Salt and Pepper
There’s a poster above me.
It’s hot outside, cool inside. The AC in this car is working. It’s too crowded to be able to read and I’m tired, swaying a little with the motion of the car.
We’re somewhere under the East River, just past
The poster says:
Assaulting MTA NYC Transit Subway Personnel is a felony punishable by up to 7 years in prison. NYS Penal Code 120.05
The first word, Assaulting, is twice the size of the rest of the words. The number 7 is in red. The Penal Code information is in smaller print.
You’d think this wouldn’t have to be stated. Isn’t it obvious that assaulting anyone would be a bad thing? I guess the MTA personnel need some extra protection. As if they’re saying, “In case you didn’t know, assaulting this guy over here, in the booth, behind the bullet proof, inch thick plexi-glass, is simply not okay.”
Seven’s the lucky number – or up to seven is. Perhaps swinging and missing only gets you six months but connecting and battering get’s you the full seven. I’m not a lawyer so I don’t know what the parameters are. So… get pissed off at the MTA folks, whether they’re in the booth giving you your subway card, driving the train, or putting rat poison on the tracks – but don’t assault them. Or assault them and don’t get caught. Or get caught and pay the price.
I guess those are your only three options — if you were thinking about assaulting an MTA official.
I wasn’t, but now I am. And just what does that mean with regard to the effectiveness of this poster in preventing assault?
This is when you know it’s time to put the ear buds in and think of something else.
–Joe Lunievicz