BART General Manager Bob Powers About Man Cited for Eating on the Platform


BART General Manager Bob Powers issued a statement Monday regarding the citation issued to a man who was eating on BART platform.

BART General Manager Bob Powers issued the following statement:

“Moving 415,000 riders each day comes with complexities and there are laws in place to keep our system safe, welcoming, and clean. 

I’ve seen the video of the incident involving a man eating on our platform and our police response.  Eating in the paid area is banned and there are multiple signs inside every station saying as much.  As a transportation system our concern with eating is related to the cleanliness of our stations and system. This was not the case in the incident at Pleasant Hill station on Monday. 

The officer asked the rider not to eat while passing by on another call.  It should have ended there, but it didn’t. When the officer walked by again and still saw him eating, he moved forward with the process of issuing him a citation. The individual refused to provide identification, cursed at and made homophobic slurs at the officer who remained calm through out the entire engagement. 

The officer was doing his job but context is key. Enforcement of infractions such as eating and drinking inside our paid area should not be used to prevent us from delivering on our mission to provide safe, reliable, and clean transportation. We have to read each situation and allow people to get where they are going on time and safely. 

I’m disappointed how the situation unfolded.  I apologize to Mr. Foster, our riders, employees, and the public who have had an emotional reaction to the video.

I’ve spoken to our interim Police Chief about my feelings related to this incident and our Independent Police Auditor is conducting an independent investigation.  He will report his findings to our Citizen Review Board.” 

Here is the video of the incident:



  1. STOP Spreading You Cheeks to Lawless Idiots, Seems to Me This BOY, (young man) would Rather stomp his Feet and Hold his Breath to Get heis Way, Than to Just Comply, I Agree that it Should have just Stopped at the Warning, But YOU KNOW how Today’s Youth can Be Sometimes. It’s the Citizen, that Should have PICKED HIS Battles, Perhaps He Really Didn’t Want his Job After all & Was Happy to See an Excuse present itself. Stand Behind Your Officers. Their Jobs are Tough Enough…!

  2. If you pass a law, it’s meant to be enforced. By apologizing the law has become unenforceable. Rescind the law or write the ticket. Pretty cut and dry. There is only one exception I can think of for this situation. That would be if the person was diabetic.

    Politicians need to stop making worthless laws that are meant to pacify and silence the minority voters to get their vote.These worthless laws are ruining our society as a whole.

  3. The only reason this is going viral and is in the news is because the guy is black. Nobody reported when the same thing happened many times to other ethnicities. Or maybe those people complied with the officer? This story today fosters lawlessness and disrespect, especially under black people. This does not help blacks, it only makes them worse.

    • Blacks thumb their noses are laws! Now, what in hell is the problem with Bob Powers? Has he gone stark raving nuts?

  4. A friend of mine slipped on some food spilled at one of the BART stations and cracked open his head. There are reasons food is not allowed to be eaten in the paid area. Why in hell would some bozo apologize to the perpetrator for breaking the law? Why did Bob Powers apologize to the idiot for breaking the law? Powers needs to be replaced!

  5. This is why there are rats all over the BART system, yes Pleasant Hill too. Disappointed Powers did not support McCormick whom I am acquainted with. Even if you don’t see the signs, it is announced several times an hour that there is no eating, drinking, etc. within paid areas of BART. I have been caught too and just put it away. I get that everyone is busy but this guy just wanted to make trouble. BART again is part iof the problem for selling food in the first place on its property followed by not keeping it clean and sanitary. Powers should apologize to Officer McCormick for slurs and abuse he endured. Really disappointing Powers has no spine.


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