If I have learned one thing, you are basically not safe anywhere. You can’t count on having a police substation in a mall to protect you from some idiot who decides to bring in a gun and use it. You can’t depend on security cameras in a parking lot to keep a thug from grabbing your purse, wallet or worse. The metro link is no different. You just have to assume that a crime could take place at anytime and if you choose to take public transportation you should try to do it in numbers. Carry mace, carry a whistle, keep your cell phone fully charged, learn some basic self defense moves and pray for the best.
We can’t live in a box.

One of my co-workers said he was on the Grand bus after work not to long ago,and an argument broke out between an older”gentleman” and a young “Thundercat”.They were screaming and cussing at each other,than they both pull out guns at each other.The bus driver stop the bus ,and everyone ran off the bus like a bunch of cock roaches being chase by a can of Raid.Luckily no guns were fired off,but I will still drive my GMC Safari to work and where ever else I need to go to.

Where is Bernie Getz when you need him????

Solution? Concealed weapons.

I lost a bit of respect for Joe Edwards because of his comment. All attacks are serious.

WebsterMark, you’re on the right track (no pun intended) when bringing up the question but it’s a question for a topic far bigger than this article. Their race is not the issue in regards to how best to provide security on the metrolink unless it is used in the context of racial profiling. For instance, it would be important to know what the race of the thugs are so that the police can better identify potential problems when large groups of this race are seen walking around The Loop and at Metrolink stations. Of course, liberals and their ACLU buddies would hate this because safety is not an issue for them…but protecting thugs rights are.

Now, to the bigger question you posed: if this was a group of 20-100 white thugs I would agree with you that it would make front page news or, in the very least, it would be duly noted in the news story.

Race plays a very large part as to why metrolink has been voted down in St. Charles and, a few years ago, in Edwardsville/Glen Carbon/Collinsville. There was a perceived notion that a bad element would be brought to those cities via the metrolink. If you follow the history of Union Station and now Saint Louis Galleria, this perception could be valid. Metrolink killed Union Station as it brought over large groups of youths from East St. Louis. Union Station eventually had to implement their infamous dress code policy (remember Nelly not being allowed in?) due to all the thugs. I haven’t been there in years but it was ghost town for years because the thugs from East St. Louis took over. Saint Louis Galleria had to implement a youth restricted policy on the weekends because of the large groups of trouble-makers that were coming over from the metrolink. (They also came over to SLG when Tropicana Bowling instituted an admission fee for non-bowlers). I have used the terms thugs here but to be even more blunt: black youths. You can sugarcoat it all you want, but black youths (typically males, 13-22) seem to be the troublemakers in all these areas.

Stonger police presence and profiling will help to keep metrolink (and the malls) safe for all.

While I agree that law-abiding citizens should be allowed to carry concealed weapons for protection (this is an ideal situation for that right), I must point out the fact that a family returning from vaction in Puerto Rico who has yet to reach their car would not be carrying a weapon, not unless we also change the laws for air travel (which won’t be happening anytime soon).

i’m off to the airport for a two day business trip. I will not be taking the Metrolink to Lambert…..

When I read that “roving groups of youths” are common around the Loop and the police are basically powerless to stop it, it reminded me of the stories coming out of Paris two years ago and the ‘roving groups of youths’ and the fact France had handcuffed itself and was powerless to stop them either. Those roving gangs were Muslim immigrants but no one in Paris wanted to say that either. They were called disenfranchised youths. They weren’t attacking other Muslims….

To go back to the original question…I would not be riding Metrolink in that area at that time of night. I would have cabbed it home from the airport. I used to ride from Shrewsbury to CWE to work during the day hours and never had any trouble, BUT, definitely some situations that COULD have become troublesome. I quit riding but not because of security issues, but rather convenience issues.

Race does have something to do with gangs of people in the city. DUH.

I think whether it’s a group of 20 white or black teens walking around, it’s not a good thing. We can also look at the media reaction to an Amber Alert of a white girl and a black girl…Some things aren’t fair, now let’s move forward.

The honor system is still a good idea, here’s why: Building elaborate stations where city employee(s) do nothing but sit on their butts and make sure someone pays their $2 bucks, is a waste of tax dollars. Use that money for increasing security. You may get a someone who doesn’t pay, but in the long run, you will get more riders because it will be a safer way to travel.

About St. Charles: I think it’s good they voted down the Metrolink, here’s why: When someone moves to St. Charles, they are making a sincere effort to move away from scary minorities. It wouldn’t be fair.

One more thing, all of you saying, “I WILL NEVER RIDE THE METROLINK AGAIN.” Fine, don’t.

You’re naive if you think that race doesn’t figure into these assaults. If 20 white youths attack a black family of 5 (”Let’s get them!”), it surely constitutes a hate crime, which falls under federal law. Do we really think that being black immunizes oneself from racism? This was an unprovoked, brutal, hate crime on an innocent family simply because of race. The sooner we recognize this, the sooner the *entire* St. Louis community can begin to respond. This wasn’t just boys being boys, people…