Bus Incident

There are three basic German rules over etiquette when riding a bus or train:

1. No music, period.

2.  If drunk, don't throw up on the bus or train.

3.  If the bus or train is mostly full, and someone over the age of sixty-five boards, or some pregnant woman, or some gal handling kids.....you offer up your seat.

On this last one, it's a remarkable thing to ride as much as I have since 1978, and having this feat repeated time and time again, by Germans over the age of 18.  In fact, I've witnessed Syrian, Iraqi, and African men accomplish the same of civil behavior over the past five years. 

So, this story unfolded yesterday in Wiesbaden, told by the local news folks.....around early afternoon, on a major street....this Turkish guy with his wife and a small kid board a mostly full bus.

What the cops say is that some German was in a seat and offered the whole double seat to the Turkish woman and the little kid.  It is the civil behavior that you are used to.

But as the German got up....some Turkish kid (noted at age 14) who was standing....jumped into the seat instead.

What comes next is a chaotic discussion with the Turkish guy (said to be 41 years old) and the Turkish kid (14 years old).  Some harsh words were uttered.....perhaps an insult but the cops don't really suggest that (most Turks I know.....have an array of insults ready to use).

At this point, the kid starts to slug on the older guy's face.....drawing blood in a pretty good fashion.

The kid reaches some point.....the bus has stopped and the door opens.....with the kid escaping.  The driver calls for the cops and an ambulance.  While the older guy is treated there.....they recommend that he go onto the hospital (severe cuts).  The kid?  He has momentarily escaped.

But around an hour or two later.....cops get a call, there's some Turkish kid at a clinic to be treated for some injury.  They ride over.....yep, that's the same kid.

So the cops take him over to the station....call his parents, and there's some paperwork done.

What the cops say....adding to this story....there's a razor blade found on the floor where the action took place.  No one says it belongs to the kid, or the adult.

Court hearing?  I'm guessing there is a strong bit of anger on the part of the adult Turk, and it's best that the German judge call up some event and get some part of this mess cleared up.  Proving the blade is the kid's?  Nearly impossible unless fingerprints are checked, and I don't think the kid or his parents want to admit anything or allow a fingerprint check.  If some witness comes up to suggest the kid did the slugging and had the blade.....he's screwed. 

The thing that is bothersome is the pace where this went from a stupid behavior situation.....to fists and a razor blade being used, and perhaps some permanent cuts on the older guy's face.  You could be talking about a 30-second event.  You can't allow the kid to just walk away from this without some form of counseling or punishment. 

Something like this happening back in the 1970s or 1980s?  No.  This is the modern environment that you live in....within Wiesbaden, and any adult could have tried to correct the kid's behavior, and gotten cut-up this way.  It's stupid....but it's how the city is becoming less and less friendly.