There were 13 Occupy Wall Street protesters coming from San Diego (California) to participate in the upcoming "Occupy Congress" demonstrations. They had no problems with the bus company or any of its drivers -- until they reached Amarillo on Saturday. Driver Ainsworth became upset when he learned the 13 riders were OWS protesters. He yelled at them and told them they weren't wanted, and when they got on the bus, he refused to drive the bus.
The protesters and other passengers were locked on the bus for an hour while the driver ranted and tried to decide what he would do. He finally called the Amarillo police to the bus station. After a discussion with police, in which they tried to talk him into just driving the bus, the police finally removed the 13 San Diego OWS passengers -- and Ainsworth drove the bus away leaving them stranded in Amarillo (even though they had tickets and were causing no trouble).
After being forced to stay overnight in the bus station, the 13 were finally able to board a bus on Sunday and continue their journey to Washington, D.C. This should never have happened. As an Amarillo resident, I am shocked at the way these visitors were treated in our city. Ainsworth has the right to any political beliefs he wants to have, but he does not have the right to force his beliefs on others or demand they have a certain political philosophy before they can ride on the bus.
To my knowledge the bus company has not made any public statements regarding the driver's conduct. Personally, I believe he should be fired. He has shamed himself, this city, and the company he works for.
Watch some of the videos of the "event" and you can overhear the driver requesting that the occupiers maintain courtesy for the other passengers. They were "thrown" off the bus for not cooperating with the rules of common sense and good manners.
ReplyDeleteWrong.
ReplyDeleteThe driver didn't point out troublemakers to police to be kicked off. They went down the aisle and asked each person if they were part of the OWS group. If they said yes, they were kicked off the bus.
Did the bus driver own the bus? Was it his personal property with which he can do what he wants, decide who he wants on it, and where and when it goes? No? Then he had no business doing what he did. If a passenger is causing a disturbance, a driver can call the police, but it sounds like there was no problem until he found out the passengers were OWS protesters. And how did he find out? Were they carrying signs and shouting out slogans? I doubt it. It sounds like he's just a blowhard who was probably forcing his political views on his passengers and when he got into a conversation with someone who didn't share those views he flipped out. He should be fired. He's paid to drive buses, not promote his politics.
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