Yes, 82 year old, Emma Anderson, was singing and keeping time to her gospel melody by using a rolled up paper on her knee when a private contractor hired by the Miami-Dade transit system dragged her screaming out the door, injuring her shoulder and onto the Brownsville Station platform while other passengers howled in protest (see video below as it was captured on video). Wow! If this is not an example of what goes wrong when public service employees are replaced with a private contracting firm, I don't know what else would.
The link does not state if the woman was dragged onto a station at a platform and into a neighborhood that she did not know. I would hope that Miami-dade personnel would have helped her at that moment, but who knows who came to her rescue.
50 State Security is the private contractor whose employee dragged Ms. Anderson out of her seat. In the deposition filed in a case just 6 days before this incident, the contractor revealed that force can only be used in extremely limited circumstances. Obvioulsy, a whole lot of people did not get the memo.
Miami-Dade Transit had the following comment regarding the incident.
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.
For those who are as appalled by this incident as I am the below link is the complaint Contact Page for the transit authority.
http://www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/...