Have you ever been somewhere in public and someone or a group of people does something that really irks you? If so, how did you handle it?
Well, a group of passengers on an Amtrak train bound from Oakland, Calif., to Salem, Wash., got rowdy with one woman recently for talking on her cell phone. What’s the big deal, you ask? She talked for 16 hours straight. In addition to that, the car on which 39-year-old Lakeysha Beard was riding is considered a “quiet car.” Right!
Apparently, the passengers tolerated Beard talking up a storm for a while before things started to get out of hand. They began by asking her to quiet down.
She kept talking. They started telling her to get off of her phone, which kept its power because of the charging stations found near every seat.
She kept talking. Eventually, the passengers began to complain to Amtrak staff, who made repeated announcements that cell phones could not be used.
She kept talking. Finally, the train conductor had to call the police and make an unplanned stop for officers to escort the woman, who reportedly “got aggressive” during the melee with the passengers, off of the train.
Beard, who told a news outlet that she felt “disrespected,” was charged with disorderly conduct and held by police until a relative could come pick her up.
Have you been in a similar situation? What would you have done if you were Beard or one of the passengers on that train? –arnell pharr
