I certainly sympathize with the situation. I am not saying he got away scot-free, but neither will he forget this experience. Your response brings more light to the story. Your time is precious, but even jail time or a $5,000 fine would not undo the missed time together, right? “Priceless,” as you said.

I am only stating the obvious: Amtrak did all it was required to do. Isabel and her dad should still demand the personal apology.

Yes, you are correct the Constitution gives the accused the right to face the accuser. However, that applies to CRIMINAL COURT. Here, this is an administrative (CIVIL) proceeding, NOT before judge and jury. Maybe not even that much, since this is within a corporate structure.

But, it does NOT imply the converse. The Constitutional right is to protect the criminal accused from false accusations: the “innocent until PROVEN guilty” standard. Proof of guilty allows the right to face an accuser, but ONLY in CRIMINAL cases.

In all other proceedings: civil cases and administrative hearings, the accusation is usually made through written statements or a specific representative. A written statement can be a formal complaint (like it was here). The representative may be an attorney (civil lawsuit) or company disciplinary official (adminstrative proceedings).

I hope this explanation makes sense.i

Another thing you seem to not understand that Isabel and I where raised together and where almost as close as sisters until she moved, now only get to see her rarely, when you don’t get to see someone very often every minute counts. Those minutes I lost where priceless, and docking some guy’s pay for a month isn’t going to give me those minutes back is it? Nor is it going to solve this problem, something needs to be done to make SURE that nothing like this EVER happens again.

Oh and by the way Realistic Dope: the constitution gives the accused the right to face the accuser then is it not also implied that the accuser has the right to face the accused? And have you ever been fifteen? ‘Cause it’s a scary time in the best of circumstances, (I would know, I’m fifteen) and anything done to make it worse is on the verge of criminal by it self.

The problem with checking ID’s and tickets before boarding is that there are multiple points of entry to a train and it would take several people to do the checking. To check during boarding, Amtrak would have to require a single point of entry to the train area similar to the airlines. It would add time to the schedule but it might be worth it. Ticket agents should tell passengers about requirements and restrictions when they buy their tickets, and/or better still, give them something in writing. Another option is when minors are traveling alone, their parents should contact the conductor directly during boarding.

What a terrible story. I’m glad the conductor got some time off to think about it.

My Dad, sisters, and I were visiting family in California this summer. On July 7th dad put me on a train in Emeryville so that I could see an old friend in Davis. We were planning on going to Pirates of the Caribbean opening night, and dressing up as pirates. But soon after getting on the train my excitement changed to horror..

This is what happened: No sooner than the train had started moving, the conductor burst in and aggressively demanded to see my I.D. Now according to Amtrak policy, minors between 15 and 18 can travel alone without I.D.

I was confused and scared. He started shouting at me, ordering me off the train. I finally managed a few weak protests through my tears. I told him that I was a minor, traveling alone, and that I would be stranded. I received “GET OFF MY TRAIN!” in response. I got up slowly and walked to the stairs and he followed me, forcing me down the stairs with his body. I have never ever been so badly treated in my life. Please note that during this whole encounter, I did absolutely nothing that could be possibly interpreted as threatening or even impudent.

The conductor left me in an unmanned station in Berkeley. I had no way to contact Dad, and had to borrow a cellphone from a stranger, who, incidentally, I would like to thank. Anything could have happened to me.

I’m not even that angry about being thrown off, but am absolutely fuming about the mistreatment. It was frightening and humiliating.

We returned to Emeryville, where we filed a complaint. AMTRAK personnel later asked if I would be willing to testify. We were promised a hearing during which I could tell my story, but have received none. After a month of stalling, a supervisor overrode the process and allowed the man return to work. Amtrak has been incredibly unresponsive, not answering calls, and leaving us completely in the dark about what was happening, and as of yet, I have not received any apologies or even acknowledgement.

I want an apology, and I want that hearing. I feel as if there was no real investigation, only searches for evidence in the conductor’s favor. I’m really angry about this and much more cynical about the whole system. Amtrak should sort themselves out before expanding.

By the way, I would appreciate letters to Amtrak, to try force them to address these issues:

Why did an AMTRAK supervisor override the process and deny me the opportunity to confront the conductor in front of a neutral mediator?

Why doesn’t AMTRAK check tickets and id before people get on the train?

I really don’t know what the solution is for things like this. Clearly, we need drivers who don’t behave wrongly towards their patrons (I have found this to be a very frequent complaint from disabled riders of AC Transit), but I don’t know how to ensure that. And once someone is treated poorly, what kind of resolution is possible that can satisfy anyone who has been abused at the hands of a driver?

Like I said, I don’t know the answers, but I think it is something to think about. Public transportation is an entirely different world than private retail, so we can’t get all our answers from the way they operate. Still, there must be something. All I can say is that if that had happened to my daughter, a one month suspension without pay would sound like a slap on the wrist to me.