Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Green Line inspector says he was spat on after asking bystander not to grab blind passenger
Summary
John Mumford, a Green Line inspector, recounted being verbally assaulted and spat on after asking a bystander not to assist a blind passenger while exiting a train and urged riders to "see something, say something."
John Mumford, a Green Line inspector, said he was verbally assaulted and spat on after intervening when a bystander moved to grab a blind passenger trying to exit a train. "And he verbally assaulted me, and then he physically assaulted me by spitting on me," Mumford said.
Mumford, who said he started with the T in September 2014, described enjoying meeting people from different nationalities in the course of his work but said the incident underscored the job's unpredictability. "It made me realize that I'm in an environment where anything can happen at any time," he said.
He urged riders to treat transit workers as people and to report dangerous incidents. "But they have to understand we're people too, and we feel the heat or the circumstances or the difficulties just like they do," Mumford said. "Just like you rely on me to get you where you need to go, I rely on you. And if you see something, say something."
The remarks were a personal account delivered without reference to any formal complaint, investigation, or disciplinary action in the transcript. No response or follow-up action is recorded in the provided text.
