wOOt!!

[kalibex]

I been cheerful today!! Tired (especially now) but cheerful.

Went window shopping 'round Downtown Crossing (Filene's, Macy's) today. Felt the urge to get out and have a short wander, so mid-afternoon, did so. Had a late food court lunch out. This year's early Spring palette is almost frighteningly bright - usually don't see those type of colors until Summer. Some cute Retro details out there, though. Good clearance sales right now, too. Bought nothing for myself, but justified the trip downtown by picking up me mum's b-day present early.

On the way back, two women got into a snarling and shoving match on the subway train. The middle-aged woman sitting to my right turned from watching the altercation to look at me, and told me to press the emergency intercom button to my left.

I dithered uncertainly for a few moments. Press the Button? Make a Scene? Was it really that bad?

The woman turned back again, her voice sharpened by alarm. 'Don't fuck around!" she advised me. "Push the damned button!"

I leaned over and pushed the button. It went red, but nothing else obvious happened. The woman snapped at me again, and I snapped back that I'd pushed it. Everyone went back to watching the younger of the two women posture and snarl at the older woman who, mocked by the younger, had lost her temper and physically shoved her. She was now sitting down, and the younger girl was getting in her face, demanding she leave the train, and finally shoving her back.

The train remained still in the station, and we realized Something was indeed Being Done. The older women finally got off the train and went to sit on a bench, as her opponent sneered and the girl's boyfriend paced nervously, realizing by the train's lack of departure that the subway police were on their way. She reassured him, declaring loudly that the other women had shoved her (first); she had witnesses, it was going to be all right.

Gratifyingly quickly, subway police showed up and gathered the Principals off the train, where they started to listen to the hesays-shesays.

Fortunately, the rest of us were able to continue on our way.

Comments

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

Yay transit rage. Did they have weapons?

[kalibex.livejournal.com]

Not that I saw. But in those few seconds that I was slow tro react, I started (sluggishly) to realize, 'Oh, yeah...this could Escalate, couldn't it? If they, like, have weapons... Oh, that's why that lady is snapping at me to push the goddamned button...'

(I a little Slow sometimes....)

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

The other night I was walking home from a friend's house when I smelled gas outside some rowhouses. I could hear some pipes hissing too. So I went home, talked it over with people, called the operator for a public works number. She told me to call the fire department. I really hovered over the phone before finally dialing 911 about a half hour after I'd smelled the gas.

Funny how we (women?) are so conditioned to Not Make a Scene that we'd rather let dangerous things happen.

[warinbabylon.livejournal.com]

Interesting! Subway police...they have such things?

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

Toronto has subway police. They call them public transit special officers, I think. They're specifically employees of the public transit system, but they have all the power and authority of regular cops to enforce the law. This means they can carry weapons and actually have some clout in the eyes of criminals. Unlike, say, university campus security.

[warinbabylon.livejournal.com]

Interesting.