WMATA's Tom Bulger gets residential protest over proposed increase in Transit Police powers
Video-Tom Bulgar gets a home demo 2 min 9 sec
Update July 30:WMATA postpones vote on proposed police power expansion until Sep 9.
On Thursday, July 29, Metro's board had been scheduled to vote YES or NO on giving Metro Transit Police power to bar anyone merely accused of a variety of offenses from riding Metro for a prolonged period. On the evening of July 27, furious Black Lives Matter protesters showed up at the fancy Upper NW home of Metro board member Tom Bulger, who could have killed the proposal by voting NO if the vote had taken place as scheduled.
It is unknown if Metro is trying to wait out public opposition, give Tom Bulger time to settle down, or plans "further study" of a proposal that is not worth further discussion and should simply be scuttled(as in sinking one's own abandoned ship). Protesters vow they are not going ANYWHERE and will be back in September.
Protesters cited ACLU studies indicating this proposal would lead to more police stops of Black and Brown riders, and would block people not only from getting to work or school, but even to court hearings and probation hearings stemming from the very arrests (not convictions) triggering the ban on riding Metro trains and busses. Many of these riders do not have cars and are not in their own walking or bike range of their jobs-or the courthouse. The so-called "justice" system in the US is supposed to presume people innocent until proven guilty, this proposal would let Metro's notoriously racist police force reverse this, with riders considered guilty until proven innocent and riding after this presumption risking a trespassing arrest.
Unlike many of those who would be harmed by WMATA's proposal, Tom Bulger would not be harmed if he was banned from riding Metro. Two very nice cars including a Mercedes are in the circular driveway of his home. This may make it difficult for him to understand the true consequences of transit bans on people who do not own cars.
In front of Tom Bulger's house
Owning expensive cars like these might make understanding the effect of being barred from Metro on people of color who do't own cars rather difficult
Protesters march to Tom Bulger's fancy house
Lots of people at the protest. Tom's house is out of view behind the cameraman in this photo