Don't Mess with NYC Commuters

The Occupy Wall Street protesters may take over a private New York City park.  They can put up tents, build campfires, defecate on the streets and even on cop cars.  They can hold a sit-in-front-of at the New York Stock Exchange.  They can stop traffic on the Financial District’s narrow streets.

But stop commuters from getting home tonight?  Good luck with that.

Since they’ve never worked a day in their lives, the OWSers can be excused for their ignorance of the laws of commuting.  What do they know about the daily grind of running for a bus or train, being squeezed in between two suits who had martinis for lunch, or being stalled on a train in the dead of winter, their feet freezing to the floor?

What do they know of being packed like a sardine into one of the city’s many subway cars at rush hour in the middle of August, surrounded by fellow straphangers?  Commuters don’t suffer fools or obstructions lightly.  Try to break through that line of New Jersey commuters at the Port Authority at 5:30 at night.  You’d have better luck swimming the Hudson.

God help the OWSers if they get in the way of commuters headed home tonight.  Going one on one, mano a mano with a commuter – especially if you’re an OWSer dressed like one of them – isn’t courage; it’s suicide.  The commuters would avoid them if they’re dressed like hippies.  Dress in suits, like the commuters, and you’ll need the whole army of Port Authority or NYC transit police – in riot gear – to protect you.

Stopping pedestrian commuters isn’t like stopping commuters in vehicles.  The drivers don’t want to take the chance of getting out of their cars and having them stolen.  But the pedestrian commuter trying to get to their bus, train or subway?  That commuter is a desperate animal and will fight and claw to get home. 

You want trouble, OWSers, just try to stop transit commuters from getting home.  The police won’t be there to protect the commuters; they’ll be there to protect you.  The commuters don’t consider themselves one of you, or you, one of them.  To the commuters, you OWSers are the one percent of loafers, rejects, basement boys, garage girls, and professional students.  You’re useless.

Remember – you’ve been warned.