October 30th, 2006
yeah, never taking the train at night again
I just read in the news that a woman was sexually assaulted getting off the train one stop up from my stop. Some guy followed her off the train to a side street, put a knife to her throat, took her stuff, and assaulted her. Notably, the stop where this occurred is not in a bad or sketchy neighborhood–though it’s urban, it’s also in the middle of a long string of bars and clubs which is well-lit and generally crowded till the after-hours places close at 4 am. (The assault happened at 3 am.)* The clientele of those bars and clubs is what I would kindly call “fratty” but not what I would call “really scary.” But someone got off the train at this particular stop, followed a woman, presumably towards her home in a not-inexpensive neighborhood, and assaulted her at knifepoint.
In other words, just because the people around you are spending a fortune on rent and mortgages doesn’t mean the area is antiseptic. Also, if this whole event isn’t a good reason for cab vouchers, I don’t know what is. Until I have access to cab vouchers (next summer), I think I’ll be throwing all of my loose change in a “cab fare jar.”
Update: The police have arrested a suspect. They tracked him down through his frequent-buyer card, which was attached to a set of keys he dropped at the scene. I’m still not taking the train that late at night, though.
*I NEVER take public transportation alone after about 10:30; I would definitely not do so at 3 am on a weekend. But I can understand feeling complacent, getting comfortable with your area, and deciding to go ahead and take the train. The tragedy is that, for this woman, this time, things didn’t turn out OK.
comments
Why not throw the change into a self-defense class jar instead? It’s your world - take it back.
That’s a fair point, Cathy. I actually used to practice Aikido some, and I believe every woman should be able to protect herself. But I also believe in not putting myself in a dangerous situation when I don’t have to. For all I know, the woman who was assaulted couldn’t afford a cab–and that’s a problem, too, that the only affordable transportation for her was the transportation that was least safe.
In Boston, on a subway train crowded with people going out to clubs and bars on a Saturday night around midnight, I saw a guy pull a SAWED OFF SHOTGUN out of a paper bag and then stuff it into his jacket!
Safety in numbers may not be the way to go. No more trains at night!
You guys NEED to move to Toronto. The safest place is down town. You’re far more likely to get shot or mugged in classy mid-town (e.g. a 70 year old lady jogging at 5:30am this morning was sexually assaulted in Forest Hill!). Toronto has a very unique urbanization - the flow of people into the city core is largely high net-worth earners, retired couples and up and coming youngens with free time and cash flow. I’m not saying crime is related to any particular groups or cultures….well, okay I take that back. Nonetheless, Toronto downtown is fabulous!