SEPTA is the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and they found themselves in a political and PR pickle by first ordering riders to wear mask and then went stupid enforcing their rule.
do riders know that they might be pulled off a SEPTA bus by 10 cops for not having a mask? pic.twitter.com/NnHXJC02E8
— Philly Transit Riders Union (@phillyTRU) April 10, 2020
As you noticed, the man was not even arrested, just dragged out like a reluctant sack of potatoes and cats.
And then the sheer stupidity of somebody in authority demanding people to get off the bus for not wearing a mask while he is bare-faced himself.
throwing off riders for not having masks. Are masks a requirement for riders? this dude’s not wearing one pic.twitter.com/2IXtnI5dkO
— Philly Transit Riders Union (@phillyTRU) April 10, 2020
The next pic shows what is supposed to be tyhe internal coms system in the buses indicating that mask are not mandated
SEPTA website says nothing about masks, twitter feed says they are required, operators are told they’re not: pic.twitter.com/Ffp5S8kz0L
— Philly Transit Riders Union (@phillyTRU) April 10, 2020
Too much of a fuck up ended up with SEPTA backing down from its original orders.
SEPTA says it will no longer enforce a short-lived policy requiring riders to wear facial coverings after a widely shared video showing a man being dragged off a bus, allegedly for not wearing one, prompted confusion about whether masks were mandatory while riding public transit.
The video shows several Philadelphia police officers forcibly removing the man, who is later heard saying he was taken off the bus for not wearing a mask.
It was a very dumb move by SEPTA. If you have not figured you are going to have a decent percentile of people being ornery if you force them to do something, you have no business doing anything that has to do with mass amounts of citizens. They could have been smarter and plea/shame riders to wear mask to protect the life of both other riders, drivers and workers, and they have the ammunition to do so:
Two SEPTA workers have died from COVID-19, from Southern Depot and from Elmwood Depot. First, think of the families. Second, think of who is responsible.https://t.co/9J7ObRzf8E
— Philly Transit Riders Union (@phillyTRU) April 7, 2020
Again, dumb and unnecessary move.
Seems nothing has changed with SEPTA … except modern technology increases the propagation speed of both incompetence, and publicizing what ensues therefrom.
Philadelphia… another great American city turned to a shithole by decades of DemonKKKrat criminals ruling the city. SMH
Tin pot dictators have to tin pot dictate.
And wasn’t at least one of those cops wearing his mask at half-mast?