As we celebrate International Women’s Day we should note that the war on women continues in a very real way…Whether its one out of three women globally being sexually assaulted, an uptick in human trafficking, or sitting senators and congressmen resolute in their opposition to the Violence Against Women Act or locally where we see a brutish private security guard tossing an 82 year old Black woman off a train because she was singing gospel hymns ‘too loud’..
The video of Emma Anderson being dragged off a train last month to say the least is shocking and just a glaring reminder that none of our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters and wives are safe from men who have a disdain and little respect for them..
The video below shows it all as the 82-year-old woman is seen singing. and slapping her thigh with rolled-up paper.
A security guard is then seen asking Anderson to stop. When Anderson refused, the guard grabbed her rolling luggage cart.
“You’re getting off here,” he can be heard telling Anderson. “Let’s go.” A struggle between the guard and Anderson ensued, and Anderson was pulled off the train, falling onto the platform at the downtown stop, about six miles from her intended destination of North Miami.
“It was not right for them to drag her off the train,” Donal Anderson, the woman’s son, told Miami’s WSVN-TV.
A spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Transit told the network that Anderson violated its noise policy, which prohibits commuters from singing, dancing and playing instruments.
“We regret that Ms. Anderson had to eventually be escorted out,” the spokeswoman said in a statement, “but regardless of age, all passengers need to abide by rules associated with using transit.”
“Well, y’all may call it ‘noise,'” the elderly South Floridian scoffed, “but wait till Jesus comes. It’s going to be more noise in there!”
One would think that the train authorities in Miami would have another more gentle way to remove a passenger from a train if in fact it was even necessary. many of our elders don’t always have full control of their faculties, some have demntia or just plain eccentric in their ways.. Regardless if she was loud, one must take a different more, gentle approach toward an unarmed, frail elder.. One might ask would this guard have been so violent if this was a group of guys ready and willing to fight back, would this transit security have been so bold?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FlY2rrP7EA