This Week in the Mercury
Monday, June 28, 2010
News Blog War Leads to Investigation of TriMet Driver
Posted by Sarah Mirk on Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 3:03 PM
- Al M, from his blog. Note the flag.
I've always figured it was only a matter of time before someone at TriMet looked into the hazy legal and safety questions surrounding Margulies' ranting video blog, which he sometimes filmed while driving a bus.
Apparently, all it took to launch an investigation was pissing off the wrong blog commenter—Marcus Griffith, a local cyclist who got into a spat with Al M over on a BikePortland thread. After going back and forth with Al M on the blog and checking out RANTINGS, Griffith repeatedly reported Margulies to TriMet and the Portland Police as a potential "distracted driver."
Now, reports KGW, KATU and the Oregonian, TriMet looked into the complaints and came out with a new policy: a ban on bus or MAX operators recording videos while on the job.
And so dies the TriMet Live Vlog. All the videos I can now find on the RANTINGS blog or YouTube have been removed or made private. We will now have to make due with only his textual flame wars.
1
Sarah Mirk,
My complaints were neither filed out of anger nor part of a blog war. Mr. Margulies (who does have a 'perfect' driving record at Trimet) posted a few vidoes that were eye-brow raising. The potentail distracted videos have gotten the most attention, but Mr. Margulies also reocred and posted video's filmed inside a Trimet bathroom (2 of them, including one of a women's bathroom), numerous videos of him mocking fellow Trimet employeess during his work shift, one video in which he improperly accuses a female Trimet passenger with a walker of faking her disability and abusing the bus lift service, and one video where he films himself stating he just wintessed another driver to something illegal, but want tell the audience what.
One does not need anger or a grudge to be concerned about Mr. Margulies video recording habits. It is my understanding that Trimet is addessing the many issues internally.
-Marcus Griffith
My complaints were neither filed out of anger nor part of a blog war. Mr. Margulies (who does have a 'perfect' driving record at Trimet) posted a few vidoes that were eye-brow raising. The potentail distracted videos have gotten the most attention, but Mr. Margulies also reocred and posted video's filmed inside a Trimet bathroom (2 of them, including one of a women's bathroom), numerous videos of him mocking fellow Trimet employeess during his work shift, one video in which he improperly accuses a female Trimet passenger with a walker of faking her disability and abusing the bus lift service, and one video where he films himself stating he just wintessed another driver to something illegal, but want tell the audience what.
One does not need anger or a grudge to be concerned about Mr. Margulies video recording habits. It is my understanding that Trimet is addessing the many issues internally.
-Marcus Griffith
2
I feel like Portland is the only place in the country where a bus driver not only has a blog but can use it to gain local media fame and even stir controversy.
3
Maybe a story on Marcus Griffith is in order. He doesnt have quite the "stellar background" as Al.
5
I hate people like Marcus Griffith. Whiny little bitches who get butt-hurt by a blog comment and decide to fuck with someone's livelihood to get back at them.
If the word 'cunt' ever applied to a person, it's a person who would do something like that.
Uh oh, Marcus is probably furiously calling my boss right now.
If the word 'cunt' ever applied to a person, it's a person who would do something like that.
Uh oh, Marcus is probably furiously calling my boss right now.
6
Demon Juice:
Have you read any of the actual complaints filed? If not, than perhaps you could ask yourself what content was in those complaints that motivated both Trimet and Margulies to respond as quickly as they did? Trimet, a large and notorious slow-to-respond organization, took about a day before broadcasting it was changing its rules regarding on-the-job blogging. Margulies himself almost immediately started removing many of the specifically cited videos.
If Trimet, Margulies and myself are all three in agreement that the videos in question for the complaints were indeed questionable, than how can anyone who has not read the actual complaints get upset?
Have you read any of the actual complaints filed? If not, than perhaps you could ask yourself what content was in those complaints that motivated both Trimet and Margulies to respond as quickly as they did? Trimet, a large and notorious slow-to-respond organization, took about a day before broadcasting it was changing its rules regarding on-the-job blogging. Margulies himself almost immediately started removing many of the specifically cited videos.
If Trimet, Margulies and myself are all three in agreement that the videos in question for the complaints were indeed questionable, than how can anyone who has not read the actual complaints get upset?
7
"If Trimet, Margulies and myself are all three in agreement"
Oh come on... You're citing Al's removal of some videos as him agreeing with you? More likely he's scrambling to preserve his job in light of sudden media and management scrutiny.
Oh come on... You're citing Al's removal of some videos as him agreeing with you? More likely he's scrambling to preserve his job in light of sudden media and management scrutiny.
8
Oh sweet Blogtownies. How I can always count on you to come up with batshit crazy hijinks. Keep up the good work.
9
Isn't this the same wacky bus driver that ended all of his videos with a picture of Amy Ruiz? I always found that amusing.
10
As Bob said, Marcus, the removal of content in no way constitutes his agreement. You trying to frame it that way does show that you are in fact a cunt, though.
13
Good job, Marcus!!! The squeaky wheel get the grease!!!
Behaviors repeat themselves and Margulies has established a history. He is unconscionable in his dealings with friends, co-workers, Trimet Managers other blogs as well as followers of his blog. He engages people in conversation while secretly recording and publishes it on the internet.
He doesn't know what the word DELETE means. Everything's under 'private viewing'. It'll all be back - all the secret videos are stashed somewhere in his apartment at the NW apartment building that he manages.
Behaviors repeat themselves and Margulies has established a history. He is unconscionable in his dealings with friends, co-workers, Trimet Managers other blogs as well as followers of his blog. He engages people in conversation while secretly recording and publishes it on the internet.
He doesn't know what the word DELETE means. Everything's under 'private viewing'. It'll all be back - all the secret videos are stashed somewhere in his apartment at the NW apartment building that he manages.
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