yesterday's unsettling incidents / myLot

San Jose, California

March 2, 2018 11:45am CST

(I kept trying to post this yesterday, but it never went through. I don't know why.) Either my neighborhood is seriously changing, or I just happened to have a strange day yesterday. Admittedly I haven't used our light rail system for a while, but I don't remember these being standard things that happened before. 1. While purchasing my transit pass at the machine, a guy with a sleeping bag around his shoulders asked me a question. I didn't hear what he asked, assumed he was asking for change or something like that, and asked him to repeat what he said a few times until I understood him. He didn't want change. He wanted to know if I had any meth.

I didn't (of course) and sputtered apologetically, flustered and surprised by the whole situation. for several minutes afterward I wondered if I had still misheard or if he was pranking me, but I don't think so. 2. Halfway to my destination, I looked up and realized a large man wearing a ski mask over his face had just entered the car. He was looking all around and saying "Hi, how ya doing!" loudly to everyone who made eye contact with him. I was caught off guard and got scared. Why was he wearing a ski mask on the train? It wasn't even cold outside! Was he hiding his face because he was about to do something? Were we all about to become victims? Was I overreacting? Was I not reacting enough? I panicked, got off at the next stop, and called the other half to come and get me while crying on the rail platform. I felt stupid for reacting the way I did, but I was honestly scared. I don't know if I overreacted or was smart to handle it how I did. I just know that I didn't feel safe in my own neighborhood yesterday. Photo is a screenshot of my phone after an app crashed. The wording just seemed appropriate.

11 people like this

9 responses

Four Walls

@FourWalls (86713)

• United States

2 Mar 18

"Way back when," as we say, people used to blame errant behavior on the full moon.

2 people like this

Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

2 Mar 18

I guess we did just have a full moon.

2 people like this

ingrid

@ridingbet (66854)

• Philippines

3 Mar 18

it is just right for you to react that way, in my opinion. hearing all these violence in any part of the world makes us to be more careful with whoever we come in contact with.

1 person likes this

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ingrid

@ridingbet (66854)

• Philippines

4 Mar 18

@spiderdust it is better and best to be on the safe side than to be sorry.

1 person likes this

Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

3 Mar 18

There have just been too many shootings lately, and that was one of the first things I thought of when I saw the mask on his face.

1 person likes this

Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

4 Mar 18

@ridingbet Exactly. Better to be alive and embarrassed than a victim who was too polite.

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Alfredo Rossi

@amadeo (111937)

• United States

2 Mar 18

Oh!my this is not good.A bit of anxiety there?

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Alfredo Rossi

@amadeo (111937)

• United States

2 Mar 18

@spiderdust whatever you felt like you had to do there.

1 person likes this

Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

2 Mar 18

I was afraid I was going to have a full on public panic attack, which would have been bad. I'm still not sure if I was in a dangerous situation or overreacting, but getting off the train and asking for someone to come get me seemed to be the right thing to do.

Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

2 Mar 18

@amadeo Exactly. Either way, I was safe.

Jo Ann

@akalinus (44366)

• United States

2 Mar 18

I don't blame you for being cautious. It is a scary world today. People do all sorts of crazy things and you never know what someone is thinking. Trust your gut, if something seems suspicious, it probably is.

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Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

2 Mar 18

That's what I kept trying to tell myself, even when I felt like I was overreacting. I checked the news several times last night to see if there was an incident on the light rail or near one if the stations, but nothing was reported. Maybe he was just cold. But maybe not.

Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

2 Mar 18

@akalinus Exactly. I'd rather just be embarrassed than a victim who didn't want to be rude.

DianneN

@DianneN (254926)

• United States

3 Mar 18

I certainly would have been more concerned about the man in the ski mask, especially these days!

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DianneN

@DianneN (254926)

• United States

4 Mar 18

@spiderdust That is saying a lot. At least the guy in the ski mask was jovial!

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Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

4 Mar 18

@DianneN Yeah, although there was a meanness about it It's hard to explain. It's as if he enjoyed making people uncomfortable.

1 person likes this

April

@thislittlepennyearns (68246)

• Defuniak Springs, Florida

2 Mar 18

I'm so glad I don't rely on public transportation anymore. When I lived in Oregon, I used lightrail to get to work everyday. And one day while waiting to leave the stop- a guys climbed on the mostly empty train, it was about five am, and then dropped his pants and peed all over.

1 person likes this

Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

2 Mar 18

I've run into weird people on public transit before, but this was the first time that I was actually really scared.

Kelli M

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

2 Mar 18

@thislittlepennyearns Not then. I probably would have been more frightened if they were with me.

April