Tri-Met's War on the Poor

Begin researching other funds that could be re-allocated...tri-met is not free to operate....it costs millions of dollars to run it per annum, they are always in the black, and since Oregon is already in the black in terms of their budget, it seems that a $250.00 fine <which they rarely give out> is one way to pay for the defunct system they have. I'm all about free transportation, but if we want to revolutionize this system in terms of a more equitable one, then we need to have done our research and know other ways to make for the defecit they face every year....ok bya...

I got busted on the ride home from Portland yesterday for not showing proof of fare. Someone sitting 2 seats down did also. We both received written warnings. I don't know how many of these they give out before the fine is imposed. He took my information and asked if I had any previous warnings.

When you are poor, especially of late, you might not be able to afford the fare. I was working and paying my taxes every year until recently. So like everyone else in this area I helped fund the Max project through it's course. Now because I don't have the $1.55 to ride it into Portland, I live in Beaverton by the way, I might get fined $250? It would cost less to drive into Portland in your big Shiny SuV. How is this encouraging people to ride public transit? Especially now that the Gustapo has moved in to enforce ticket sales.

Tri Met does not owe people, poor or otherwise, a free ride on the MAX or busses. You can pay for the ride just like everybody else. It's not like they are running the MAX for fun, they have to make money off of it somehow because it costs a lot of money to maintain it. It is a business, and when you ride for free that is like stealing. $1.55 to go across Portland is considerably cheaper than the amount of gas you would need for the same trip. And if you are having problems paying for it, why not save up for a monthly pass which would save you money? This so called "War on the Poor" is being called that because they are increasing fares...have you considered that they have to increase fares because of the large amount of people who cheat the system and ride for free?

Because of the economy, I feel it is the wrong time to get really heavy handed in punishing non-fare paying riders. While, I do think that it is important that people pay for the services they receive, it has already been pointed out that we already pay for Tri-Met with our taxes. It also seems very hypocritical that they are spending so much money on the MAX, and then cracking down so hard on riders. Maybe they want MAX for the rich and buses for the poor? Anyway, I wrote Tri-Met suggesting that there be some sort of program in which people who could not afford a $56 bus pass could do some sort of work to get a reduced price or free pass. Maybe anarchists and others might not like this, and think it is just trying to change a broken system, but I think it would be better to help people have a safe and legal way to ride. Keeping people able to ride Tri-Met legally is basically a women's and children's issue. Parents, especially single parents often cannot afford to buy their kids passes. If they could volunteer a few hours a month to ensure thier kids could ride legally, this would cause a lot less worry. A lot of the free-riders are kids who have no way other than begging to get a fare. I always hated to hear my kid telling me she asked some stranger for change. If they have a bus pass, people will not be hassled for change so much. I always try to give fare money to people at the shelters who ask, but sometimes I just don't have the change. So I think if a program was in place to assist those who are really struggling, it would give people a place to contribute, and then the problem would be solved. For car-loving people, think about it this way, riders banned from Tri-Met will be more likely to steal your car. Maybe there could be a voluntary contribution people could make to mass transit through their auto insurance program. Maybe some types of programs are out there, but I don't know of them. Anyway, I'll wait to hear back from Tri-Met and see what they have to say.

It shouldn't surprise us to learn that tri-met is now bringing in brownshirts to take down the poor on their tax-funded bus system. Remember Jose Mejia Poot? He was the man gunned down by the portland police after he could not come up with the full fare to ride a tri met bus. He was only $0.20 short, and he was met with lethal force. He was killed, essentially, because he was poor and not white.
Tri-met bears part of the blame for this murder, the PDX police bear the rest.

Remember the JTTF hearings? The entire city turned out to protest against the fascism represented in the Joint Terrorism Task Force. But a few wealthy merchants and businessmen showed up and wagged their greenbacks at Vera, and POOF! We have the JTTF anyway. Guess who one of the businesses fighting for the fascists was. That's right! Tri-met!

Oh, and "rita." Pull your head out of your ass. (Oops. That just slipped out.) What I mean to say is, "rita," the only people who get "free mansions, free health care, free food, free everything" are the ruling class capitalists who live off the backs of the workers who create this country. That's how America works. We, The People, work, sweat, and slave to keep this nation going so that people like Dubya and Phil Knight, and etc. can sit on their lazy asses getting the world handed to them while they complain about how uppity the workers are.

But, "rita," we ARE america. And we're finally rising up demanding that the ruling class get outta town because there's no place for a ruling class in a democracy. So what I guess I'm saying, "rita," is this: If you hate democracy so much, then you're in the wrong place because we're taking ours back. Maybe you best go "somewhere else." We won't miss you...really.

To claim that Jose Mejia Poot was gunned down for being 20 cents short on bus fare is something of a stretch. TriMet was in no way responsible for that outcome. They were merely involved in the trigger incident for a long chain of events, all of which were out of their control.

Granted, all things in the universe are interrelated on some level, but you've taken it too far. Blame the police, if you wish (they certainly deserve some blame), but it's ludicrous to work your way back the chain and blame TriMet.

I had to pay taxes to bring the Max to life. I had to fund that project with the meager wages I make. The meager wages that barely pay for me to have a roof over my head, let alone food in my belly. If I'm now barred from riding it because I can't afford it how is this reimbursing me for my contribution to society. It sounds more like I'm being punished for being poor. If you have no way to get to an interview, or school, how will you ever improve your situation. You can't! People in this situation are left with few choices. This is a detriment to society and counterproductive. We have to think outside the "I have to pay, so should you!" mentality. If you have more than you need, the natural tendency should be to help those less fortunate. Unfortunately we live in America, home of the greedy.

