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Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. YouTube ‘Uppercut’ Mary Shaffer. Timeline. October 11: Video First posted on YouTube First media calls that evening, talked with CEO Viewed video, operator was suspended October 12: My busiest day at RTA. September 18: Actual incident date
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Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority YouTube ‘Uppercut’ Mary Shaffer
Timeline • October 11: Video First posted on YouTube • First media calls that evening, talked with CEO • Viewed video, operator was suspended • October 12: My busiest day at RTA. • September 18: Actual incident date • Police report, 8 pages, witness statements • Never any mention of a punch by anyone
Posting of videos • Six videos, the first is the closest, second farther back (both added websites) • Operator Artis Hughes vs. customer Shi’dea Lane (see video one and two) • Created transcript of incident from the first video, in case of arbitration and lawsuits • Still see this video daily in Cleveland, hearing about the ‘infamous uppercut’
Public/Media Responses How we heard from people • emails, phone calls, FB posts and tweets • What were they angry about? • What did they do about it?
Media Relations What we did • Crafted a message: media statement, phone operators, facebook, twitter, emails, general calls; kept track of comments/calls • Created a media/public information request spreadsheet • Pulled operator Artis Hughes file and info • Shared the redacted police report quickly
FB and Twitter Comments • Drivers should be armed with tasers!!!! She got what she deserved...old school • Something needs to be done about this level of disrespect shown by passengers. Everybody should be held to a high standard, customers included. • She started it and he finished it! Bout time someone shut these nasty little mouths up. She should be banned from RTA
More comments • I hope he presses charges for her hurting his hand. she totally got what she deserved. Act like a man, get knocked out like a man. • I will never agree that any man should hit a woman • You can ride the bus out of the hood, but you can't ride the hood out of the bus.
Follow Up News Reports • Continuously using the same video • Searching: “Are operators safe on RTA? Is RTA doing enough to protect them? Is this common on RTA? What laws protect drivers/customers” • Fox 8 found a new ‘Shi’dea Lane’, who had retained a lawyer (see this video) • Customers continue to ask why Hughes would be fired (via email/phone/sm)
Aftermath • Hughes fired on November 6; silence • Political events • City of Cleveland proposed stricter penalties for unruly customers • State lawmakers proposals • More uniformed and undercover officers riding the system daily
Aftermath (cont) • Legal changes – union vs. mgmt handling drivers for court • Discussions about safety, balancing safety messages for all • Lane and Hughes: Days in Court in March • No lawsuit against RTA at this time
Focus on Security • Safety & Security Committee - Board Committee; Labor/Mgmt Comittee • Testing two enclosure used elsewhere • Asking for operator feedback • Positive/negative • Feb 19 RTA Board approved $2.5 million in camera systems (upgrades and new cameras and recording devices)
Questions/Comments Thank you! Mary Shaffer 216.566.5211 Mshaffer@gcrta.org