Blogtown, PDX

Friday, July 6, 2007

News Kiss-Gate TriMet Driver Back On Duty

Posted by Scott Moore on Fri, Jul 6 at 4:35 PM

On July 4th, the day we celebrated our nation’s independence from powdered-wig-wearing lobsterbacks, the TriMet bus driver who is alleged to have kicked two teen girls off his bus for kissing and called them “disgusting sickos” (aka The Case Of The Two Girls Kissing On The Bus) was put back on duty.

He had been placed on leave pending an investigation, and then subjected to some undisclosed—though seemingly not all that severe—discipline.

TriMet won’t say what the discipline (or retraining) entailed, but Ronnda Zezula, mother of one of the girls, believes the driver was never penalized for why he kicked the girls off, only for breaking TriMet policies on removing minors from the bus and forcing passengers to get off at locations that aren’t bus stops.

“I’m unhappy that they haven’t addressed the discrimination aspect of all this,” Zezula said this morning. “Not much has happened to the driver… He’s gotten such a good deal. He’s remained anonymous and he’s never had to apologize—that’s been left to the corporate office.”

“We just want this guy called on why he did what he did,” she added.

The driver returned to his old route—Bus 12—which one of the girls rides twice a day. Aaaaaaawkward.

Meanwhile, this Sunday is The Great Kiss-In to protest the driver’s slap-on-the-wrist punishment, and to demand more diversity training for bus drivers. It’s in front of the TriMet office, 701 SW 6th, at 2 pm. I would have called it the Kiss Army, but nobody asked me.

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Comments

isn't Sunday a kind of stupid day to be protesting infront of a business office?
I am all for kissing all the damn time, but just wondering about the effectiveness of this kiss-in on a Sunday.
And to the girl who rides the umber twelve bus:
HUNKER DOWN TO RISE ABOVE
we are with you!

Posted by v | July 6, 2007 4:38 PM

Were these chicks hot? If so, I see no problem at all with their public display of affection. Hell, I strongly support it.

If it's mannish, unattractive dyke-types were talking about here, Ralph Cramden did the right thing. Who wants to see that?

Posted by Kiss On | July 6, 2007 5:25 PM

I'm sure this goes without saying, but "Kiss On"--you're an idiot.

Posted by Scott Moore | July 6, 2007 6:16 PM

And here I was thinking that martyring a couple of 14-year olds was the real idiocy. I can't even remember the stupid shit I was doing, or believed in, or was being done to me when I was 14. But I do know I didn't have an army of enraged liberals to stage social protests on my behalf. Seriously, go solve a real problem.

Posted by Bobomo | July 6, 2007 9:28 PM

oh scott, chill the fuck out.

tongue in cheek humour! geezuz!
(you would think a mercury writer would get that; i mean you're not a wweeker are you?)

Posted by oldskooldyke | July 8, 2007 11:38 PM

To Bobomo:
You obviously have no comprehension of social politics if you think we should "go solve a real problem". The oppressed-whether we are talking oppression based on race, class, gender, or yes, even sexual orientation-must unite to fight the oppressors. Why do you think the rightwing is so strong? Its because the assholes put aside their differences on individual issues and band together to fight the leftwing and take away our civil liberties. This time it was 2 queer girls being kicked off for kissing, next time it could be you for being an idiot, and we just couldn't let that happen.

Posted by enraged liberal | July 9, 2007 5:50 PM

Do I even want to know what a kiss-in entails? Obviously I'm new to these whole liberal oppression protests, but I've only been to die-ins and your basic picketing. Are we talking strangers here?

Posted by Channaj | July 9, 2007 8:53 PM

no, not strangers...most people came with their partners, some people came solo and just milled about, and a few people drew faces on their hands and made out with themselves.

Posted by enraged liberal | July 9, 2007 11:21 PM

Hey, thanks to everyone who went. We stayed home and cheered from the sidelines, to avoid even more awful threats and hate mail. The girls were comforted that there are good people in the community who don't minimize the damage an adult can do to even a mature 14 year old.

Posted by Mom | July 10, 2007 2:19 PM

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