New Yorkers hold a People’s Public Comment to demand cops off the subway

Brooklyn, NY — Transit riders gathered at Jay Street – Metrotech station around a banner with an enlarged image of MTA Board Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. Organizers from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) invited passersby to step on the image and share negative experiences with the MTA and police in the transit system.

On September 30, Janno Lieber and the MTA board voted unanimously for a slate of fare increases to start in January, including an increase of the subway and bus fare to $3. The fare increases come despite overwhelming opposition from transit riders. They were proposed amid a sharp increase in police and National Guard in the transit system, instituted by Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

MTA CEO Janno Lieber has also been pushing for aggressive fare evasion crackdown, spending millions of dollars on turnstile spikes, private security, and locking emergency exit doors which pose a significant risk in case of fire. The NYPD has aligned itself with the MTA board against fare evasion, which Lieber called the MTA’s “No. 1 existential threat.” They target stations and routes in majority-Black and brown neighborhoods.

Despite multiple lawsuits and reforms, police and National Guard continue to recreate stop and frisk. They disproportionately search, ticket and arrest Black and brown transit riders. There are thousands of pictures and videos of officers and National Guardsmen members using excessive force, ignoring requests for assistance,and playing games on their phones.

A speaker from the New York Alliance described Janno Lieber’s background as a potential explanation as to why he acts against the wishes of workers and everyday transit riders. His father was the president of a publishing company. His mother was on the New York State Board of Regents and comes from the Levin political and legal family of Michigan. His resume is full of unelected positions from the Ed Koch administration to the Andrew Cuomo administration. The NYAARPR speaker asked, “this nepo baby probably doesn’t even take the train but he’s the one in charge of the MTA?”

The New York Alliance handed out hundreds fliers for their ongoing Cops Off the Subway campaign. Dozens of people stepped on the enlarged image of Janno Lieber and shared their experiences, including someone who had been brutalized by police in a subway station. The New York Alliance will continue to organize against the MTA and demand police, National Guard, and federal agents out of the transit system.

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