mook Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You have to realize that 'getting involved' in
> cases like the Muni will usually either get the
> 'good samaritan' shot (along with some others) or
> will result in the 'good samaritan' going to jail
> perhaps instead of the potential shooter. That's a
> fact of modern life. If you're not an on-duty cop,
> attempting to do something about it gets YOU in
> trouble not the crazy one. And if you ARE a cop
> doing something proactive just generates a load of
> paperwork and a complaint file (by the crazy and
> his/her friends/helpers) with the person being
> back on the street faster than the reports can be
> done.
>
> Personal experience: So most people ignore
> craziness and even blatant crime as long as they
> can (or leave as soon as they can), and if they
> get involved at all it will be (at a safe distance
> out of hearing/sight of the crazy) to call the
> driver or the cops to report a situation. In rare
> cases, there might be a police response; most of
> the time you have to live with it until the crazy
> decides to leave or you do. Yes, people have a
> right to be as obnoxious as they want to be, and
> you as another rider have to just accept it. Free
> speech, among other things. Only when it reaches
> the point of overt violence can anybody else (even
> the cops, if by some miracle they're present)
> actually do something about it and get away with
> it, perhaps. 'Brandishing' just isn't a crime that
> anybody will pursue in any major urban area or on
> any major transit line, not just in SF, Homeland
> Security statements and urgings notwithstanding.
>
> I feel for the guy who was shot, but claiming or
> implying that the other riders should have done
> something about the nutcase before that is
> unreasonable in modern society. Perhaps one could
> have called the cops sooner (carefully and
> stealthily), but that's about it.

Yep, having spent years commuting on the CTA/Metra, you just learn to keep your head down/eyes closed.
And to pray for the best.