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NO MASK, NO RIDE: Man Pulled Off Of Bus For Violating New Policy Requiring Riders To Wear Masks (VIDEO)

Photo of K. Walker K. WalkerApril 10, 2020
51 2 minutes read

What began as a request quickly became a mandate.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) has issued a new directive that riders must wear a face-covering if they want to take public transit.

They weren’t quite so clear on the consequences of not following the new policy–it’s being enforced by the police.

A video that went viral Friday shows what appeared to be four police officers, backed by about six more, forcibly pulling a man not wearing a face covering off of a SEPTA bus. After the uniformed and masked Philadelphia Police Department officers lift the adult man off the bus and engage in a brief confrontation, he walks away. No arrest. No ticket.

“All because he had no f—— mask,” said a man, who himself wore a mask, at the end of the video. “He better get a f—— mask.”

The Philadelphia Police Department said the incident is under investigation.

SEPTA has reduced its service to what it calls the “Lifeline Service Schedule” which they say on their website has been done in order “to provide better access for essential travel and to protect the health and safety of customers and employees.”

Transit riders were already being inconvenienced by stop closures and limited busing.

“The covering can be as simple as a shirt, bandana or anything else someone can grab at home before they head out,” said spokesperson Andrew Busch via email. “At a minimum, these masks and facial coverings could help keep the person wearing them from spreading germs, and if everyone wears them, we would have a great deal of added protection.”

Busch said the agency wants to avoid arrests…

…Busch confirmed Friday that the “request” has become a mandate and riders without a face covering can be restricted from boarding their vehicles.

SEPTA police officers are tasked with engaging riders at some stations and if a passenger is non-compliant on a bus, the police can remove them.

Source: Whyy

Welp, apparently avoiding arrests isn’t something that they’re terribly concerned about.

This SEPTA employee–without a mask–is on the bus yelling at the people on the bus that have their faces covered with a bandana, which is what SEPTA has said was acceptable. Apparently “face covering” explicitly means mask to the Great Unmasked Wielder Of The Walkie-Talkie.

This guy didn’t comply and he was dragged off of the bus as with multiple cops around to ensure he didn’t get back on.

Enforcement is pretty harsh for a city that has decided to stop arresting criminals.

Maybe the cops are just bored.

To top it off, it seems that there are mixed messages on whether or not riders are actually required to wear masks–the website says nothing about it, the twitter account says that they are required, but the phone operators for SEPTA are telling people that masks are not required.

Welcome to the police state, everyone.

Who knew that the concept of Liberty in Philadelphia would be tossed to the curb because of a virus from China.

Photo of K. Walker K. WalkerApril 10, 2020
51 2 minutes read
Photo of K. Walker

K. Walker

ClashDaily's Associate Editor since August 2016. Self-described political junkie, anti-Third Wave Feminist, and a nightmare to the 'intersectional' crowd. Mrs. Walker has taken a stand against 'white privilege' education in public schools. She's also an amateur Playwright, former Drama teacher, and staunch defender of the Oxford comma. Follow her humble musings on Twitter: @TheMrsKnowItAll and on Gettr @KarenWalker