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Child looks up at Rochester, NY Police officer, before RPD cop kicks him, his little sister, and his mother off RTS bus, in the middle of powerful thunderstorm. |
"She'll go to jail!"
That's what a Rochester, NY Police officer told passengers onboard a Regional Transit Service (RTS) bus Tuesday night, when the driver called Rochester Police on a young woman who was babysitting two young children, and asked two RPD cops to kick her and the children off the bus.
At night.
In the middle of a thunderstorm.
The disturbing 3 minute video, which was posted on Facebook shows an understandably upset crowd standing up for the woman and children, questioning a Rochester Police officer who yelled at the woman, "Get off the bus!"
Several passengers can be heard in the video telling the RPD cop that the woman paid her $1.00 fare.
According to the young woman, Corrine Moore, who spoke with me on the phone Wednesday night, this is what happened.
Moore told me that she was on the RTS bus route 10, and once that bus arrived in downtown Rochester, for the bus lineup around 8:12 p.m., she and the children, ages 1 and 2 years old, transferred to RTS bus number 4 which is the Hudson Avenue route.
Corrine Moore said it was then that a man, who was on the first bus, offered to help her by carrying the baby stroller for her, and placing it inside the number 4 bus.
Moore then swiped her RTS bus pass, to pay her $1.00 bus fare. (Since the children are under the age of 5, there is no charge for them.)
While all this was happening, the Good Samaritan missed his bus.
Feeling bad that the man missed his own bus while helping her, Moore then gave the man her bus pass, which she says she didn't need anymore, for him to use.
Moore said it was then that the RTS driver became angry that she gave her bus pass to the man.
The RTS bus driver then ordered Moore and the children to get off the bus.
When Moore asked why, the RTS bus driver called for Rochester Police to respond.
The video ends with two Rochester, NY cops kicking the Moore, and the children off the bus.
Baby stroller and all.
At night.
In the middle of a powerful thunderstorm that swept through Rochester, knocking down trees and downing power lines.
Corrine Moore told me that RTS supervisors, both women, who responded treated her very rude and unprofessional.
"They told me that they really didn't care, and that they didn't want to hear it," Moore said, referring to the RTS supervisors not caring to hear what happened, and showing no sympathy whatsoever.
Shame not only on the Rochester, NY Police department, but also on the RTS, whose driver contacted police in the first place.
The incident is especially disgusting, when one considers that RTS would condone kicking a mother and her children off a bus, over a dollar.
The incident is especially disgusting, when one considers that RTS would condone kicking a mother and her children off a bus, over a dollar.
A dollar which she paid, using her own bus pass.
$1.00.
All this, happening just a couple of blocks away from a new, $50 Million RTS bus terminal is being constructed in downtown Rochester, slated to open in November.
But the story gets even more disturbing.
At one point in the video, the RPD cop is heard approving of the bus driver kicking a mother and her two young children off the bus.
"He has the authority at anytime to kick anybody off the bus," the RPD cop tells passengers.
Corrine Moore said that the Rochester Police officer then gave her an ultimatum.
Get off the bus with your children, storm or no storm, or go to jail.
The RPD cop then used a very well known intimidation scare tactic commonly used against women with children.
The cop told Moore that if she didn't get off the bus, he would call Child Protective Services (CPS) and the children would be taken away.
"The police officer said to me 'you can can either get yourself and the kids off this bus or CPS will be called and your kids will be taken into custody and you'll be taken into custody," Moore said, adding, "I feel the officers were very racist, they didn't even give me a chance to say anything."
Moore also told me that before a passenger began video recording the incident, the Rochester Police officers were cursing at her.
Disgusting.
All over a $1.00.
$1.00 she already paid.
And the Rochester, NY Police department wonders why the community has zero respect for them?
Note: Finally, nearly 24 hours after I was the first to break this disturbing story, right here on my blog, Rochester, NY's mainstream, or how I like to call them, LAMESTREAM news media decided to report this disturbing incident.
UPDATE:
As if the incident itself, of an RTS bus driver, calling Rochester, NY Police to kick Corrine Moore and two small children off the bus in the middle of a storm wasn't disturbing enough, RTS is standing by the driver, saying he did the right thing!
Here is the RTS statement.
We have completed our detailed review of events that occurred on Tuesday evening, June 17. An RTS Bus Operator called for assistance to have a customer removed from the bus because of her fraudulent use of an RTS bus pass. The Bus Operator is a long-time RTS employee in good standing and took the appropriate action as he was trained to do. Unfortunately, fraudulent pass use is a daily occurrence; situations are usually resolved without incident. On this occasion the situation escalated and reinforces our need to continue to educate customers about the pass rules and regulations."
The RTS statement goes on to read:
"We apologize to the other customers who were inconvenienced by this. As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we must insure appropriate use of our resources and established fare rules."
So... basically alot of B.S. from a company which is funded by tax dollars.
RTS C.E.O. Bill Carpenter should be ashamed of himself.
Not even an apology to the young woman, and the children.
Disgusting.
If you are as disturbed by this entire incident, as I am, please contact the following:
Regional Transit Service CEO Bill Carpenter 585-288-1700
Rochester, NY Police Chief Michael Ciminelli 585-428-7033
Rochester, NY Mayor Lovely Warren 585-428-7045
And the Rochester, NY Police department wonders why the community has zero respect for them?
Note: Finally, nearly 24 hours after I was the first to break this disturbing story, right here on my blog, Rochester, NY's mainstream, or how I like to call them, LAMESTREAM news media decided to report this disturbing incident.
UPDATE:
RTS Says They Are Standing by Their Bus Driver!
"RTS employee took the appropriate action,
as he was trained to do."
As if the incident itself, of an RTS bus driver, calling Rochester, NY Police to kick Corrine Moore and two small children off the bus in the middle of a storm wasn't disturbing enough, RTS is standing by the driver, saying he did the right thing!
Here is the RTS statement.
We have completed our detailed review of events that occurred on Tuesday evening, June 17. An RTS Bus Operator called for assistance to have a customer removed from the bus because of her fraudulent use of an RTS bus pass. The Bus Operator is a long-time RTS employee in good standing and took the appropriate action as he was trained to do. Unfortunately, fraudulent pass use is a daily occurrence; situations are usually resolved without incident. On this occasion the situation escalated and reinforces our need to continue to educate customers about the pass rules and regulations."
The RTS statement goes on to read:
"We apologize to the other customers who were inconvenienced by this. As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we must insure appropriate use of our resources and established fare rules."
So... basically alot of B.S. from a company which is funded by tax dollars.
RTS C.E.O. Bill Carpenter should be ashamed of himself.
Not even an apology to the young woman, and the children.
Disgusting.
If you are as disturbed by this entire incident, as I am, please contact the following:
Regional Transit Service CEO Bill Carpenter 585-288-1700
Rochester, NY Police Chief Michael Ciminelli 585-428-7033
Rochester, NY Mayor Lovely Warren 585-428-7045
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