Joseph & his coat of many colors!
I was quite shocked to witness an ugly incident tonight on a Metro Transit bus on route through (Beverly Hills) to downtown Los Angeles (Carrier No. 4).
When a homeless man wrapped in a blanket stepped onto the bus, the driver snapped at the down-on-his-luck rider in two-seconds flat.
"You can't come on here dressed like that," he snarled angrily.
Since I do have a background in law - and day-to-day differences of opinions tend to be easily dealt with by virtue of a human trait known as common sense - it was pretty disturbing to encounter such revolting conduct by a bus driver on a major public transit line in the United States.
I like to think that if the Mayor was aware that this kind of cruel insensitive conduct was going on at the MTA, that he would step in and take appropriate action to ensure drivers are better trained in the future (so they can handle issues that arise without discriminating against citizens and/or violatingtheir rights).
By the way, the blanket the homeless person was wearing was not torn or dirty - by any stretch of the imagination.
In fact, the cover was surprisingly clean and crafted in bright eye-catching colors.
I suppose if Joseph hopped on the bus in his coat of many colors, the ignorant MTA worker would toss his sorry a** into the gutter, too.
Frankly, I've seen women attired in shawls and ponchos, who paled in comparison.
But, the wrong-doing on the part of the MTA worker, did not end there.
When the driver yelled at the man, and demanded he take off the blanket, his gut reaction was to toss his fare into the change machine and dart to the back of the bus.
Obviously, he was cold (and hungry) and did not want to be turfed out into the street.
At this juncture, the bus driver picked up the phone and threatened to call the police, if the man did not get off the bus.
Curious, since the gentleman was not violent, but relatively meek and mild in nature.
As it turns out, the rider was short on his fare - so the MTA driver jumped on that issue - to try to eject him.
Passengers now became disgruntled because the driver swore up and down that he was not going to drive on until the man got off the carrier.
Compassionate city residents offered to pay the man's fare in the alternative.
"I don't want the dollar. I just want him and his blanket off of MY bus."
Kind-hearted individuals tried to convince him not to act so mean.
"It's not me," he lamented. "The MTA doesn't want homeless people on the bus in blankets."
Is that true Mr. Mayor???
The driver relented after about ten minutes, shifted gears, and drove on.
In the final analysis, this driver was not only a complete and utter sh**, but also lacked training and compassion for his fellow man, as well.
If anyone should get the boot from MTA, it should be the employee in question.
His conduct was reprehensible and should not be tolerated in a civilized society.
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