Inquiry on homeless passengers on the train.

[quiggle]

I understand this is a sensitive subject and I don't want to offend anyone, but I feel it's becoming more of a hassle each day taking the train and having one of two homeless persons take up an entire car, after car, after car. I normally take the first car, there was a homeless stretched out on a seat with a shopping cart and I moved to the next, only to be greeted by another homeless scratching himself furiously. Next car, another, shoeless homeless person stretched out, then another, large garbage bag smelling like alcohol...finally went to the last car and was blasted with a stench so foul, I lost my appetite for breakfast this morning. I got off the last car, waited 15 minutes for the next train, the car the stopped in front of me was again empty and I saw a homeless person slumped in the corner. After navigating around, I finally found a car void of homeless but was packed to the gils with other riders because the cars in front and back of were almost empty due to another set of homeless passengers.

 

I apologize for the rant, but I would like to know if this is something that will continue happening where homeless folks will continue to inconvenience hard working citizens by monopolizing the trains or if the MTA is looking into this and can try to work with some shelter or organization so the homeless have a warm, safe place to reside instead of on the train cars.

[MattTrain]

The and NYPD do take action on this, I think recently they have teams in each terminal where they take those people out of the trains and into shelters. 

[quiggle]

The and NYPD do take action on this, I think recently they have teams in each terminal where they take those people out of the trains and into shelters. 

 

Thank you MattTrain, is it mandatory that the homeless comply? Can the MTA and NYPD coerce them to leave the train, if so under what grounds?

[46Dover]

Thank you MattTrain, is it mandatory that the homeless comply? Can the MTA and NYPD coerce them to leave the train, if so under what grounds?

What gets me is that you have these "homeless advocates" who fight for their "rights" to be in the Subway, loitering at Penn, GCT, and the like. I have an idea: how about YOU, the "advocate" take them in??

[RTOMan]

MattTrain unless the person is a health hazard or is breaking the rules( in most cases they are) the police aren't removing any of them off the train. Where did you get this info from? I work the Echo five days a week I see no such thing.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bobtehpanda]

Thank you MattTrain, is it mandatory that the homeless comply? Can the MTA and NYPD coerce them to leave the train, if so under what grounds?

 

Due to lawsuits by the ACLU, if they're not breaking any rules, you can't force them off the trains, since it is for the public.

[46Dover]

Due to lawsuits by the ACLU, if they're not breaking any rules, you can't force them off the trains, since it is for the public.

There ought to be some kind of loophole around that, heck there are loopholes for everything else

[quiggle]

There ought to be some kind of loophole around that, heck there are loopholes for everything else

 

But it would leave a bad impression on the authorities as being inhumane. Imagine how the press would label the  MTA/police if they removed the homeless from subway cars when wind chills make it feel like -6 degrees outside. Where is the humanity and compassion when you kick out a defenseless homeless already damned in destitution?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I'm confused myself.  It was my understanding that since the subway is technically not "public space", the rules set forth by the therefore applies?  Is it just the subway stations themselves or what?

[biGC323232]

Homeless People live on the   Train...

[Snowblock]

Unless the police can prove that each individual didn't pay their fare to enter the system, or catch them in the act breaking a rule, there's nothing they can do about them. There's also no rule or law against having a foul odor.

[Priincenene]

I always see lots of homeless, drunk, and psychos all over the system, mostly Brooklyn and Queens. They don't really appear during the day, mostly at night

[Grand Concourse]

I've jokingly said that the so called human rights folks should be forced to let a bum live with them for a month and then let them see how long they are willing to put up with the stench and behavior of those people. Hopefully they see the plight we have to put up with on a daily basis with empty cars because of one or two bums stinking up the whole car. Enough already. Trains are not shelters, put them int he shelters, that's what shelters are for.

[46Dover]

I've jokingly said that the so called human rights folks should be forced to let a bum live with them for a month and then let them see how long they are willing to put up with the stench and behavior of those people. Hopefully they see the plight we have to put up with on a daily basis with empty cars because of one or two bums stinking up the whole car. Enough already. Trains are not shelters, put them int he shelters, that's what shelters are for.

Not if they're secretly homeless themselves .....hmmmm

[Astoria Line]

I've jokingly said that the so called human rights folks should be forced to let a bum live with them for a month and then let them see how long they are willing to put up with the stench and behavior of those people. Hopefully they see the plight we have to put up with on a daily basis with empty cars because of one or two bums stinking up the whole car. Enough already. Trains are not shelters, put them int he shelters, that's what shelters are for.

While I do agree, there are a few facts as to why this hasn't happened.

 

- The ACLU which someone mentioned.

- Some of these people are mentally handicapped.

- There aren't enough room at the homeless shelters for everyone. (Thanks Bloomberg). They are overcapacity. Priority is given to families with children, many of these bums on the subway are single.

 

 

I always see lots of homeless, drunk, and psychos all over the system, mostly Brooklyn and Queens. They don't really appear during the day, mostly at night

The is the line I see them mostly on, occasionally the and the . I see them A LOT in Queens. On the , afaik they aren't kicked off the trains (usually at Jamaica Ctr, trains dump out and wait for more passengers, unlike 179, where trains empty and go into the relay and come back in empty, at 179 the bums just get off and wait for the next train anyways. Ditmars is the same as Jamaica Ctr.)

