Fed up with unsafe conditions, frustrated LA Metro riders told of encounters with passengers brandishing weapons, using illicit drugs, and taking up residence on the trains during a first-ever safety forum held online and in person at Union Station.
About 100 people participated virtually and another 25 attended in person at a “listening session” inside the old ticket hall at the downtown Los Angeles transit hub on Wednesday evening, Sept. 27, hosted by the agency’s Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC).
While Metro has seen similar concerns in past forums and surveys, this meeting was unprecedented because the advisory committee attended and hosted the meeting. Some committee members openly criticized Metro’s response to crime on its transit lines and advocated for changes.
Rafael Mastrangelo Jr., an ex-officio committee member and a Metro employee, said he takes the Red Line to work every day and regularly informs Metro officials about unlawful acts he sees on trains and station platforms.
“I’ve talked to MTA (Metro) about the problems. Unfortunately, things move too slow and more should be done,” he told the audience at Union Station, speaking from the dais alongside his fellow PSAC members. He said he has advised his adult son and daughter not to use the system unless things improve.
Jeremy Oliver-Ronceros, chair of the PSAC, said he grew up riding the Red Line (now B Line) and held fond memories. But recently he noticed problems. “I have seen the thing I loved and bragged about deteriorate,” he said.
Mastrangelo advocated Metro’s law enforcement partners, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, LAPD and Long Beach Police Department should team up with Metro’s Transit Security Officers and form mini, roving teams that ride the trains.
Others in the meeting asked that security and/or law enforcement be present aboard trains and buses and at all train stations. A common theme expressed on posted comment cards was support…
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