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More #MeToo on LA's buses and trains as harassment reports increase
File: Passengers exit the Red Line at the Universal City station on Dec. 6, 2016.
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Meghan McCarty/KPCC
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Excerpt from Metro's Fall 2017 Customer Survey.
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LA MTA
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More #MeToo on LA's buses and trains as harassment reports increase
As awareness of sexual harassment explodes with the #MeToo movement, the Los Angeles County transit agency has seen a slight uptick in reports of behavior like catcalling and indecent exposure.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority conducts customer surveys once a year and has included a question about sexual harassment since 2014.
In that time, reports of sexual harassment have continually dropped, until now. The new survey shows 17 percent of riders have experienced some form of sexual harassment on Metro.
That’s up two percent from last year, but down from 2014 when 22 percent of passengers reported harassment.
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Reports of non-physical harassment on the full system ticked up by one percent, as did reports of indecent exposure.
Excerpt from Metro's Fall 2017 Customer Survey.
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LA MTA
)
Metro has tried to combat harassment and other crimes on transit. It launched an app for reporting bad behavior and has nearly doubled the presence of law enforcement on transit since last July.
A KPCC analysis of Metro data found crime dropped three percent during the six months after the policing ramp up compared to the same period the previous year.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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