At a time when the politically correct thing to do is blindly support law enforcement over the rights of its patrons and citizens, Metro CEO Phillip Washington has released a statement encouraging everyone from LAPD to the Metro riders to do what is right over what is popular and says “he is disappointed in the way (LAPD) the situation escalated”.
On January 22nd Beverly Nava said during a press conference that she sprained her wrist when an LAPD officer grabber her arm and pulled her off the red line at the Westlake/MacArthur Park Station for putting her foot on the back of a seat.
The incident which was caught on video tape by a bystander has prompted LAPD to initiate a use of force investigation.
Phil Washington who is the CEO of Metro and oversees all public transportation in Los Angeles County has also called for an immediate investigation and released this statement:
As Metro continues to work with our partners at the Los Angeles Police Department on the investigation of a young woman being forcibly removed from a Metro subway train yesterday, I want to be clear about my position: We want our Customer Code of Conduct rules enforced, but I’m disappointed at the way the situation escalated.
As a 24-year retired U.S. Army veteran, I understand and respect our police officers and their day-to-day duty in working to keep our system safe and secure. They encounter hundreds of conduct issues each day, and some of them are faced with very difficult situations. But my hope is that we work to de-escalate situations as much as possible.
The investigation is underway to gather all the facts, and until we have the complete story, we must not rush to judgment. Meanwhile, we remain committed to enhancing safety and the overall rider experience for all of our customers, and look to our patrons to be our partners in that.
At a time when those confronted by law enforcement are presumed guilty first and the burden of innocence is put upon the victim and the District Attorney’s office often refuses to prosecute officers for misconduct, MTA, its CEO (Washington) and it’s governing body should be applauded for taking the position of striving to de-escalate a situation rather than provoke it.
