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Monthly Archive: August 2011

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The 358: now with even more verbal assault

Written by , Posted in Random

I haven't been riding the 358 as often as I did when I first moved to my new place. I discovered a different, very quick bus to and from work, so I really only end up on the 358 if I'm going between downtown and my place on the weekends.
 
Saturday I was heading up to my neighborhood to meet up with a friend, so I took the 358. About one stop after I got on, I felt someone spit in my ear. But it wasn't a nasty sort of spit – it was more like someone blowing really loudly and quickly at the side of my head. For a brief moment I though Austin had caught the same bus and was joking around.
 
But no. It was a woman who had the appearance of a meth addict and was moving about in a way that lead me to believe she had some serious mental health issues. Once I turned toward the noise she began to scream at me.
 
Woman: "Do you know Tanisha?"
 
Me: "No."
 
Woman: "You dating <guy's name I couldn't make out>."
 
Me: "No"
 
She then continued to scream in my face about how I shouldn't covet other people's men. That lasted for about 30 seconds. Once she took a break to breathe, I turned back around and went back to my book. I was a bit concerned that she would do something else, like hit the back of my head or attempt to spit on me again, but instead she moved a couple of seats back and continued to scream at me and about me for about three minutes, at which point the bus driver finally came on over the loudspeaker and told her she'd need to be quiet or get off the bus.
 
I imagine driving that route is exhausting and a bit scary for the drivers, but I was a bit annoyed that he had no concern when the woman was spitting on me and screaming quite literally an inch from my face, but as soon as it went on long enough to annoy HIM, well, then it was an issue.
 
I decided not to switch seats because it seemed like that might provoke her, so I sat staring at my book until my stop. I got off and checked to make sure she hadn't followed me, and then went home.
 
I'm kind of over that bus route. I've been propositioned on it (at least the guy was offering a decent amount of money), been near people arguing with each other or talking to themselves, seen people drinking at 10 in the morning, and overheard a number of disturbing phone conversations. But this was the first time I actually felt like I was unsafe. And that's super annoying.