I live in Miami, Florida. I love living in Miami most of the time. Today is not one of those times though. After hearing the story of 82 year-old Emma Anderson being dragged off a Metrorail train at the Brickell station some seven miles away from her home on February 20, 2013.
Mrs. Anderson was asked to stop singing by one of the security guards representing 50 State Security, a subcontractor hired by Miami-Dade County. When Mrs. Anderson didn’t stop, the security guard forcibly removed her from the train. In the process, Mrs. Anderson’s hip and shoulder were injured.
Since this is 2013, you know some folks on the train captured the incident on their cell phones. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez quickly apologized for the incident. Hearing about it is bad enough, seeing it and hearing the comments from witnesses makes it all the more disgusting.
Some folks have focused on the religious aspect of this incident because Mrs. Anderson was singing gospel songs. Other folks have tried to make it a racial issue as Mrs. Anderson is black and the guard appears to be white Hispanic.
It’s reasonable to believe that Mrs. Anderson wasn’t asked to stop singing because she chose to sing a religious song. She was asked to stop singing because she was singing too loud and drumming on her thigh. While that is in violation of a noise rule, an elderly woman should not have been treated in such an inhumane manner.
This is the response from Miami-Dade Transit spokesperson Karla Damian:
Miami-Dade Transit has a responsibility to all its passengers to provide a safe and comfortable travel experience. The elderly passenger, Ms. Anderson, who was escorted from a Metrorail train, was initially asked by a security guard to refrain from singing loudly and playing an instrument while on the train.She refused to comply. County rules associated with transit use prohibit anyone from singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument unless a commercial permit is issued by MDT. Further, Ms. Anderson’s singing was causing a disturbance to other passengers and impeding important train announcements from being heard.
We regret that Ms. Anderson had to eventually be escorted out, but regardless of age, all passengers need to abide by the rules associated with using transit.
Really, Ms. Damian? This is the best response you guys could come up with? Wow. I shudder to think how any prudent individual could describe the guard's actions as "escorting" Mrs. Anderson.
As far as the racial aspect goes, one cannot read the thoughts of the security guard who assaulted Mrs. Anderson but there have been other documented incidents involving 50 State Security. Check out this video on The Huffington Post. Miami photographer and blogger Carlos Miller was physically restrained then handcuffed by 50 State guards at a Metrorail station. He is white.
How long are the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners going to allow this abuse to continue? I live in Miami, Florida. I love living in Miami most of the time. Today is not one of those times though.
Saturday Morning Rant On Disrespecting The President [VIDEO]
President Obama is really a class act. He has been faced with incredible challenges as the leader of the United States. It was necessary for the President to carefully consider his actions and reactions during his first term in office. To some extent that holds true now but since the President is in his last term, I think he needs to go 'Chris Christie' on some folks when putting them in check.
Case in point, Jake Tapper of ABC News (he has since moved to CNN). In referring to gun control during a recent press conference, Tapper had the audacity to ask President Obama 'where've you been?' Don't get me wrong, the President checked Tapper and he was still very respectful in his retort. As a matter of fact he was more respectful of Tapper than Tapper was of him.
I'd like to have seen President Obama respond something like this, "Dude, where have I been? The real question is why did you ask such a lame-brained question? You know what's transpired in this nation and globally, or at least you should --- you're the media. The next time you have the opportunity to ask a question at a press conference, don't waste my time, nor that of the other folks present. Most important, show some respect, I am your President whether you like it our not."
Now, I know President Obama would not say that, at least not publicly, he's too cool. He's also as shrewd as he is cool so he's really not someone to be messed with. It is the responsibility of Tapper and other correspondents to ask tough questions when necessary but professionals are not expected to be disrespectful when doing so.
A couple of days after the press conference, it was announced that Jake Tapper is moving to CNN and he'll have his own show. It's also my understanding that the deal was cut before Jeff Zucker took over the reins at CNN.
While President Obama is admired by many, he is also the most disrespected President of the United States by his own countrymen. Many people complained to ABC News about Tapper. More of that needs to be done in the future when our President is disrespected.
Posted on Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 07:26 AM in Barack Obama, Commentary, Politics, President Obama, Video | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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