CTA bus and train operators are speaking out following an incident that left a 41-year-old janitor dead.
That janitor was stabbed to death at the CTA’s Green Line stop at Damen, renewing calls from workers arguing they are not safe on the system, and that means riders aren’t either.
Workers are calling for big changes after the death of Julian Mobley, who was stabbed to death following an argument at the Damen stop on Thursday.
“Our members show up every day to serve the people of Chicago,” said Penny McCoach, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308. “They keep this city moving. They deserve to return home safely.”
Chicago police on Sunday announced charges against 37-year-old Chevazz Campbell, who is accused of stabbing Mobley to death and then fleeing the scene. While the unions representing bus and train operators say the charges are welcome news, they also say it’s another avoidable tragedy, and that the city needs to change course on CTA safety.
“Condolences are not enough,” McCoach said. “Promises are not enough. We need real, immediate measurement action to protect the men and women who keep this transit system running.”
Specifically, the union representatives are calling for stations to implement needed repairs, establish new protections against fare evaders, and to set up the agency’s own dedicated police force. In September, the Chicago City Council approved a plan to more than double the money, from $30 million to $75 million, for CPD officers to voluntarily patrol the transit system on their days off. The unions say the agreement doesn’t go far enough.
“You know what they tell us to do? Call 9-1-1. They’re the police! So why would you invest in something that’s already broken,” said ATU Local 241 President Keith Hill.
The task of patrolling the system already falls on multiple agencies. There are 185 full time CPD officers on transit detail, in addition to the up to 180 new officers on voluntary duty. That’s in addition to 50 sheriff’s police as part of a pilot program. The union members say they believe the sheriff’s police have had the biggest impact – because they are more aggressive about making arrests.
“Everybody in this room will tell you, ‘why don’t you invest in more sheriffs?’ 50 of them is not enough,” Hill said.
The union leaders also blamed the county’s embattled electronic monitoring system. Cambpell was allegedly out on electronic monitoring at the time of the murder. Cook County States attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has said she wants state lawmakers to pass new laws limiting who can be released from custody pending trial.
“We have 79 people charged for murder or attempted murder on electronic monitoring,” Burke told NBC 5 in September. “We have over 180 people charged on predatory sexual assault on electronic monitoring. These are not appropriate offenses for people to be on electronic monitors.”
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