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Friday, October 2, 2020

Tales Of The New Crown: Trump, et al, Gets The Cooties - Biden Does Not For Grand Rapids - Detroit Mass Transit Is Shutdown - Operation 25th Amendment Activated Again

First, this happened...

Trump Says He’ll Begin ‘Quarantine Process’ After Hope Hicks Tests Positive for Coronavirus

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Detroit bus service halted amid worries over COVID-19, violence

Detroit — City bus service halted Friday after drivers walked off the job amid claims they are being
 
threatened with violence and are at risk of contracting COVID-19, union officials said.

Glenn Tolbert, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26, told The Detroit News that drivers "don't feel safe" and are "being accosted on a daily basis" by riders who spit on them or threaten them with weapons.

"Just because you ask someone about a mask, you've got to fend for your life," he said. "It's getting to the point with COVID and all the other pressures ... all of these things are just piling up. I've got people quitting on a daily basis."

The city in a statement Friday morning said the Detroit Department of Transportation is working with union representatives "to get buses back on the road as soon as possible."

Detroit's Chief Operating Officer Hakim Berry said drivers have informed city leadership of "some recent incidents that have them concerned for their safety."

"Right now we are listening to their concerns and will be working closely with our transit police force and (police) Chief (James) Craig to reach an agreement as quickly as possible and new protocols — including de-escalation strategies — to get our drivers back to work as quickly as possible," Berry said in statement.

Tolbert confirmed he's been in discussions throughout the morning with members of the administration to try to get some measures in place to ensure driver safety as well as assurances that they won't fall subject to discipline or dismissal. 

'We're trying to do this fast and as best as we can," said Tolbert, noting union officers informed him that a driver had been threatened with a gun on a bus Thursday evening."Somebody has to come speak on our behalf and there has to be measures put in place where if I defend myself I'm not going to be without a job."

Tolbert added there's no current estimate on when drivers will return to the job. 

The service disruption comes after a bus driver shortage in March prompted by COVID-19 worries led to a day long shutdown.

DDOT, at that time, canceled all bus service and encouraged riders to find alternative means of transportation, noting the shortage had only 10% of the buses rolling.

City bus driver Jason Hargrove died of COVID-19 in April after complaining days prior in an online video that a passenger had openly coughed on his bus amid the pandemic. 

To better equip drivers, the city began requiring passengers to enter and exit through the rear of the bus to avoid direct contact with drivers and started sanitizing buses twice a day and deep cleaning them nightly. 

Tolbert said the city has continued to provide drivers with personal protective equipment and stock buses with masks, but "people are taking them at an alarming rate."

The city, he added, has been working to implement additional safety measures to keep drivers safe from encounters with unruly riders but more needs to be done, and faster. 

The bus union in January cited an attack from December in which a driver had been yanked from her seat while transporting riders on the east side. It was the latest in a series of assaults reported on board. Complaints over driver safety on Detroit's buses, union officials say, have been ongoing for decades.

DDOT serves an average of 85,000 riders daily with 48 fixed bus routes, 12 24-hour routes and six express routes in the city of Detroit and neighboring communities, including Dearborn, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Harper Woods, Livonia, Redford Township, River Rouge and Southfield.

Come back to The Detroit News for updates on this developing story.

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#sealsmatter



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Dizzying scenarios: When something happens to a president, who takes charge?


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Then, this happened...

Then, this happened... 

Trump Campaign Manager, Kellyanne Conway Are Latest To Test Positive For Coronavirus

 #maytheheavensfall

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