Story Archive

BART Bias

Debora Allen, who sits on the Board of Directors of San Francisco, Calif.’s, Bay Area Rapid Transit system, is raising questions about BART’s failure to release surveillance videos of robberies on its trains. Agency spokesman Taylor Huckaby says the videos can’t be shown because of California law on “juvenile police records.” But Allen says a memo from assistant general manager Kerry Hamill explained the decision by saying the footage might promote racial prejudice. “Is the safety of the passenger — of all passengers — is that a lesser priority than the race bias issue?” asked Allen. The memo also expressed concern that the videos would give BART the image of a “crime-ridden” transit system. (AC/KPIX San Francisco) ...So now it has a reputation for heavy crime, an obsession with being politically correct, and a director who thinks racism is no big deal.