And the Beat(down) Goes On...

Back in the day, it seemed like riding public transportation was cheap, fast, efficient and you could get anywhere you wanted in your city without worrying about catching a beatdown -- that is, in a fantasy dreamt up by some dude on mushrooms.

Okay really, for as long as I can remember really riding the bus or subway could mean simply getting from point A to B, or it could mean risking getting jacked on any given day. New Yorkers who ran the public transit gauntlet in the 70s and 80s will feel me as they recall grafitti-strewn subway cars that looked like props from Fort Apache: The Bronx.

So a viral video of a subway attack on New York's 'A' train, taken by a teen filmmaker has brought a new round of voracious anger at black youth, who apparently just can't seem to behave on the train. And it must be said, the kids in this video did look pretty freakin' ignorant as they were wilding out on my man who has since pressed charges against them.

But wait, turn around and head a few hours south and now there are reports of worse attacks in Baltimore where Sarah Kreager (left), a 26-year-old white woman, was allegedly beaten by a group of black middle-schoolers, which was followed a few days later by another bus attack in which two white men were allegedly attacked by a group of black men. Both cases are stoking the racial flames in the town because the first is being investigated as a hate crime, and the second is said by the victims to be racially driven.

It's enough to bring the conservative cavalry out to pounce on urban America once again in the blogosphere and repeatedly on cable news channels with periodic calls for further isolation of minority youths and funding for prisons -- but curiously no calls for more education and recreational funding.

And hey, even those guys make a few fair points about kids wilding out on buses and trains. Yeah, at least on the surface all this seems to be the result of poor parenting, a failed family structure, nonexistant discipline or role models. You know, that "family values" stuff we've been hearing about since the Clinton years.

So man, if everybody is ready to jump down the throats of cavalier black parents and their wayward children, then surely they are willing to pounce on a group of New Yorkers who reportedly got into a fight on the subway over one set of riders wishing the others "Happy Hannukah." In fact, it became an all out free-for-all between Jews, Christians and even a Muslim with chutzpah.

I'm glad nobody was there to say "Happy Kwanzaa."

So, black eyes, broken noses and bruised egos (and knuckles) aside, blaming one group or another might not be a solution. Things like this don't happen very much in public buildings because security plans for them are really tight. Any incident would bring police there within minutes. Public transit on the other hand has violent incidents almost every day because the amount of post-9/11 security afforded for places like the Sears Tower or the Empire State Building is practically non-existent for buses and subways which regular people depend on to get back and forth on a daily basis. That is, except when they want to randomly search your bag, then security is at a peak.

Maybe I'm scared of a butt-kicking on the subway, but I'm more scared of paying for extravagantly priced-gasoline and parking, so that means better security on the subway is a must for those of us who brave the streets for government-run transit.

So the next time I hear about someone getting jumped on the train or the bus, I'll be just as likely to be angry at the people who raise fares for transit while simultaneously cutting funding -- thereby curtailing security-- as I am a bunch of unruly kids.

Then again, I've never seen anybody get smacked upside the head while they were roller skating to work.

Our Lens Sept. 1

Hector Jackson (C), who impersonates the late US pop star Michael Jackson, gestures while he takes part in the "I do dance Thriller" event which attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the biggest mass "Thriller" dance, in Mexico City, on August 29. Up to 15,000 people are expected to take part in a potentially record breaking mass performance of Michael Jackson's famed "Thriller" dance on the day he would have turned 51.

Omar Torres, AFP/ Getty Images

A long line of fire marches west towards the communities of Acton and Sunland-Tujanga on August 31 in Los Angeles, California. At least 18 homes were destroyed and 12,000 more homes and 500 commercial buildings are being threatened in the fire which already took two lives. The wildfire, which broke out Wednesday afternoon near a ranger station and the Angeles Crest Highway above La Canada Flintridge, has forced thousands of evacuations.

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

Venus Williams of the United States reaches for a shot against Vera Dushevina of Russia during day one of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

Chris McGrath, Getty Images

A Kenyan Muslim child reads verses from the Quran, Islam's holy book, on the fifth day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in a Madrassa (Religion School), in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Aug. 26. Muslims throughout the world are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, where observants fast from dawn till dusk.

Sayyid Azim, AP

Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from launch pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center on August 28, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Discovery is scheduled for a 13-day mission to the International Space Station.

Joe Raedle, Getty Images

Host Vanessa Williams performs with dancer Gilles Marini onstage at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at The Orpheum Theatre on August 30, in Los Angeles, California.

Jesse Grant, WireImage

A girl plays with tomato pulp during the annual "Tomatina" tomato fight fiesta in the village of Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 26. Bunol's town hall estimated more than 40,000 people, some from as far away as Japan and Australia, took up arms Wednesday with 100 tons of tomatoes in the yearly food fight known as the 'Tomatina' now in its 64th year.

Alberto Saiz, AP

Tom Wainaina recounts the events that lead to his being burned over most of his upper body August 26 in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Wainaina was burned by a group of men during post-election violence in Kenya's disputed 2007 presidential election. Ethnic-tribal violence left over 1,000 people dead. The non-governmental organization (NGO) Concern, in cooperation with local Kenyan groups, has launched a campaign to provide the urban poor with cash grants to start a business or get back on their feet after suffering disproportionately from post-election violence in 2007. The money is transferred to the recipients via a mobile phone which insures a safe and simple financial transaction to customers who don?t have bank accounts. Wainaina is one of dozens of Kibera residents to receive the assistance of a cash grant. Hairdressers, grocery stores and food vendors are just some of the businesses that have been financed through the program.

Spencer Platt, Getty Images

People standing near the grave of Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) look at the grave of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) at Arlington National Cemetery August 30, in Arlington, Virginia. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) was buried yesterday next to his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) after he died of brain cancer on August 25.

Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images

US President Barack Obama takes out his daughters Malia (R) and Sasha (2nd L) and niece Suhaila Ng (L) to shop in the Alleys general store on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on August 30, 2009.

Jewel Samad, AFP/ Getty Images

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