 

The is the most popular because it stays underground the whole route.

 

On the contrary, I see more homeless during the AM rush than any other time.

 

 

I'm intrigued with this thing NYPD is doing looking for homeless in the subway. Nothing has changed, they are all still all over the place, and it isn't fair for the rest of us. You have bums making a whole empty car on the and , two really crowded lines that need all the cars each train has. That leads to even more crowding among us nonhomeless commuters. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

While I do agree, there are a few facts as to why this hasn't happened.

 

- The ACLU which someone mentioned.

- Some of these people are mentally handicapped.

- There aren't enough room at the homeless shelters for everyone. (Thanks Bloomberg). They are overcapacity. Priority is given to families with children, many of these bums on the subway are single.

 

 

The is the line I see them mostly on, occasionally the and the . I see them A LOT in Queens. On the , afaik they aren't kicked off the trains (usually at Jamaica Ctr, trains dump out and wait for more passengers, unlike 179, where trains empty and go into the relay and come back in empty, at 179 the bums just get off and wait for the next train anyways. Ditmars is the same as Jamaica Ctr.)

 

The is the most popular because it stays underground the whole route.

 

On the contrary, I see more homeless during the AM rush than any other time.

 

 

I'm intrigued with this thing NYPD is doing looking for homeless in the subway. Nothing has changed, they are all still all over the place, and it isn't fair for the rest of us. You have bums making a whole empty car on the and , two really crowded lines that need all the cars each train has. That leads to even more crowding among us nonhomeless commuters. 

Sorry but Bloomberg isn't in office anymore...    Let's see how much de Blasio does (if anything) to deal with the problem.

[MHV9218]

I'm confused myself.  It was my understanding that since the subway is technically not "public space", the rules set forth by the therefore applies?  Is it just the subway stations themselves or what?

 

Once you pay your $2.50, you can stay in that subway system as long as you want. You need to be committing some sort of crime (disorderly conduct, maybe) for the cops to pull you out. 

[Tokkemon]

Once you pay your $2.50, you can stay in that subway system as long as you want. You need to be committing some sort of crime (disorderly conduct, maybe) for the cops to pull you out. 

 

Even if its endangering hundreds of other passengers by forcing them to squeeze into already overcrowded cars?

 

There has to be some sort of program, either run by charity, churches, or (god forbid) the government, to deal with this problem because it is really not funny anymore. With subway ridership at record highs we can't afford cars being taken out of commission during rush hour. 

[itmaybeokay]

There is are rules about creating a nuisance for other passengers, putting your feet on the seat, and having very large bulky packages. 

 

As I believe the smell of rotting human fecal matter constitutes a nuisance, most homeless living on the trains are indeed breaking the rules. 

 

Edit: It is also a violation to sleep on the train. So there's that. 

[MHV9218]

Even if its endangering hundreds of other passengers by forcing them to squeeze into already overcrowded cars?

 

Well, lying down taking up more than one seat is an offense and that's punishable (whether or not that's always punished fairly is a separate question), but simply smelling bad is a fairly subjective and non-criminal thing. 

[46Dover]

That almost tells me that I may as well not take a shower when I go to work or go out in the subway. Everything I've been taught as a youngster as a hygiene is a lie. I can just go out smelling like a**

[YankeesPwnMets]

It's not just that they're smelly... some of them are just downright mentally insane.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Stabbing-Subway-59th-Street-Lexington-Avenue-Woman-Stabbed-214603681.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_NYBrand

 

The ALCU should just take the stick out of their a**es and stfu because the homeless problem will only continue to grow in the subways and something has to be done. If they have to be kicked out of cars, then so be it.

[bobtehpanda]

Sorry but Bloomberg isn't in office anymore...    Let's see how much de Blasio does (if anything) to deal with the problem.

 

I mean, the city is limited by the judiciary in what it can and cannot do (and the MTA is also a state agency). The ACLU is more than happy to sue the city for whatever it attempts to do to combat the problem.

[Grand Concourse]

It's not just that they're smelly... some of them are just downright mentally insane.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Stabbing-Subway-59th-Street-Lexington-Avenue-Woman-Stabbed-214603681.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_NYBrand

 

The ALCU should just take the stick out of their a**es and stfu because the homeless problem will only continue to grow in the subways and something has to be done. If they have to be kicked out of cars, then so be it.

yup, some years ago a bum shoved an innocent woman onto the tracks on the broadway line and a train killed her. One death is one too many. That should've been the time to round everyone up and keep them off the system.

[traingoat]

Look if you really go over that system for homeless, the numbers would astound you .  The subway is ideal for them as it is protected from the elements, no area gets too cold or hot no matter what the weather is.  Most people leave them alone except other homeless and this is the stations.  You have heat and air during the rest of the year on the trains. as you didn't see that many homeless in the summer as those cars stayed hot almost the whole time.