Subway Altercation Goes to Court

The first sentence of this amNew York story by Chuck Bennett says it all:

Only in New York could an aspiring mortician be a star witness against an accomplished Cuban-born klezmer player accused of a beating up a hapless subway conductor for refusing to kick a belligerent homeless man off the train.

Well, maybe not all - it also involves the homeless man harassing another passenger AND the klezmer player pulling the emergency brake - but let's face it, how often do you get to know that your fellow straphanger is a "mortuary science student"? Last year, Roberto Juan Rodriguez tried to ask conductor Charles Johnson to remove the homeless man from the Queens-bound E train, but Johnson said that only the police could handle the matter. And then Rodriguez and Johnson got into a fight after Rodriguez pulled the emergency brake. Well, conductors really don't like it when the emergency brake is pulled, we guess.

Rodriguez was arrested and charged with assault, and the case is being heard in court this week. Johnson says he was punched, kicked and put in a headlock, and Rodriguez may be testifying for himself. Oh, and the "eyewitness and mortuary science student Lonnell Harrington" said the homeless guy left during scuffle. Naturally!

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By Jen Chung in News on September 20, 2006 3:00 PM

Comments [rss]

Melvin

Don't you think that the entire situation would have been solved with one sentence added to the conductor's original response? If he had said, "...only the police can handle the matter... [and, I'll do everything I can to try and arrange for one at the next station]." Or, "we'll radio ahead," or, "it'll be hard for me to help, but, I'll do what I can." Or, "if you'd like, I'll hold the doors for you while you move to the next car."

I'm just guessing that what set Mr. Rodriguez off was the conductor, perhaps somewhere in this conversation, saying something like, "sorry pal, not my job, not my problem." As if, as a passenger, we have anywhere else to turn, anyone else to ask. Now, this in no way excuses the overreaction/fisticuffs by Mr. Rodriguez. Um, you just can't pull the brake nor hit anyone. But, having been riding the subway for the last 15 years and having very limited contact with conductors, this response is not a stretch. In his/her defense, it's a bugger of a job and I could never do it.

draveed

Beating the homeless guy instead would have made more sense. It makes me think this klezmer player can't deal with people not listening to him.