person.
>
> > They CHOSE to get into drugs.
>
> Your lack of compassion and understanding of how
> something can entice a person then addict them
> precedes you.
>
> > Really stupid of them, but they have to pay the
> price now, or CHOOSE to change.
>
> True, but what came first, the chicken or the egg?
> You have to attack the source of the drugs as
> well. And we all know too well that our legal
> system protects the providers of drugs as much as
> possible.
>
> > And re-open lots of mental hospitals
>
> We all look forward to your political career or at
> least activism to accomplish that.
>
> > for all the other whack jobs.  
>
> Another judgmental generalization.
>
> > Living on the street IS NOT the answer.
>
> No one ever said it was.

My compassion ends when it interferes with me being able to walk down a street safely... i dodged Zombies, that's what they are now. Zombies for 5 years driviing uber in San Francisco. It's sad that the city keeps that existence going. My favorite was when a zombie worh a hatchet went by my car luckily he didn't make eye contact and ran off and chased someone else down the road instead with his hatchet in the air. Such is life in San Francisco... and any major city in the US, sadly it's not just allowed, but encouraged.

Posted from Android

webmaster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rather than arresting and imprisioning I think a
> better way is stronger entrance barriers and a
> no-ride list with enforcement at the entrances to
> keep them out.  There must be several hundred
> problem children that cause problems over and
> over. Target those people and don't let them in
> the system.  Putting people in jail is expensive
> and doesn't accomplish much as they get out. 
> Petty crimes like the ones these people commit
> don't get long prison sentences. 
>
>  

So they can just harras the people on the streets then? Yeah that's a great solution.

Posted from Android

goduckies Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> webmaster Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Rather than arresting and imprisioning I think
> a
> > better way is stronger entrance barriers and a
> > no-ride list with enforcement at the entrances
> to
> > keep them out.  There must be several hundred
> > problem children that cause problems over and
> > over. Target those people and don't let them in
> > the system.  Putting people in jail is
> expensive
> > and doesn't accomplish much as they get out. 
> > Petty crimes like the ones these people commit
> > don't get long prison sentences. 
> >
> >  
>
> So they can just harras the people on the streets
> then? Yeah that's a great solution.
>
> Posted from Android

well, i think "stronger entrance barriers and a 'no-ride list' with enforcement at the entrances" is a good idea..........

66

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SanDiegan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Quit riding in 2015. Will never ride again.
> It’s
> > time to quit building anymore useless Metro
> lines
> > and lower the sales tax in L.A. County.
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> Thank you for your well reasoned and thoughtful
> comments. 
> Maybe shoud stop widening freeways too,  or doing
> any sort of public service.   Im not saying LA
> does everything right. PPl dont draw the lines
> correctly.  Im so sick of the far left, and the
> far right, and the tax complainers.

People use freeways. They are always crowded.

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It sounds like the LA Metro these days isn't safe
> to ride. My brother lives in Hollywood, within
> walking distance of the Hollywood/Vine Metro
> Station. I haven't ridden the Metro Red or Purple
> Line at all since 2017. I was in LA last year but
> never rode the Metro given what's been happening.
> I may be back in LA this Fall and hope to ride the
> Downtown Connector if its open. Hopefully these
> issues underground with the drugs and crime will
> stop.

It will not stop. The Metro Board is afraid of activists and will not do anything that will offend anyone. Ride at your own risk.

Posted from iPhone