Essence's Janelle Harris reflects on the latest instance of public-transportation violence.
Mental note to self: in addition to pregnant women, strippers, drag queens and homeless people, put bus drivers on the list of folks I will never, ever break tough or talk sassy to. They're snapping out all over the country, kicking tail and bucking the consequences because they have to know, just like the rest of us, that in the age of the handy dandy camera phone, everybody and their granddaddy has become an on-the-ground reporter. So when they cut the monkey like they've been doing so frequently, they will inadvertently go down in YouTube infamy.
The latest installment of public transportation workers gone wild comes courtesy of the MTA system in Baltimore, where a stocky, middle-aged female driver physically fought and gave the business to a young girl on board, allegedly for refusing to turn her music down. "It's about respect," the uniformed victor explained to another passenger, who ostensibly asked her why she whooped on that child like she stole something.
Indeed, it is about respect. I don't condone grown women snapping out and beating the living bejesus out of anybody, much less citizens on the bus, no matter how old they are. I was outraged when Shi'dea Lane was on the receiving end of the upper cut heard around the internet and I was flabbergasted watching this girl get tossed around by a lady old enough to be her mama.
Read Janelle Harris' entire piece at Essence.com.
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