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The rape of an art student at the G train 21st Street stop in Long Island City is upsetting New Yorkers. Not only did a token booth clerk stay in his booth when he saw the attack (he did call for more help), it turns out that a police command booth was empty, because police had complained about air quality issues in the station. The NY Post says that these are actually "anti-terror posts/omega booths" that are in the city's 32 subway stations near bodies of water; the other Queens omega booths are manned 24 hours a day by police while this one is not. And local politicians are calling for changes in NYC Transit procedures, to prevent another crime in progress. Transportation Committee chair City Councilman John Liu said, "There shouldn't be such a blanket rule," while NYC Transit says its token booth clerks should stay in booths because they are not trained as police officers. That well may be, but what about the token booth clerks that are now transplanted to work outside the booths? Wouldn't they help someone in danger? Aren't they vulnerable to attackers as well? Gothamist hopes the MTA will revisit some rules and procedures; and while we love that the subways run 24 hours, maybe it's time to revisit the best ways to ride.
Our readers' heated debate on the incident.
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Please don't even START with "revisit the best way to ride" Talk like this lets the MTA off the hook by suggesting that people don't WANT or NEED to ride the subway 24hrs a day - therefore they aren't responsible for providing a safe ride. DEMAND service and safety as part of living in NYC!
I can't imagine seeing someone being raped and not rushing over to help. I think it's a shame that the token booth clerk didn't go over there.
There is one of those booths at the Greenpoint Ave stop and I assure you that it IS NOT manned 24 hours a day. A few weeks back an elderly gentleman fell down the stairs and it took ten minutes to send a single police officer, who I'm guessing was supposed to be in that booth.
i think they man the booths based on threat. obviously they don't care as much about the G and the tunnel between queens and brooklyn.
erikka, i'm guessing the cop was probably one that was walking around or came from the 94th precinct, which is about 5 minutes away (or less) by foot.
I don't think I've EVER seen a police officer in a "police booth" in any subway station--EVER.
Actually, at rush hour there is always 1, and sometimes 2, cops in a booth at the 21st/queensbridge stop on the F. I guess because its the first stop after crossing the river, not counting the Roosevelt Island stop in the middle of the river.
Isn't NYC on Orange KoolAid Alert, the one right behind Red Kool-Aid, while the rest of the country is on Yellow Kool-Aid.