Poverty Awareness in York Region

Are we living in a police state? Why are they building jails without call for any? I'm beginning to wonder.


Yesterday I set out in the AM by transit(some know I shed my vehicles shortly after accepting the PACC Chair) to pick up meds for my son - a new prescription that the doctor made clear needed to be taken as soon as he wakes up.

I got on the bus and was given a transfer. Transfers / fare info states the riders are entitled to 2 hours for transferring and when taking a system where connecting buses often run HOURLY every minute counts so when the driver tried to estimate my transfer forward 15 mins instead of back 15 it irked me and I asked for a transfer that gave me the full time advertised.

The driver then began a diatribe that she didn't have to, and if I didn't like it to call York Region transit, so I did while standing there. At the exact same time she began calling a supervisor I think. As my stop came up I stepped off and she said "my supervisors coming and you can speak with them" and I relayed that I didn't need her supervisor since I was now on hold to speak with their office.

I then spoke to someone and told them the same thing -" I don't care how you guys estimate your times but you cannot take time away from people because you advertise 2 hours transfer times and on a system running every hour , often late and costing more than the TTC which runs every few minutes, YRT riders need every minute and shouldn't have to go through a hassle to get it.

I left it at that, and went about my shopping, picked up my sons medication and some groceries and a Road hockey sign left roadside that I'd collected and made my way back to the stop for the return ride home but as I stepped on the same driver said you can't ride "my" bus. I hadn't said one word to her just showed the transfer and sat down.

"Really?" I asked incredulously, " Well I'm not getting off I need to get home".

"That's fine, my supervisor is coming." She seemed real determined throughout to have this "supervisor" get involved so now she'd get her chance I guess. She was also already running 10 minutes late on an hourly route. It would have been much easier I'd thought to give the full time like every other driver has done in the past, and this was two days in a row that she'd tried to short me and so of course I spoke up - for everyone's rights.

There is nothing quite like actually being a cog in the "system" to know how people on the ground level are being treated and it isn't pretty. First they change VIVA by adding a "goon squad" of security cops which were never needed / seen just a couple years ago. I wonder how much it costs to pay them? Why the goon squad? Mostly because people can't resist getting warm in winter at bus stations and now the VIVA allows people to just walk on to supposedly "improve service". Really? There was nothing wrong with the old system. Young kids are now becoming 'criminalized" for taking a chance getting on with no money and ruining their credit ratings for life and anyone who's ever been homeless will tell you it's awfully tough to say no to walking in / on somewhere warm in winter. It's like dangling a glass of cold water to someone in a desert when someone is freezing but this system that allows for no payment but a "trust" system policed by security goons and allows for no interaction with drivers anymore and I guess employs cops. Oh and the money from fines collected is what is used for the VICTIMS of CRIME fund. Hmmm..interesting isn't it, a system that relies on the poorest people (those who can't afford bus fare) to pay this fund - This is absolutely OUTRAGEOUS! Maybe tell the YRT boss and Regional governors this isn't the states (he was recruited from Boston transit)

Back to my story. So the supervisor comes and says she'll give me a ride home and I hop into her van. By this time its getting late, I'm worried my son is up, and happening on a Thursday I had food and supplies also that had to be distributed to some in need, so I was happy to get going...but wait..I get partway home and the supervisor receives another call and tells me her supervisors would like to also speak with me and could she bring me back to the stop again.At that point I told her look I don't have time to speak with anyone anymore and to just take me home, but no, she said she had to return there so we pull up and two transit police await.Ha. Unbelievable. The supervisor jumped out to have a word with them, likely informing them I had a valid point, but they still were bound by procedure I suppose.

So the goons asked me to step out of the van because the "needed" to speak with me.

I replied that that was nice but i don't "need" to speak with anyone and needed to get home right now with the medication for my son.

The goons - well the main goon - then informed me in a harsh tone that depending on my conversation with him will determine whether I leave on my own or with them.

"Really?" I said flabbergasted and raising my tone to match his, " I don't think so. I guarantee you I won't be going anywhere with you since I haven't done anything other than ask for what you guys advertise..and if I do speak with you which I don't plan to at this point it will be because I choose to. I never threatened anyone or even call anyone a name, all I asked for was a transfer that gave me the full time you advertise and instead I'm going through all this crap. You want to arrest me? "Well go ahead then", and I dropped my bags, removed my coat and put my hands behind my back. "Go ahead". I was very pissed by now but reserved considering.

They humbled out and backed off of their tough- guy stances after that, but what if...what if...just like the protests in Toronto where your rights were suspended for "the good of the country"..I suppose them arresting me would be for the good of the system.

Suddenly someone from our Food drive called as I stood there and I told him to come get me and then I left the goons to mull over their important jobs of hassling people for complaining about their rights (as far as I'm concerned). " Just out of curiosity why wouldn't you want to show ID" the less aggressive transit-copper said to me after I refused them. " because I don't have to", I replied, "I'm a rights guy and I've done nothing wrong, and I just want to go home because I'm sure by now my son is up and his doctor was very clear that it was to be taken immediately when he awakes and you guys are wasting my time as I've already phoned all this in".

Later on that NIGHT someone calls me again in regards to it and I told them I'd spent enough of my day on this issue and didn't plan to spend another minute, before saying goodbye.

Last month at Toronto Union station as I awaited a transfer to head out to assist an elderly person being neglected by our system I decide to video someone making a presentation about the history of the old station and was descended upon by transit police and aggressively asked to destroy it..." technically you can't video out the window of the train coming into town" they told me..Really!...that story for another day..

I will continue to speak out as long as I'm able because I've been through it all and if they want to arrest me and throw me in to solitary confinement go ahead because frankly its worth fighting for at this point.

Don't let ANYONE dictate your rights people and speak out about any small variance of your rights because we are slowly becoming a police state unless we all speak out!

Tom Pearson
http://www.povertyacc.com/