'Extremely problematic:' BART director blasts section of 'Welcome Back' plan
-
A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) passenger wears a protective mask while riding on a train on April 08, 2020 in San Francisco, California. BART announced that it is slashing daily service as ridership falls dramatically due to the coronavirus shelter in place order. Starting Wednesday, regular Monday through Friday service will be reduced to running trains every half hour between 5 am and 9 pm.
lessPhoto: Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesA Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) passenger wears a protective mask while riding on a train on April 08, 2020 in San Francisco, California. BART announced that it is slashing daily service as ridership falls
... more
A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) passenger wears a protective mask while riding on a train on April 08, 2020 in San Francisco, California. BART announced that it is slashing daily service as ridership falls dramatically due to the coronavirus shelter in place order. Starting Wednesday, regular Monday through Friday service will be reduced to running trains every half hour between 5 am and 9 pm.
lessA Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) passenger wears a protective mask while riding on a train on April 08, 2020 in San Francisco, California. BART announced that it is slashing daily service as ridership falls
... moreBART director Rebecca Saltzman blasted a police enforcement strategy in BART's "Welcome Back" plan during a Board of Directors meeting Thursday morning and asked general manager Robert Powers to revisit the language.
"I asked BART staff to rewrite this extremely problematic paragraph," Saltzman wrote on Twitter on Thursday, clarifying the position that she articulated in the meeting. "These are not the top priorities of the department, and BART's Police Chief confirmed that when I asked. Priorities continue to be enforcement of serious crimes and increasing presence on trains and in stations."
The aforementioned paragraph was step 6 (labeled "Police Enforcement") of BART's 15-step "Welcome Back" plan for a safe return to service. The plan was written by BART staff.
BART: BART announces 'welcome back' plan. Here's how commuting will be different
"BART Police will enforce the face covering requirement and be positioned at fixed posts near the faregates at many of our stations," the paragraph read. "Police personnel will conduct more frequent fare checks to increase staff presence on-board trains and inside stations. Crime at BART is down 34% January-April compared with the same four months in 2019. Increased attention will be paid to keeping station entryways clear and safe."
Other BART directors, including Janice Li, echoed Saltzman's criticism of the language. On Twitter, Li reiterated that she supported police eschewing an "enforcement-first" strategy for one that prioritized compliance. During Thursday's meeting, Li asked why directors were not made aware of the "Welcome Back" before it was shared with press.
Despite their criticism of the police enforcement section specifically, Li and Saltzman both indicated their general support for the 15-step plan, which included steps for maintaining safe levels of physical distancing and moving fully to contactless payment systems.
Michael Rosen is an SFGATE digital editor. Email: michael.rosen@sfgate.com.