As the Examiner reports today, assault cases against Muni drivers have shot up this year. In April alone, ten cases of assault against operators were reported. Or if you prefer to look at it another way: on average, there's not a week that goes by without two Muni drivers getting attacked on the job. Speaking for the operator's union, Secretary-Treasurer Walter Scott lays the blame squarely on the shoulders of the media:
"There has been a lot of negative information put out there about us by the media and management,” Scott tells the Examiner, “and we’re starting to notice a real hostile reaction against our workers.” Sure, Muni operators do get a bad rap for texting while driving and running in to things on occasion, so some level of frustration from regular riders is inevitable. But the type of Muni rider who's fed up with getting kicked off a short-turned N-Judah is hardly the kind of person coordinates an assault. That said, let's all take a moment to remember that Muni drivers are lovely and unique human beings and we should reserve our rage for something constructive. A nonviolent petition to get Nat Ford to leave office, perhaps.
