The grinch hit a young Toronto mother early and hit her hard. I'm not talking about the odd looking, eternally grumpy, green hater of the kind spirit. I'm talking about a blue uniformed constable of the Toronto Transit Company.
As a warrior of Hamilton's bus system and many times patron of the world famous "red rocket" subway system I cringed and shook my head in disbelief when I read this story in today's Toronto Sun while I waited to start my afternoon shift.
Where? Queen's Park subway station.
Who? Little Johnny 4 years old, holds tight to his mummy's hand, Kaeli Goldman, as they wade through the multitudes surging through the gates to the northbound train on Tuesday.
Johnny wants to be a rock star. Or a Blue Jay. He has just torn his eyes away from a busker playing mariachi guitar at the foot of the station's escalator.
Kaeli is 31 and seven months pregnant.
What? Mom flashes their monthly passes like the rest of the sea of commuters munching and slurping their breakfasts on the way to work. Goldman works as a freelance writer.
Very pregnant lady. Five-foot-5. Tidily dressed in sweater and jeans. In tow, a boy, in a hoodie. Immediate concerns to security right? Apparently so.
In a stern voice the two are culled aside from the pack by the TTC special constable and another officer listening to an ear piece, looking like an extra on the set of "24". But this is no movie, but no less a horror.
The problem is, Johnny's transfer, off the College St. streetcar, is just fine. But his mom is using her December pass. Two days early. Oh, oh! defcom 5 alert!
She tries to tell them she got mixed up, the November pass is at home, but she has a receipt for it, and the December pass too is bought and paid for out of a very tight budget.
The constable isn't swayed a bit, with the face of a prison camp guard he insists she hand over the pass. Now people are staring and pointing as if the very pregnant women was a drug mule. To make the situation more uncomfortable little Johnny does his best Duddly Do-Right imitation and reminds mom that she has to do what the police officer tells her.
Great Mom hands over the $100 pass after Mr. Personality threatens to arrest her, in front of her child! The two are then let onto the train to cry and stew all the way up to Bloor St.
If this happened to me, my first thought would to send the president and vice-president of the TTC a copy of the lyrics to the Dixie Chicks "Not Ready to Make Nice" with the part of being mad as hell underlined in red. Then drafting an email referring to the constable as a cold, heartless heathen, bred from the muck that collects in the corner of the subway tracks. Then deleting it, and finding a more educated way to demand action from those who should know better.
Common sense should prevail hear, lets not turn an honest mistake into the unleashing of the hounds of hell. Give her the damn pass back!
Later,
Kenaz
2 comments:
There's a mention of this on the Transit Toronto yahoogroup
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/transit-toronto/
It's members only so I don't want to post what I read there here but anyone can join - if you do look for message 28975. It posts the Sun article and then gives a fairly different perspective on the incident and the attitude of all involved.
Can't speak to how true it is but thought you might be interested.
Unless I'm wrong posts to a Yahoo group or any other forum are not bound to copywrite so here is the post Mr. Dowling alludes to.
"Don't believe what you read." Author:The NATSA Moderator
First off the lady and her son came waltzing thru the crash gate and
flashed a pass at the collector on duty. Noticing it was a December
pass, informed the patron that it was a December pass and wasn't valid,
and a fare was required. I know this collector very well and he has to
be one of the easiest going types around. He has a multitude of regulars
who know him by first name. Anyway the lady stops, turns and spurts out
"well I just bought the dam thing and that's all I've got."
With that the collector again informs her that a fare is required to gain entry into the station. Now this very pregnant lady. Five-foot-5.
Tidily dressed in sweater and jeans turns on the collector and begins to
verbally assault him with a tirade of foul language that would have
embarrassed me. This is when the two Constables came over to see what
all the fuss was about.
The "lady" now turns on them after they have again tried to explain the
fare structure and what is required. She will have none of it and begins
again on them with a collection of expletives that would have made a
gansta embarrassed.
She is asked to please keep it quiet especially because of her young son
and no, off she goes again and becomes even more aggressive. Only at
this point did the constables resort to a firmer tone and advise the
"lady" the consequences of what she was doing and what the outcome may
be.
The "lady" would have none of it and then demanded that the TTC "pigs"
call the "real" police. After several more attempts the "lady" is calmed
down enough to able to have a sort of civilized discussion which again
is peppered with foul outburst. The "lady" now is treated like any other
fare evader and issued a citation and has the pass confiscated.
As this "lady" leaves all she can do is yell "I'll get you M*****
F*****, I'll call the papers. And she did.
So the Sun guy fall hook line and sinker into the middle. With no
official reply to the story he prints it. Oh by the way after it's
printed the Sun guy is told the true story by an independent witness,
but what the hell, bad sob stories make good press.
I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle.
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