(no subject)
I am absolutely fucking livid. I just got off of the queen street car headed west, after we were stopped at the queen and spadina intersection for about ten minutes because of a confrontation between a TTC driver with too much fucking authority and two men of colour.
I got on the street car (which I think was car 4232) and was followed by a guy who requested a transfer, because he had gotten on previously but forgotten to get one, so he exited the car at the back, walked around to the front and asked for one. The TTC driver told him no repeatedly, and started referring to him as 'bro'. They argued back and forth for about two minutes, with the TTC driver getting pissed off and the guy requesting a transfer not raising his voice in any way, dealing with the situation by repeatedly trying to explain what happened. Then another man of colour said, "just give him the transfer so that we can keep going", and the TTC driver was PISSED. He turned around and started yelling at this guy, telling him to keep out of this business and then told him to get off of the car. The guy refused, saying that he had responded nicely and there was no reason for this. Then the TTC driver called the cops on him. Picks up the phone and says, "Hi, officer? I have an aggressive black male here refusing to get off of the streetcar". They talked back and forth over the phone while the two men of colour started getting upset about the VERY CLEAR RACISM happening in this situation. Then other WHITE people on the car start calling out at the two men of colour to get off the car so we could all get going. This one white woman in particular said, "what, do you think you're a gangsta?" and then proceeded to talk loudly about how the two men were causing troubles and that the TTC guy was in the right. Eventually more people called out for the two men to get off the car, and the TTC guy made an announcement over the main TTC intercom that this car was stopped on due to an aggressive male. I couldn't do anything. not a single fucking thing. I couldn't say a word because the TTC driver would've turned me over to the cops, because he was kicking off anyone who voiced opposition. I wanted to get his number so that I could report him or do SOMETHING, even call him a fucking racist when I got off the car, but I was terrified that I'd have my own TTC privileges revoked and I depend on that system, for better or worse. I couldn't believe the things that people were saying around me, how "those people think they're all fucking gangsta's and rap stars"... then that white woman who had her big fucking bigoted mouth open calls her friend after the two men get off, and she has the fucking nerve to say over her phone, "Yeah, these guys were making it out to be some race issue - it wasn't about race at all, it was about attitude. I know! They always play the race card, it's always about race with them, isn't it?"
I am so fucking mad. Mad at the situation, mad at the people on the car, mad at myself for not having the fucking courage to stand up and stand with those two men. That entire incident was COMPLETELY ABOUT RACE.
Fuck me.
And now all I can think is that those two men were probably carted off by the cops, where they'll continue to suffer for the colour of their skin. There was no winning in that situation for them, they never had a chance.
And all of this over a fucking $2.75 TTC transfer.
These are the daily effects of institutionalized racism. I hate this city so much right now.
I got on the street car (which I think was car 4232) and was followed by a guy who requested a transfer, because he had gotten on previously but forgotten to get one, so he exited the car at the back, walked around to the front and asked for one. The TTC driver told him no repeatedly, and started referring to him as 'bro'. They argued back and forth for about two minutes, with the TTC driver getting pissed off and the guy requesting a transfer not raising his voice in any way, dealing with the situation by repeatedly trying to explain what happened. Then another man of colour said, "just give him the transfer so that we can keep going", and the TTC driver was PISSED. He turned around and started yelling at this guy, telling him to keep out of this business and then told him to get off of the car. The guy refused, saying that he had responded nicely and there was no reason for this. Then the TTC driver called the cops on him. Picks up the phone and says, "Hi, officer? I have an aggressive black male here refusing to get off of the streetcar". They talked back and forth over the phone while the two men of colour started getting upset about the VERY CLEAR RACISM happening in this situation. Then other WHITE people on the car start calling out at the two men of colour to get off the car so we could all get going. This one white woman in particular said, "what, do you think you're a gangsta?" and then proceeded to talk loudly about how the two men were causing troubles and that the TTC guy was in the right. Eventually more people called out for the two men to get off the car, and the TTC guy made an announcement over the main TTC intercom that this car was stopped on due to an aggressive male. I couldn't do anything. not a single fucking thing. I couldn't say a word because the TTC driver would've turned me over to the cops, because he was kicking off anyone who voiced opposition. I wanted to get his number so that I could report him or do SOMETHING, even call him a fucking racist when I got off the car, but I was terrified that I'd have my own TTC privileges revoked and I depend on that system, for better or worse. I couldn't believe the things that people were saying around me, how "those people think they're all fucking gangsta's and rap stars"... then that white woman who had her big fucking bigoted mouth open calls her friend after the two men get off, and she has the fucking nerve to say over her phone, "Yeah, these guys were making it out to be some race issue - it wasn't about race at all, it was about attitude. I know! They always play the race card, it's always about race with them, isn't it?"
I am so fucking mad. Mad at the situation, mad at the people on the car, mad at myself for not having the fucking courage to stand up and stand with those two men. That entire incident was COMPLETELY ABOUT RACE.
Fuck me.
And now all I can think is that those two men were probably carted off by the cops, where they'll continue to suffer for the colour of their skin. There was no winning in that situation for them, they never had a chance.
And all of this over a fucking $2.75 TTC transfer.
These are the daily effects of institutionalized racism. I hate this city so much right now.