Days after 47-year-old bus operator Leroy Ramos was shot and killed on the job, his mourning family members, union representatives and transit workers across the metro area packed into MARTA headquarters with a list of demands for the transit agency.
The MARTA board was met with a lineup of impassioned public comments declaring “enough is enough” as speakers recounted their own unsafe experiences and pushed for a new way of operating.
According to police, driver Leroy Ramos was fatally shot in downtown Decatur on Jan. 3 during a dispute with three riders over the $2.50 bus fare. Ramos had worked in transit for a decade, but he was only two months into the MARTA job. The trio of juvenile suspects have since surrendered to the police and will all be tried as adults.
At the Jan. 9 MARTA board meeting, CEO Collie Greenwood delivered public remarks on the incident, where he expressed shock and distress over the “sudden loss of life in such a senseless manner.”
“It was another tragic example of how, you know, once common interactions between people have devolved into what can only be called violent exchanges, and we collectively recognize that we cannot continue this way,” Greenwood said.
The transit executive went on to reassure the public that MARTA “works every day’ to ensure that the system is as safe as possible, with policies and procedures to protect operators and customers.
The remarks were met with doubt from the audience, though, which included people who had worked for and ridden MARTA for decades. Many had their own anecdotes of assaults and altercations and were demanding something change.
Leroy Ramos’ sister, Natasha Ramos, opened the remarks with a plea to remember her brother, who she called a hero, protector, hard worker, and provider.
“Leroy did not have to die that day going to work, doing a job,” Natasha Ramos said.
She emphasized that her brother did not sign up to be a public safety worker and a chorus of agreement erupted from the crowd.
Most of the demands centered on ensuring the safety of both operators and passengers on buses and rail. Britt Dunams, the President of the Local 732 chapter of the Amalgamated Transit Union, presented a formal list of demands to the board. The labor union represents transit workers, including MARTA across Metro Atlanta.
The printed list was held by each worker in the crowd as he outlined the resolution: bus redesigns with emergency exit doors on the left for drivers, paid in-person de-escalation training, passenger fines for disruption and violence, better safety funding and seats for MARTA employees on the public hearing board.
“We’re at war,” Dunams said. “If we’re going into a danger zone, I am definitely asking for hazard pay.”
The ATU local chapter Treasurer, David Ward, said the union will also organize an event next month focused on stopping violence against transit workers and patrons. He urged the MARTA board to show their support for the cause.
“Be with us, do not be against us,” Ward said.
As the public comment continued, bus operators shared their harrowing stories. Harrison Crawford said days before the shooting, he got a memo from the agency asking drivers to enforce the fare — the same $2.50 fare that Ramos died trying to get.
For almost an hour, employees took to the podium to reveal their own experiences of being assaulted and harassed and the difficulty they had getting MARTA police to respond. One operator said a gun had been pulled on him four times — twice, it took the police 30 minutes to arrive.
57-year-old driver Monica Harris recalled the time she asked a passenger to not smoke marijuana on the bus in exchange for a free ride. When he got off the bus to de-escalate the situation, the passenger struck her in the head with a gun.
“When they see that MARTA suit, we are their enemy,” Harris said.
Harris said the job has been traumatizing, but she needs the income. Others in the crowd made noise to share their agreement.
Towards the end of public comments, Leroy Ramos’ wife, Monique Ramos, took the podium. Emotionally, she shared a message with the board.
“I just want to say that you will see my face, and you will hear my voice because I am my husband’s voice,” Monique Ramos said.
After almost an hour of public comment, the board moved into regular business. MARTA chair Jennifer Ide shared her condolences and promised the board would read the demands.
”Truly, thank you to everybody who came today,” Ide said. “We will definitely study the demands and proposals shared.”
