We need a open letter to the railroad police and CEOs of all the major railroads (BNSF ,CSX, UP,NS,CN/CP) that we mean no harm and promise to be respectfull. Before 9/11 there seemed to be a general understanding that Hobos have and will always be a part of railroading. For instance bulls on Conrail (depending on yard) and CSX had a catch and release policy. Stop check for felonies and move along. RR workers including RR police knew that we were Vets or students on a season or just odd old men who wanted nothing more in life then traveling and being left alone. Most of us and people that I know who ride are patriots who love our country despite what certain members of the Gov. have done to us over the years. I also happen to think that our end of the deal is that some of us we actually have saved lives by reporting things out of place like bad cars and washed out tracks and crewmen who have fallen or got hurt. Our place in society is to be a first hand witness and chronicle history as it happens rather then the filtered TV and rag papers. Police and those in law enforcement also have egos that need to be massaged as well. They like to think that they are doing something good for society. (Despite the fact that Society is f-up). Now it has been my experience that RR police are recruited from local police. The deal is for them a higher pay and 2 pensions. The number 1 complaint that I have heard is that the railroad has them covering more and more ground which translates into working more and more hours and less back up. This translates into---OH SHIT I have a half a hour left in my shift and the tower has just called me in to pull off 6 hobos of off a car and this may take 3 hours or more to book them because the corp has said that what I am supposed to do and I will have to fumgate my car after that..
but...they put a cap on my overtime. top that off with having to drive back home for 2 hours because I am at the wrong end of my territory and now you know why some of them have a bad attitude....Now give them a bad attitude on top of the "normal" BS that they have to deal with from management well we know where that leads.---Now this brings me back to the NYPD and the Occupy movement. The official stance of OCCUPY has been that police are "workers" like the rest of us and they deserve our respect as such. On the other hand thugs are thugs and need to be weeded out. It also seems that just like the Penn State Scandal where child molesters get themselves into positions and child orgs. where they can practice there evil craft. There are those out there who get themselves into the police and army so they have a license to be thugs. The laws and the bill of rights mean nothing to these animals so dont even bother quoting them. In the case of the railroad however railroads are supposed to be profit making enterprises. Thugs (both police and bad FRTA types) cost money. Good types such as hobos who help promote the railroad culture and police who are more safety and public relations instead of being dicks with the law help the railroad with its positive image and therefore help make it and its shareholders money. Now where do we start?