Tri-Met most certainly was to blame for the death of Jose Mejia Poot. If he had been white and affluent, the driver would never have started the altercation over the fare shortage. Yes, the police were the ones with the guns, the ones who bear most of the blame. But Tri-Met and their racial profiling was to blame as well. In each case, no one but Jose suffered any consequences. The cops got medals, and tri-met got a raise.

If you're going to make the point that TriMet was to blame for the death of Jose Mejia Poot, you might as well carry the point to its logical conclusion.

YOU are to blame for this!

YOU are to blame for paying the taxes that allow TriMet to exist and for support an armed police force. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for YOU. It's YOUR fault!

Get real!!

Jose Mejia Poot was a sadly mentally disturbed man.

The TriMet operator did not start an altercation with a poor hispanic ... he told him that he didn't have enough for the fare, exactly as would happen for anyone else who tried to stiff the fare box.

Jose Mejia Poot then went balistic. This finally ended several links further down the causality chain when he attacked the police with an iron pipe, trying to kill them and they shot him.

It's was sad and it was ugly and no-one in their right mind would have wanted it to happen.

But, if you're going to use the incident to scapegoat your least favorite targets, then be morally honest enough to accept and admit that there's blood on your hands too.

Without getting into the argument of whether Tri-Met is another example of the evil empire I wanted to add something.

For the person asking about a work program, there is one of sorts. It's called Adopt-A-Stop. You volunteer to take care of a bus stop in exchange for a free or reduced pass. Basically you go by once or twice a week, remove any major garbage, report damage or graffiti, etc.

The person calling him/herself "me" has bought the hype as presented on fox news. No, contrary to the "news" reports, Mr. Mejia Poot was not "mentally disturbed." As was widely reported later, he was, in fact, merely unable to speak English and suffered from epilepsy. Because he was unable to understand the bus driver or the police, and because they did not understand what a seizure looked like, they did the only reasonable thing. They cuffed him, took him to a mental institution, and then shot him there.

Oh, wait. They could have gotten a spanish interpreter...but that would have been more difficult.

Catwoman wrote, "If he had been white and affluent, the driver would never have started the altercation over the fare shortage."

Because he would have paid the fare in the first place.

"Write Tri-Met" thanks for your creative thinking. "Balanced" great info on "Adopt a Stop."

If we get creative and understand what interests we have in common, rather than stressing our differences, we can come up with solutions.

Tri-Met doesn't want to bar anyone from riding the buses, but they have to run and efficient and profitable business. If people can come up with creative solutions that will help them and less fortunate riders, everyone wins.

Actually, affluent white people are as likely to shirk their fares as poor people of color, believe it or not. It's just that people of color and people who look poor are more likely to be targeted for it. It's just like if you wear your best clothes (if you're white) and go to Nordstrom's, you won't get followed. But if you wear your work clothes, they tail you all around the store and are really obvious about it.

I think it's good to be talking about how tri-met hasn't exactly been a good neighbor in our community. I'm torn, because I think public transportation is so important and I like having such a good system in Portland. But I have also noticed how tri-met often seems to embrace policies that are not supportive of poor people or people of color. And yes, I was there for the JTTF hearings too, and that really turned my stomach to see them there supporting that.

The adopt a stop idea is cool, but it would also be cool to require area businesses and those making a mint (by bringing "customers" downtown) would foot more of the bill. The fareless square is a great system, but it should be extended to include other groups, not just the PBA. In other words, it should help pay for service to less affluent parts of town.

I don't know what's fair, but this is what businesses pay:

TriMet payroll and self-employment taxes are collected and administered by the Oregon Department of Revenue (DOR).

As of January 1, 2002, the tax rate is 0.6218 percent ($6.218 per $1,000) of the wages paid by an employer and the net earning from self employment.

I believe they also passed an increase in this tax, but don't know when it takes effect.

 http://www.tri-met.org/taxinfo/index.htm

I didn't want to post to this article originally, as I am a totally dependant on tri-met and the service could be a lot worse. In L.A. you're only allowed to use your transfer once and the cost is super expensive. But i find myself (as usual!) siding with Catwoman on this, although i think allot of other factors went into Jose Mejja Poot's death. Tri-met DOES discriminate against minorites on the bus. I know this. I ride the bus every single day. They single out minorites who have committed no infractions, or for things i have never seen them punish white kids for. Do you know how many times my damn dollar wouldn't go into the machine and they let me through? or how many times i've been without sufficent cash but they let me ride anyway? or had an expired transfer they let me use? or bought my excuse on the first of the month that i hadn't had a chance to buy a new bus pass? so many times i can't count. And yes I appreciated it. But then some latino or black person would get on the bus (often mothers with young kids) and they's totally deny them the same priviledge they'd just given me. Guess tri-met is just partial to pretty little white girls like myself, who really don't need the allowances they have given me. Too bad Jose Mejja Poot wasn't a pretty little white girl.

Yanqui, that may not be just racism. It could be favoritism too. If you were a dour, not very attractive white girl, you might not be treated so nicely. And I wonder if some of the drivers who treat you nicely but scorn minority mothers are sometimes minorities themselves?

Just wondering, cause that's life sometimes. Beautiful people often get a free ride.

Actually, that was me who write that Mejia Poot wouldn't have been shot if he had been white and affluent. And I stand by it. A white person and a black person get on a bus. Neither pays their full share. Who do you think will be called on it?