By Tiny, aka Lisa Gray-Garcia
“People are evading their fares. We are only here because the mayor wants to cut down on all the crime.” Officer Carrasco barked at me, while issuing a citation for alleged fare to a young African-Descendent student on his way to school. This young brother was one of more than 25 people caught in a “sweep” – read, invasion — of a Muni bus, who were pulled off the bus so citations could be issued.
They were there like locusts, 15 deep, between fare inspectors and police officers swarming the Muni stop at Van Ness and Geary. The bus was loaded to the gills, as it often is, and people were getting on the back the way we always do if there is no room at the front. For this insane class-based “crime” we were cited.
As the police were following orders from Mayor Lee and harassing us Po’ mamaz, youth, elders, working people and disabled houseless folks over an alleged $2 crime, a monolithic, two-story, steel-gray, Mercedes “bus” pulled up to the same stop, the door glided open softly like a digital chariot and three people, heads deep in I-hone-love, rushed in. On the giant bus was an LED sign stating its corporate affiliation: Apple Shuttle.
At this point I turned to the army of police and fare inspectors and said: Why do the rich get to ride for free? How is that not a crime? Why don’t you give them a citation for fare evasion? They looked at me blankly. (more after the jump)
