Assault is down on the CTA? Try telling it to my poor eardrums; they’re still ringing from the pounding they sustained for the umpteenth time on the Orange Line.
Virtually every school day, law-abiding, fare-paying riders are subjected to carloads of atrociously ill-behaved high school students (Curie High) who scream and screech incessantly, shove and chase each other, run from car to car, block the doors, even smoke–all with no apparent fear of authority whatsoever. Which perhaps shouldn’t be too surprising since there’s no sign of authority whatsoever.
Now, though a train full of students shouldn’t sound like the inside of a cloister, by no means should it sound like the inside of a boom box. What an unnerving first impression for visitors coming into the city from Midway: a public amenity taken over by obnoxious punks representing Chicago homes and schools that seem to have taught them zip about civility. And what of the elderly and young children who put up with this disgrace day in and day out?
As an important gateway into the city, the Orange Line is in dire need of some sort of policing–at the very least regular announcements stressing that unruly behavior won’t be tolerated.
