BART riders hold a lunchtime “eat in” protest as a response to the viral video of a black male being stopped and cited by police as he ate on a BART platform in the Bay Area.
What We Know:
- The man in the video who has been identified as Steve Foster, told San Francisco ABC station KGO that the officer passed other people who were also eating and drinking in the area but singled him out. “I was just up there eating a sandwich waiting for my train to come,” said Foster.
- Bob Powers, Bay Area Rapid Transit’s general manager, said that Foster was warned by an officer not to eat in the marked area because it was illegal. When he returned, and Foster was still eating, he asked for identification to move forward in issuing Foster a citation. Powers says that he is disappointed at how the situation unfolded.
- BART has since issued an apology to Foster, stating that the no food rule is to ensure the cleanliness of the stations.
- In an interview with ABC 7 News, Foster said that he was not accepting the transit agency’s apology. He feels as though the story has been flipped and manipulated.
- In the 15-minute-video, viewers can see the officer holding onto Foster’s backpack and as the video continues the officer tells Foster that he would be going to jail for “resisting arrest,” a claim that has taken the lives of many at the hands of law enforcement.
- Several dozen people gathered at the Embarcadero and Pleasant Hill BART stations on Saturday to eat on the platforms in protest, ABC7 reported.
Another “eat-in” is scheduled for Saturday, according to a Facebook event listing that had more than 500 RSVPs so far.
