Sign wars - who is the dark side?
Thievery, toilet paper, shaving cream and petty crime are all things associated with this time of the year, but this year it has more to do with election politics than Halloween.
There has been a rash of theft and destruction of political signs in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, according to The Washington Post, including everything from the candidates' names being written in shaving cream on people's cars to torn or torched signs. Sign stealing is usually done in the middle of the night.
One Republican volunteer was putting signs up in Prince William County when she saw a woman in a car pull over to the side of the road and grab two Bush-Cheney signs out of the ground, The Post reported. The 66-year-old volunteer ran after her, grabbed the signs back and took down the sign stealer's license plate number. The woman in the car tried to explain to the volunteer that she "needed [the signs]" as if she were a Republican booster.
Though this confrontation didn't turn violent, others have. A fight broke out between two men over political signs. A Republican around age 50 was putting up signs when a Kerry supporter around age 70 confronted him, according to Fox 5 News in Washington. A fight erupted between the two men.
This isn't just a problem in D.C. In a recent issue of Time magazine, an article gave examples of "swastikas being painted on Bush's face, bullets shot through Kerry's, signs stolen and trashed and set on fire and mauled with a hatchet." Some Pennsylvania Democrats have even put itching powder on their signs to protect them from being stolen, the magazine reported.
-JORDAN BEANE
'Verbal judo' unleashed on the Metro
Some officers of the Metro Police Transit Department will be trained in verbal judo this November, a tactical communications course.
"It teaches people how to be peace warriors and to treat people with respect," said Dr. George Thompson, creator of verbal judo and founder of the Verbal Judo Institute. "Ninety-three percent of how you deal with situations is the delivery."
Verbal judo has been used in other cities before. The Verbal Judo Institute has trained the New York and Los Angeles police departments, as well as people in correctional facilities.
In the 8- to 16-hour course, officers are taught how use words to redirect and persuade passengers in order to prevent violent situations that could harm both the passenger and the officer. The course teaches that force should be used only a last resort.
The verbal judo training is a pilot program, and other programs will also be used to help the department.
"We are looking into other methods in how to respond to choices to some of the incidents that have occurred recently," said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel.
Last month, The Washington Post reported that Sakinah Aaron, a five-months-pregnant woman, was arrested in the Metro for talking loudly on her cell phone. The Post also reported that during the summer, Stephanie Willet was arrested for eating a candy bar in the Metro. The Metro has a strict no-eating, drinking, smoking, or littering policy. Its Web site, www.wmata.com, warns that the Metro Transit Police "do take notice and issue citations or make arrests" for such violations.
Some students don't have a problem with these rules, while others consider their enforcement excessive.
"I am from Boston where the no-eating or drinking rule on the subway is not enforced and everything is bad," said senior Jeff Quigeley. "Having these rules makes [for] a cleaner Metro ride."
- JANEL KNIGHT
