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Detroit riders, advocates urge council to probe metal detectors and bans on indoor waiting at Rosa Parks and Jason Hargrove centers
Summary
Transit riders and advocates told the committee that private security at two Detroit transit centers is searching everyone entering and denying riders indoor waiting access; they urged the council to investigate alternatives and protect seniors and people with disabilities from exposure and exclusion.
Transit riders and transit-advocacy groups told Detroit’s Public Health and Safety Standing Committee on Monday that recent security measures at two major city transit hubs are harming riders and deserve council scrutiny.
At public comment, Michael Cunningham and Joel Batterman of Transportation Riders United said metal detectors at the Rosa Parks and Jason Hargrove centers have led private security personnel to search every person who enters and to tell riders they may not wait inside. Batterman said those measures “criminalize transit riders and reinforce the perception that transit is unsafe,” and urged the council to inquire further.
“Denying transit riders access to a warm or air conditioned space to wait for their buses, many of which arrive only once per hour, is outrageous,” Batterman said. Other callers described incidents in which security staff or drivers were rude or threatening; Lucas Lisakian said a guard told him, “you'll get more than my name if you keep asking questions,” which Lisakian said he took as a threat.
Speakers emphasized the practical consequences for seniors, people with disabilities and riders who rely on infrequent buses. Bernard Majenski, a bus-rider organizer, raised additional concerns about alternative-screening procedures for passengers with pacemakers, implants, or trauma histories, and warned the city that poorly trained private contractors risk legal exposure and safety incidents.
Council members responded that the committee has DDOT contracts on the agenda and that staff and the council will attempt to raise the transit-center questions with DDOT or invite department staff to a future session. The chair said quarterly DDOT updates could also address the concerns and that the committee would try to follow up during today’s contract items.
The committee did not take a formal vote on any transit policy during the session; members directed staff to pursue additional information and to invite DDOT leadership to answer specific operational and training questions in a future discussion.
