April 24, 2015
Imagine you're standing on a SEPTA platform in the middle of the afternoon, earbuds in, minding your business, and all of a sudden a fight erupts right before your eyes. Bodies are flying, punches are raining down, someone is getting stomped on, and yet another person is shoved onto the tracks, all in the span of about 60 seconds.
What do you do in that situation - to keep yourself safe?
In the aftermath of Tuesday's brawl among high school students on the platform at the Spring Garden station of SEPTA's Broad Street Line, the presence of bystanders in the surveillance video has raised concerns about public safety.
SEPTA has made "excellent progress" in its investigation of the brawl, in cooperation with the Philadelphia School District, according to transit spokesman Manny Smith. An announcement with updates on the investigation can be expected in the near future, he said.
5. In November 2013, two women argue on a SEPTA bus. One of them, carrying a baby, springs up, throws the baby into the arms of another passenger, and charges at her adversary.
The point of sharing these videos is not to demonize or overstate the level of violent crime on SEPTA trains, buses, and trolleys. As we reported last month, SEPTA's implementation of data-driven policing strategies has been able to more effectively root out crime on its transit systems since a peak year in 2012.
The fact that these incidents continue to occur, however, means that SEPTA riders should be aware of the best ways to protect themselves. Part of the inherent danger around violent incidents encountered while riding SEPTA is that passengers are trapped, whether on a bus, railcar or gated platform. Running to safety is not always an option.
"When people are at risk of immediate harm, we recommend that outsiders do not get involved with what's going on," said Andrew Busch, SEPTA's public information manager. "Don't intervene. The best thing to do is use the methods we have in place to reach an appropriate responder or call 911. The number one priority, whenever possible, is to get yourself out of the dangerous situation."
Busch said there are yellow police call boxes located at all train platform stations. Witnesses who need to report an incident can press the button on the yellow box to connect directly with a SEPTA police dispatcher.
On the trains themselves, there are emergency buttons that put a passenger in touch with the operator. The train then stops at the next station and contact is made with the SEPTA Control Center.
Bus passengers are advised to verbally notify the bus driver of a disturbance on board. In general, Busch says, SEPTA passengers should feel reassured that all personnel, from cashiers and operators to SEPTA police, are trained in how to respond in cases of violence, injuries, and medical emergencies.
"We never like to see incidents like this happen," Busch said, "but they give us a chance to remind people of the available resources."
All of the above information is useful to have on hand, hypothetically, but in the heat of the moment, it can be extremely difficult to react safely in situations such as Tuesday's brawl.
"Most importantly, in a chaotic situation, the goal should be to avoid bodily injury by distancing yourself as much as possible from threats and attackers," says David Nance, an acclaimed safety expert who has worked with law enforcement agencies around the globe. "Once you reach a safe place, then you can dial 911."
"The other piece I always recommend is to have a way to protect yourself, whether it's learning a form of self-defense or carrying pepper spray," Nance continued. "If you find yourself in these situations, you're going to wish you had a plan. It's worth making the investment."
Despite perceptions of violent incidents as isolated occurrences, Nance points out that public safety remains one of the biggest driving factors of politics in the United States, right next to the economy and healthcare. For parents especially, education is a critical part of keeping people free from harm.
Another leading American expert on personal safety, Tom Patire, had some additional insights and suggestions about how to respond under these circumstances.
"God forbid you're in this situation, I advise using a triangle approach, because there are always three simple parts of an altercation," Patire said. "There's the disturbance, there's you, and there's an escape zone. You have to figure the angles and look for a lull in the action. Human bodies burn out [physically] in the course of any riot or brawl. That's your clearance."
Prior to making an escape, if it isn't immediately possible in a contained area, Patire recommends wedging yourself against an object so that it's easy to see what's coming and "avoid a human stampede." The greater the distance, the better, he says, so that it's possible to determine whether there are weapons involved.
Patire is a professional bodyguard who has encountered riot situations and spoken widely to educate people on personal safety. With respect to the SEPTA incident that occurred on Tuesday, he offered a few thoughts to put this type of case in perspective.
"These are still kids. What they do today can ruin tomorrow," Patire said. "They think it's funny or crucial to sucker punch someone, but the law and the danger both change when multiple people gang up on another person. That's how you go from hurt to getting killed."
