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Violent Muggings of Students Riding AC Buses Increase in Holidays

By Yael Degany

(Reader Commentary)
Thursday December 09, 2010 - 10:43:00 PM

I witnessed a violent mugging this evening on the F line, on the bus that left SF at 6:10 pm. 

The 2 bus drivers I spoke to, the one who drove the original bus where the mugging occurred as well as the one who drove the bus the passengers were moved to, told me that there is a significant rise in muggings on the F line around the holiday season, and that there are many muggings during this season on buses that UC students are known to ride. They both are well aware of this phenomenon at least since last year!  

There are no cameras on the buses. AC transit does have some buses with cameras, newer models, but the older models have no cameras on them and those are the buses that seem to be used by the F line. 

I am asking that you apply pressure to make sure that all buses are quickly outfitted with cameras and that in the meantime the buses with cameras be moved to the lines that are well known to be targets in the coming weeks! 

There is no justified reason to make this "business as usual" when the violence that I saw today could have been prevented or answered more effectively if the bus had a camera on it! 

I am a UC Berkeley graduate student. I am addressing this e-mail to UC Berkeley, AC Transit, and two newspaper heads with the intention that you use your powers to address the violence that you have the power to prevent. I know what people can do when they work together to solve problems. I am sure you can think of much more effective ways to *end* this phenomenon; my camera suggestion is an obvious and effective way that I can offer as a bystander.