ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[shivtim]

If that actually happened to you, it's unfortunate, but of course an extremely rare event. MARTA is very, very safe, in fact far safer than driving could ever hope to be.

In 2009, there were 3.12 reported crimes on MARTA property per 1,000,000 rides given. Yes, three per one million.

If you take out crimes in MARTA parking lots (thefts from vehicles), there were a grand total of 329 crimes in 2009.

There have been 2 homicides "on" MARTA in the past 4 years... neither occurred on a train or bus.

For Arts Center station, there were 6 crimes reported in 2009... so I guess you were one of those.

http://www.itsmarta.com/part1-crimes-defined.aspx

[Pessimistic Observer]

I wonder if they have a stat for reported harrasments,my sis complains of getting harrassed but i doubt she reports,
either way that incident wouldnt have happened if marta actually had a police force that circulates through the line i hardly ever see officers on the line itself most of the time i see them at the gates most likely deterring people from fare jumping.

[sunking1056]

Originally Posted by Pessimistic Observer

I wonder if they have a stat for reported harrasments,my sis complains of getting harrassed but i doubt she reports,
either way that incident wouldnt have happened if marta actually had a police force that circulates through the line i hardly ever see officers on the line itself most of the time i see them at the gates most likely deterring people from fare jumping.

While this is anecdotal, I see MARTA police on about 1/4-1/2 of the trains I ride, and that's just when they're in my car.

[BlueSangha]

Originally Posted by sunking1056

While this is anecdotal, I see MARTA police on about 1/4-1/2 of the trains I ride, and that's just when they're in my car.

What train are you riding-I rarely see police and I ride 6-8 ride pr/wk from N.Springs to P'tree Center.

[sunking1056]

Originally Posted by BlueSangha

What train are you riding-I rarely see police and I ride 6-8 ride pr/wk from N.Springs to P'tree Center.

I ride from Lindbergh to Five Points pretty much everyday and anywhere between Dome and Decatur regularly. I've also read that MARTA has plainclothes officers. I can't find that though

[Curious Atlantan]

Originally Posted by scpatl4now

In the AJC today...hows about them apples. Kinda flies in the face of Republicans who say it was a failure dont you think?

I hate to bring politics into this, but all republicans in Congress voted against the stimulus then they promoted it to their constituencies like it was their own accomplishment. If this is not pure hypocrisy, I don't know what it is...

[simms3_redux]

I have never seen an officer on a train, rarely on the platform, and while I see the MARTA police cars parked outside of the stations, I rarely see them in the stations either. I feel much safer in my car than on MARTA at night and sometimes during the day. Everyone has heard of the MARTA girl. This crazy girl was going off during the day and someone caught it on video. This is a typical passenger. There are really so many seedy passengers and low lifes that ride. I have also seen plenty of girls being harassed by thug guys and threatening to call the cops, but not. I also bet crime is underreported or covered up. MARTA has a horrible reputation and did not get that way overnight. I have a couple of fraternity brothers that have been mugged on MARTA. I already explained what happened to me. This points to a possibility of three situations. Don't ride MARTA after 9 if you are white (and don't ride the E-W line period), crime is covered up and underreported, or myself and people I know or hear about at Tech just happen to be very unfortunate compared to everyone else. Those are the three possibilities. No matter which one is true, they can all be solved with a better police force. Police do not have to ride the trains, they just have to be present on the platforms, which is of course where all the action occurs (stuff on trains will not happen as much if people know there are police on all the platforms or most of the platforms).

I learned that Art Center Station is a dumping ground at night for all sorts of bad elements because of Atlantic Station (which if anyone has been there in the past year or two, you have surely noticed a difference in clientele).

Here is the MARTA girl video (remember this is during the day on N-S line heading towards Lindbergh).

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zXz-tlK2pkI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zXz-tlK2pkI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXz-tlK2pkI

Notice how for the majority of this episode everyone else just sits there. Once again, not being racist, but if you were a normal blonde haired blue eyed guy would you feel comfortable in this crowd? Let alone at night!

[simms3_redux]

one more thing, notice how none of the guys defended that poor old lady, but defended themselves and each other when she accused one of them of raping her. Outside of rush hour, these are the riders of MARTA. Some worse, few better. Tell me it is a safe joyride after watching this.

[sevensixtwo]

You're a fucking asshole simms3. You should change that from dork to fucking asshole. When you accuse people of 'reverse racism' it's like you're saying it's some curiously unnatural circumstance of shit rolling uphill from the black man to the white man.

Seriously, when I see some hick in too short khakis, boat shoes and a pink polo I want to hit him in the face too. It's not just a black thing.

[Pompuss]

simms3,
I'm sorry you feel that way and I'm sorry about what happened to you at Arts Center but has it gotten worse in the past few years or something? I graduated from Georgia Tech in 2004 and I took MARTA all the time from the Doraville station. I can't remember ever being harassed on the train or a platform. But Atlantic Station was just getting completed at that time so maybe that really has brought a lot of unsavory types to the North/South line that weren't there 6 years ago.

