CTA sends out representatives for ‘Ask CTA’ program amid serious worries about security, crime

CHICAGO (CBS) — No one was in custody late Wednesday following two consecutive days of violent afternoon robberies outside the 95th Street Red Line terminal.

These incidents come as we have been investigating an uptick in violence on the Chicago Transit Authority system for the past several months. But finally now, you can talk to someone about your safety concerns.

Earlier Wednesday, one passenger expressed frustration to a CTA representative because he has not seen security on his trains.

“Show them on 95th. Show them on 65th. Show them there at 1, 2 in the morning,” he told the representative.

CBS 2’s Jackie Kostek pressed the CTA for an interview Wednesday. The CTA declined – instead sending a statement that read in part that the CTA is still a very safe system. But some of the victims of recent attacks would say otherwise.

“It really hurts my feelings that we can’t take the train – public CTA – without having to fear for our lives or for anyone else lives,” said Kenya Merrills.

CBS 2 spoke to Merrills and her mother, Lura Irvine, who were jumped by a group of about 10 people after getting off a train the 95th Street Red Line terminal at the Dan Ryan Expressway Monday afternoon.

Merrills and Irvine told CBS 2’s Chris Tye Tuesday that they were on their way back from the Loop – where Merrills had been enrolling for college classes and they had gone for a mother-daughter lunch. The two, along with Irvine’s godson, were attacked. Merrills said she was punched in the face.

Merrills and Irvine expressed concern over what they described as the inaction of CTA security guards.

“I seen them there, but they didn’t do anything. I see CTA workers and the security workers – I seen them, but they didn’t do anything – absolutely nothing,” Irvine said Tuesday. “I was thinking to myself – why are you here? You can’t even – you can’t do nothing.”

As Tye and his crew were preparing the story on the attack Tuesday, another woman was pepper-sprayed and hit in the face by a mob at the same station.

A CTA spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the attack on the mother and daughter is being investigated by both the CTA and Chicago Police – with a review of surveillance footage involved. In a statement, the CTA also said unarmed security guards are not a replacement for law enforcement – and that guards are trained to monitor any suspicious or criminal activity and call 911 when something does happen.

The CTA statement said: “Incidents of crime are low, even when taking into account this recent incident. That said, one crime is one too many, and CPD and CTA are committed to making the system even safer.”

Safety is just one of the issues the agency hopes to address directly with customers during their new “Ask CTA” series. CTA representatives have been made available to answer questions about a variety of topics, from safety and service to employment opportunities.

The program hit a snag Wednesday morning. First, the CTA sent a tweet saying CTA leaders would be on hand would be at the 95th/Dan Ryan terminal from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. So CBS 2’s Marissa Parra went to the terminal with a crew – only for nary a CTA leader anywhere to be found.

Later, the CTA media relations team said the program was only supposed to run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The earlier tweet claimed there would be two windows of time.

A CTA spokesperson said the first tweet with the two timeframes was simply a mistake that was corrected. Their plan is for leaders to either be at a station in the morning or the afternoon, but not both.

The CTA did have representatives answering questions at the station in the afternoon. Another afternoon “Ask CTA” event is planned for Thursday afternoon at the Central Avenue Green Line station on the city’s West Side.

In a news release, CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. said he thought the first “Ask CTA” station went well.

“After talking with the managers who attended yesterday’s event, I’m beyond pleased with the results, and we look forward to engaging with and hearing from more customers in the coming weeks,” Carter said in the release. “Customers really appreciated the opportunity to talk directly with those who help manage our daily operations, as well as the improvements we’re already making as part of our ‘Meeting the Moment’ Action Plan.”