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Deadly attacks on CTA draw response from 'Violence Interrupters'
Several violent attacks on the CTA recently have "violence interrupters" doing their part to keep passengers safe.
CHICAGO - Several violent attacks on the CTA have "Violence Interrupters" doing their part to keep passengers safe.
What we know:
Members of the Violence Interrupters group rode the CTA Monday night in hopes of adding extra security for riders. They gathered at State and Lake streets and boarded a Blue Line train to the end of the line in the Austin neighborhood.
It comes after the most recent violent incident: a stabbing on the Blue Line at Clark and Lake early Saturday that killed a 37-year-old man. A suspect in the case has been charged.
In October, a woman was badly burned when she was set on fire on the Blue Line. Early Sunday, on the Red Line, another man was stabbed after arguing on a train near the 69th Street stop.
But there have been numerous other stabbings and a fatal shooting in recent weeks.
What they're saying:
Violence Interrupters say they are specially trained to de-escalate dangerous situations.
"When people start talking crazy, we know how to meet them… and not talk crazy back to them but work it out with them so they don’t harm anybody," said Tio Hardiman, the group’s founder and executive director.
Violence Interrupters, Inc. aims to mediate conflicts before they escalate, help secure housing for homeless passengers, direct passengers to drug treatment if needed, and help secure jobs for people.
Some passengers say they welcome any intervention that might make them safer.
"I think that’s good. I think that’s great to be honest. It will probably give us a little peace of mind," said Maria Bahana.
She told FOX Chicago how she feels when riding the train.
"To be honest, not that safe because I do take the train early and I’m a girl, so it’s a little dangerous sometimes," she said.
Jackson Robinson, another CTA rider said, "I feel pretty safe on the trains. I haven’t had any bad experience myself, but my girlfriend has had an experience or two by herself, so I mean if there’s a group of people that are just trying to look out for everybody else, then I guess I don’t see a problem with that."
Other riders say they’ve already noticed safety improvements.
"It’s actually gotten a little better because I ride it every day. It’s my commute, how I get to work," said George Reyes. "I see a lot of security there and they’re definitely taking it a lot more serious. I could say I’m pretty happy where we’re heading."
What's next:
Violence Interrupters say they plan to ride the CTA trains during the early morning hours around 2 a.m. — when most of those violent incidents occur.
The CTA also increased the number of Chicago police on buses and trains back in December, from 77 to 120 each day, and K9s increased too, from 172 to 188.
But the federal government has said that’s not enough and is demanding that the CTA do more to improve safety by March or risk losing $50 million in federal funding.
The Source: The information in this story was obtained and reported by FOX Chicago's Roseanne Tellez.