Woman Feels ‘Disrespected’ After Being Kicked off Train
Emily Sinovic, KATU-TV (Portland, Oregon), May 17, 2011
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Lakeysha Beard of Tigard was accused of disorderly conduct after police said she got into a “verbal altercation” with train passengers on Sunday. Passengers had complained she refused to put down her cell phone. Conductors stopped the train in Salem, where police got involved.
Beard told KATU she was indeed talking on her phone, but said she didn’t understand why she had to be escorted off the train.
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An Amtrak official said a number of passengers complained that Beard was being disrespectful during her prolonged phone conversations on the train. Salem police reported she had been on the phone non-stop since the train pulled out of Oakland, Calif. 16 hours earlier.
When a passenger confronted her about her loud talking, police said Beard got aggressive.
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Amtrak does have a policy that riders can’t use cell phones in designated “quiet cars,” like the one in which Beard was riding.
