Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit Security topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Riders, advocates decry metal detectors and seat bans at Detroit transit centers
Summary
Transit riders and advocates told the City Council’s public safety committee that private security at Rosa Parks and Jason Hargrove transit centers is searching everyone, prohibiting indoor waiting and discouraging vulnerable riders; council said it will raise questions with DDOT as several DDOT contracts appear on the agenda.
Transit riders and advocates pressed the Detroit City Council Public Health and Safety Standing Committee on June 16 about recent security measures at two downtown transit hubs, saying the changes have made the facilities less accessible and may deter riders.
Joel Batterman, campaigns manager for Transportation Riders United, told the committee that private security at the Rosa Parks and Jason Hargrove centers is searching every person who enters, and that guards have been telling riders they cannot wait inside the terminals even when the centers have spaces designed for waiting. "Denying transit riders access to a warm or air‑conditioned space to wait for their buses…is outrageous," Batterman said.
Multiple callers at the meeting echoed that account. Bernard Majenski, a bus‑rider organizer, raised concern that alternative screening procedures may not account for people with pacemakers, cochlear implants or survivors of assault and questioned whether contracted guards had adequate training. Lucas Lisakian of Transportation Riders United described an interaction in which a guard allegedly said, "you'll get more than my name if you keep asking questions," which he took as a threat.
Speakers framed the measures as a civil‑liberties issue and as a barrier to riders who are older, have disabilities or have infrequent service and must wait outdoors. Michael Cunningham, a long‑time transit advocate, urged council staff to conduct an unbadged audit of the facilities to see how guards treat people who try to sit indoors.
Council members did not take formal action on the security measures during the committee meeting, but the chair told the advocates the committee has several DDOT contracts on the agenda and said staff would raise the activists’ questions with department leadership and seek answers at future briefings.
The committee will consider multiple transportation and DDOT‑related contracts later in the meeting and follow up in quarterly DDOT updates; no binding policy change or vote on transit security occurred during the June 16 session.
