民訴記(103) - 權利與情理

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國民, 民化島, kwokmanation, 民訴記, 權利與情理

民訴記(103) - 權利與情理
By Kwokman
Date: 3^rd February, 2012
 
The train was half full. An elderly Jewish man was sitting across from me. Two bags of bread sat next to him. A neatly groomed, young and slim black man with modest appearance then boarded and surveyed the car a little and then spoke politely and properly. He asked the old man to move his bags of bread so he could sit down. The old man had other baggage and couldn’t hold the bags. Obviously annoyed, he suggested that the young man took other empty seats in the car. The young man insisted that the old man put the bags of bread on the floor to make room. The plastic bags holding the bread rolls were so thin I could see through them from afar. Putting the bread on the floor would be quite disgusting and insanitary. The young man, however, insisted that he wanted only that seat next to the old man. He was very polite with a smile and he gestured to a girl as if he was proud to be standing up to defend his right. About 5 minutes later, the old man gave in and moved all his belongings to other empty seats in the train. The young man then sat down with great satisfaction. The young man was polite, smiling and seemed friendly but I was thoroughly disgusted. In NYC subway, one can take up more than one seat as long as other passengers are not disturbed but one must give up the additional seat upon request. Therefore, without any objection, it was OK for the old man to put his bags on the next seat. On the other hand the young man also had the right to the seat. However, do you always have to exercise your right? Would it kill the young man to sit somewhere else? Didn’t he see any of the notices that encouraged passengers to offer their seats to the elderly and disabled? It takes courage for the oppressed to stand up for their rights.  However, standing up for trivial nuisance and picking on an old man is cowardly. To keep orders in a society, there’re rules and regulations. These rules and regulations are not absolutely fair or righteous. When you’re entitled to certain privileges, ask yourself if it’s appropriate to exercise your privileges.

For NYC policemen, guarding the subway is one of the preferred assignments because it’s usually safe and effortless. Trains are air-conditioned too. Many cops use the rule that passengers couldn’t disturb others, as an excuse to issue summons and make arrests. When passengers put up their feet on another seat, they’re subjected to summons. In 2011 alone, NYC cops had issued over 6000 similar summons, 1600 of which resulted in arrests. These summons usually carried a $50 fine. Why were so many people arrested for such a nuisance? According to the police, some offenders had outstanding warrants or did not have photo identification. Some arrests were harder to explain, with no apparent cause other than the seat violation. More disturbing was the fact that many of these tickets were issued after 1:00am when the trains were practically empty. Why would taking up more than one seat be an issue then? There’re two main reasons for such tickets. NYC cops are under pressure to issue enough tickets to generate revenue for the city. Besides, according to Steven Banks, the chief attorney for the city’s Legal Aid Society, police officers who make arrests for seat violations are driven by the prospect of overtime pay and the pressure to produce arrests periodically. Whenever they make arrests, they’d be able to work overtime on paperwork. Defenders are typically held 12 to 24 hours before they can even meet the judge. Overtime pay has become the primary source of income for policemen and they take advantage of it by frivolous arrests, which is thoroughly saddening.

精選歌曲﹕
多一點 - 陳奕迅
作曲： 吳通明  作詞： 潘偉源  編曲： 吳通明
風已暖　沿路是笑聲一片
 未覺俗世事轉了幾圈
 心更暖　無懼歷過滄桑千遍
 但最後抱著你的溫暖
 
＊何妨任那千疊浪　滔天巨浪
 　向著我亂撲亂纏
 　才更覺我心一秒也未變
 
　抬頭望千山萬樹　青空大地
 　撲實透露了自然
 　同獻上最真跟我相見
 
　來吧關懷人多一點　不憂風波驟變
 　人間千分溫暖　因兩手牽
 　人若肯同情多一點　光輝必出現
 　塵世也會被愛頃刻感染　＊
 
冬變暖　陪伴是愛深的臉
 踏過萬里路　有你手牽
 心最暖　無論遇上秋霜冬雪
 願最後抱著　你的溫暖
 
Repeat ＊