[RobMidtowner]

No, it hasn't gotten worse, he's just trying to reinforce a false conception that MARTA is unsafe for white people. Which is nothing more than a lie.

[shivtim]

Easy enough Simms, don't ride MARTA. We won't miss you on the train.

[sunking1056]

Originally Posted by simms3

Everyone has heard of the MARTA girl. This crazy girl was going off during the day and someone caught it on video. This is a typical passenger.

Are you kidding? That is the exact opposite of a typical passenger. That is the EXTREME. Again, that is a rarity and the extreme.

And while we're continuing to use anecdotes: Just today at Lindbergh a man passed out on the train. Within SECONDS--literally--4 or 5 MARTA police officers were assisting the man. Now that's not an incidence of crime, but it does speak to the police presence.

I have never once felt unsafe on a train, bus, or station. It honestly just sounds like you're afraid of people who don't look like you.

[cybele]

Originally Posted by sevensixtwo

Seriously, when I see some hick in too short khakis, boat shoes and a pink polo I want to hit him in the face too. It's not just a black thing.

Well there's no need to get down on a man because of the britches he wears. Hitting a fella because his pants are too short is no different from punching him in the face because he's wearing the droopy drawers lifestyle. Everybody on the MARTA would be fighting each other.

It is sad nobody jumped up to help that lady who was getting harassed. It seems like many of the youth of today forgets that the older people worked our whole lives to build and pay for the MARTA, but who cares? All that said I would say the MARTA is about as safe as anything else these days as long as you are in the system.

[atl2phx]

Originally Posted by simms3

This is a chilly reminder that there are some serious safety issues with MARTA (Im sure we all know someone who has a similar story or who has at least been mugged). This is also proof that there is just a huge problem in Atl in general. I love Atlanta and am a student at GT, and I want to stay and find work here, but when I think of some of the scary situations I have been in here, it makes me want to leave. GT students in particular have had a rough couple of years, whether on MARTA or just around the stations. It is a shame.

it is a shame you were victimized like that. i find it outrageous and quite unusual....in fact, i've been riding those same rails for the past 15 years and have never heard of anything like that happening firsthand or secondhand among my friends, co-workers or other students. petty thefts, verbal harrassment, sure, but not a beatdown like that. i will also say, 90% of my experiences on marta have been perfectly fine, the other 10% were simply annoying. call me lucky or whatever, but most people i know who regularly use marta, have had an overall positive experience.

as for playing the race card, drop it. yeah, you got your ass kicked by some black dudes, but that doesn't make it a race issue as you put it. as a teenager, i was mugged and my camera stolen outside phillips arena, to this day, i think of it as a mugging, not a mugging by a black dude.

i will say this, when i plan to go out latenight and meet up with a crew for drinking, i'd take a cab any day over marta rail or bus.

you might be well served by investing in some pepper spray, mace or taking some self defense classes, the type of intimidation and beatdown you experienced could happen on the streets, sidestreets and neighborhoods virtually any major city in america, particularly at 11pm or later at night. it's not limited to atlanta, marta or midtown.

[atl2phx]

Originally Posted by simms3

Notice how for the majority of this episode everyone else just sits there. Once again, not being racist, but if you were a normal blonde haired blue eyed guy would you feel comfortable in this crowd? Let alone at night!

do they not offer sociology classes anymore in college?

geez man, enroll in one right away, that would be a good elective for you.

what is normal? why are YOU normal? why are they NOT normal?

personally, i'm white, blue eyed (YOU probably wouldn't LABEL me as NORMAL though), but i wouldn't find any issue being among that crowd. i will say this, in that scenario on the video, i can guarantee you 100% i would have intervened on behalf of the older woman....N O D O U B T. i have to assume, if you take crazy chick out of the picture and you would have a relatively normal group of passengers on the train....it's been widely reported that she was/is emotionally unstable.

[delarosa]

Originally Posted by simms3

I feel much safer in my car than on MARTA at night and sometimes during the day.

Even though statistically speaking you are not...perception is a powerful thing.

Really it seems a bit misplaced to indict MARTA for Atlanta's high crime rates. Etc. Funny enough I've been riding the system for about 16 years, and aside from the punctuality, have never witness an incident nor felt threatened. Conversely I was once almost involved in an altercation with a drunkard on the property of a fancy office building. I probably should have stopped patronizing office buildings.

Also, out of curiosity you mentioned that nobody will ride the high speed rail connection between Tampa and Orlando. Are you from the area or have some projections that suggest it's the case? Having been on I4 on that stretch during rush hour and also done the absurd flight between the two, I suspect it'll have some decent ridership. Considering the funds available relative to the cost of the first segment, synergy for corps like Disney, the opportunity for future leverage to complete the Miami link and some clear interest on the part of Florida residents (even withstanding the 2004 referendum), doesn't exactly sound like a disaster. But maybe you have additional insight.

