Crazies on Evening Metro Trains

[Anonymous]

Like everyone else, I have been home for months and only just started taking metro again. Recently, I have had to take the metro several times after 7:30 pm. There are even less people traveling at that hour than during the day, but in every station that I have been in in DC, there has been someone crazy. I am not talking about the homeless, but people who are screaming, yelling, pacing up and down. A couple weeks ago I boarded at Union Station and had a man prowling, screaming, who slammed off the escalator and then starting approaching people getting up in their faces. He cooled it a bit since there was metro police officer on the platform who asked him to leave, but he refused and sat down. The policeman just watched him. I moved to the other end of the platform where a guy was punching his bag and also screaming. We all moved to the next car when he got on. Similar situations at Metro Center, Farragut West. All between 8 and 9:30 pm.

I am from New York City and I have friends telling me that right now they are avoiding using the subways if they can due to similar occurrences.

I have to go out to Arlington this evening, but I am seriously thinking of getting an Uber all the way back. I normally wouldn't - it will only be around 9 pm again. Any other downtown evening metro riders experiencing this?

[Anonymous]

DC has not real mental health care plan for homeless people. The libraries are still in a COVID posture so they cannot hang out there. So they hang out in the Metro. It is air conditioned and dry. Nothing will change until DC takes on mental health. Unfortunately it is not a popular subject with spend your way out of problems politics. It will require real work to be done.

[Anonymous]

This is part of life in a vibrant, diverse city.

Don’t like it? Move to the suburbs where nothing is going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is part of life in a vibrant, diverse city.

Don’t like it? Move to the suburbs where nothing is going on.

What a stunning endorsement for living in the city!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is part of life in a vibrant, diverse city.

Don’t like it? Move to the suburbs where nothing is going on.

Oh, come on, the suburbs have gotten crimey-er.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, uber.

[Anonymous]

People are really suffering from mental health challenges. It’s a problem everywhere- ask anyone in a public-facing job (retail, restaurants, tourism, etc) people are really nuts, angry and taking it out on others.

I am in HR in a white collar industry and I’m seeing it too, in my line of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is part of life in a vibrant, diverse city.

Don’t like it? Move to the suburbs where nothing is going on.

I bet you’re from Ohio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is part of life in a vibrant, diverse city.

Don’t like it? Move to the suburbs where nothing is going on.

That is exactly why I moved to the burbs!

I wanted to be someplace where nothing was going on. And I love it!

[Anonymous]

The police can't do much. The city needs to deploy social workers.