[echinatl]

I grew up in Florida and I can tell you that tampa orlando line is awesome and will be a huge boom for the area. A lot of people will use it, I can't see how it wont be successful.

And also, do you guys read what you write before you post it? Some crazy people in here.

[alleystreetindustry]

Originally Posted by simms3

I have never seen an officer on a train, rarely on the platform, and while I see the MARTA police cars parked outside of the stations, I rarely see them in the stations either. I feel much safer in my car than on MARTA at night and sometimes during the day. Everyone has heard of the MARTA girl. This crazy girl was going off during the day and someone caught it on video. This is a typical passenger. There are really so many seedy passengers and low lifes that ride. I have also seen plenty of girls being harassed by thug guys and threatening to call the cops, but not. I also bet crime is underreported or covered up. MARTA has a horrible reputation and did not get that way overnight. I have a couple of fraternity brothers that have been mugged on MARTA. I already explained what happened to me. This points to a possibility of three situations. Don't ride MARTA after 9 if you are white (and don't ride the E-W line period), crime is covered up and underreported, or myself and people I know or hear about at Tech just happen to be very unfortunate compared to everyone else. Those are the three possibilities. No matter which one is true, they can all be solved with a better police force. Police do not have to ride the trains, they just have to be present on the platforms, which is of course where all the action occurs (stuff on trains will not happen as much if people know there are police on all the platforms or most of the platforms).

I learned that Art Center Station is a dumping ground at night for all sorts of bad elements because of Atlantic Station (which if anyone has been there in the past year or two, you have surely noticed a difference in clientele).

Here is the MARTA girl video (remember this is during the day on N-S line heading towards Lindbergh).

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zXz-tlK2pkI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zXz-tlK2pkI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXz-tlK2pkI

Notice how for the majority of this episode everyone else just sits there. Once again, not being racist, but if you were a normal blonde haired blue eyed guy would you feel comfortable in this crowd? Let alone at night!

what happened to you is sad, but at that same time rare [just as everyone else said]. the only thing that prevents confrontation is knowing how to handle people, black or white. you pulling the supposed "reverse racism" card on 'them' is as bad as you playing the victim of it. everybody, not just you, needs to stop labeling people just because of their race. i am so sick of it. you may not be racists, but you are horribly judgmental.

i used to ride marta all over the city when i was younger (and when i was a permanent resident), but i never felt awkward or insecure because i was apparently white and surrounded by black people. the only time i had ever felt threatened during those years was after leaving the marta station. ive had a few close calls around that time, and some unpleasant run
-ins with the party goers of 10th and piedmont, but an execution of common sense and proper planning is the only thing that could get you through society.

atlanta really is no different from any other major city around the world when it comes to crime, behavior, etc. the easiest thing to do is remind oneself that no matter what the hell life puts you through, many more people have already had the same experience, and most end up just as fine the day after as they did the day prior (sans all the trauma bullshit, most just need to get over it and stop being so dramatic).

[simms3_redux]

You guys sound like some of the forumers in the Dallas thread about their cultural revolution (which has since been hijacked for ten pages about fashion...typical). These people who live in Dallas say they have never seen anyone there wearing a cowboy hat, or any western clothing. I chose not to chime in; I just thought it was funny because I have been to Dallas twice, the first time I sat next to a guy in the airport wearing cowboy attire, and the second time each night at the hotel I was staying in in Uptown Dallas people walked in wearing boots or a cowboy hat, etc. I saw people wearing that stuff on the streets, too. Of course there is nothing wrong about that, I am just guessing Dallas forumers here are self conscious about it.

Are we as Atlantans self conscious about our image and problems? Because for everyone here to say they have never heard of anything negative going on on MARTA or never experienced anything themselves in 15 years sounds pretty suspiscious. And yes, especially in Atlanta, there can be reverse racism. I would just call it racism, but Reverend Jesse Jackson said that minorities could not be racist because they don't have the power to be racist. I guess I should feel bad about my chiming in with my opinion that the main problem with MARTA was safety and not "customer service" etc. I simply shared an experience and anecdotal examples, and now I am the one being attacked for it. These attacks are also personal, not reasonable. Thanks.

To my opinion about the Tampa-Orlando HSR, I came to my conclusion after looking at the plan, the maps, and reading other reports and opinions. I would not call it HSR anyway. It goes from near downtown Tampa to Disney and near OIA, not downtown Orlando. I have driven that route numerous times, too, and having lived in FL I know people there REALLY like their cars. I just think it is a big waste of money. You can attack me for that opinion, or you can attack the opinion, your choice, but I'd prefer the latter.

It's funny, I have been reading these boards since I was in 7th grade or so, and have rarely posted since I "joined" in 05, but now I know why.