MTA Maryland Route 27

Route 27 is a bus route operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It currently runs from the Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway Station in northwest Baltimore to Port Covington in South Baltimore through downtown. The line also serves the communities of Pimlico, Mt. Washington, Cross Keys, Hampden, and Cherry Hill, and the Greyhound bus terminal. The bus route is the successor to the 10 Roland Park, 12 Westport, and 25 Mount Washington streetcar lines.

Origin

Route 27 starting operating in 1982, mostly as a split-off of Route 10. Route 10 had operated from Pimlico to Dundalk, and the split allowed better schedule adherence. The two lines at the time of the split had overlapped between State Center and Little Italy, though both lines have since been modified, and their routes do not overlap.

In 1992, in conjunction with the opening of the Central Light Rail Line, Route 27 was truncated to Camden Yards. Service between Howard Street and Little Italy, and selected trips to Canton were eliminated. The line's frequency was also reduced, as the line duplicated light rail service.

In 1996, Route 28 was eliminated except on Sundays. Service on Route 28 was provided by other routes from this time on, and selected Route 27 trips were extended south of Camden Yards to the Cherry Hill Light Rail Stop. Additionally, selected late night trips were extended to either the Cherry Hill community or to Baltimore Highlands.

Additional modifications in the coming years resulted in all trips being extended to Port Covington via Cherry Hill, and Route 27 in the Cherry Hill area became a supplement to service offered by Route 29.

In 2004, the main Baltimore Greyhound bus terminal relocated from the center of the city, an area accessible by Metro, light rail, and many bus lines, to an area off Russell Street where Route 27 had been the bus serving the area since 1996. At that time, service provided in this area by Route 27 was more limited compared with the overall route. Local officials, concerned about the lack of public transportation to this location, which many access by public transportation, scrambled to find a way to provide service to the new transportation center.

Soon after the terminal's opening, service on Route 27 in this area was increased, and the route of buses passing through the terminal's area was modified to deviate into the station's parking lot.

Future

In 2005, as part of the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative, a comprehensive overhaul plan for the region's transit system, MTA proposed to discontinue Route 27, and to provide all of its service on other lines. These included:
*An extension on Route 15 to Sinai Hospital would serve Belvedere Avenue.
*A new Route 28 (no relation to the former Route 28) would operate between Sinai and Mt. Washington.
*Route 64 would be extended north from North Avenue to Mt. Washington.
*Route 29 would provide all service along Russell Street and to Cherry Hill.
*There would be no service to Seton Business Park, on Roland Avenue, or to Port Covington.

As a result of public outcry pertaining to Route 27 and other routes, in 2006, MTA delayed any changes to Route 27 and made the following modifications to the proposals:
*Route 15 would not be rerouted to Sinai Hospital, but Route 91 would continue to serve Belvedere Avenue along with a new Route M-5, which would serve Mt. Washington.
*Route 98 Hampden Shuttle would be modified to serve a portion of Roland Avenue where a lot of senior citizens live.
*A new proposed Route 37 would serve Russell Street and Cherry Hill, and Route 29 would be extended to Port Covington.

In June 2007, GBBI was canceled. In October of the same year, MTA proposed new changes that route keep Route 27 operating, while making minor changes that included [ [http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpid=809&show=archivedetails&ArchiveID=1304416&om=1 Owings Mills Times ] ] :
*Consistently running service along Falls Road through Roland Park, and modifying Route 98 as proposed earlier to serve Roland Avenue.
*Modifying route from 27th Street to 28th and 29th Streets in Remington in order to improve ease of operating buses.

In February 2008, the first of these changes is scheduled to take place, while the latter is not.

December 2007 beating

On December 4,2007, a highly publicized assault occurred on a Route 27 bus in which four people were attacked, including the bus operator. Nine youths - all between ages 14 and 15 and students of the Robert Poole Middle School were charged. Because all nine suspects were African-American and the victims (except for the bus operator) were white, the incident was originally investigated as a hate crime. Hate crime charges were later dropped after no evidence could be found that the attack was racially motivated, but assault charges against the students have remained. The attack has prompted local and state lawmakers to consider legislation that would stiffen penalties for attacking the operator or a passenger on a bus.

The incident

Shortly before 3 pm local time, a Route 27 bus left the Robert Poole Middle School, bound for Port Covington in South Baltimore. It is what is called a "tripper" route, that is, a route designated for use by local school students to return home, though ordinary passengers may board on the route as well.

At some point on either West 36th Street or Chestnut Avenue, Sarah Kreager and her boyfriend Troy Ellis boarded. Kreager and Ellis attempted to find empty seats, but when they located one at the rear of the bus, one of the suspects refused to allow her to sit. At this point, the accounts become contradictory, one of the suspects says that Kreager spat at one of the female suspects and used the N-word, and Ellis produced a knife. Kreager, in an interview after the incident, firmly denies uses either spitting or using the epithet. At this point, the suspects attacked Kreager and Ellis, the bus halted after rounding the corner of West 33rd Street and Chestnut Avenue, and the operator called the Maryland Transit Administration Police for assistance. [ [http://www.examiner.com/a-1089067~Woman_beaten_on_bus.html Woman beaten on bus - Examiner.com ] ] After this, an unidentified senior citizen on board attempted to intervene, as did the operator, the operator was also attacked and the passenger threatened. During the melee, the bus's rear exit door, one rear window and two seats were damaged. Kreager was thrown off the bus by the suspects with injuries to her face. Ellis attempted to get her back on board, at this point the MTA police arrived. Their statement contains no mention of any spitting or use of racial epithets. [ [http://www.examiner.com/a-1093619~Victim_denies_provoking_teens.html Victim denies provoking teens - Examiner.com ] ] The suspects have been arraigned, charged with aggravated assault and destruction of property, were released to their parents' custody for a hearing schedule for January 8, 2008. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.ci.beating06dec06,0,3076841.story Woman injured in bus beating - baltimoresun.com ] ] Because they are being charged as juveniles, they have not been publicly identified by the media, except for two suspects, Britny Carter, who said that Kreager did spit but denies any racial hostility was involved. [http://www.examiner.com/a-1093705~Bus_beating_victims_says_students_weren_t_provoked.html] and Nikita McDaniels. Nikita McDaniels was a 15 years old student at Robert Poole Middle School during the beating and claimed that Sarah Kreager assaulted her by spitting on her and hitting her. These charges were brought against Ms. Kreager 3 weeks after the incident. Soon afterward, the prosecutors dropped the assault charges claiming there was no evidence to substantiate McDaniels' claim. On April 23, 2008, McDaniels was sentenced to serve time in a secure juvenile detention facility. Two other codefendants were sentenced to home detention. In his decision, Juvenile Court Judge David Young said it was one of the worst cases he had seen in his 23 years on the bench. The teens, some in tee shirts and jeans, shuffled into court to hear their fate and remained defiant throughout the proceedings.

According to the Baltimore Sun During the trial for 5 of the accused students, Assistant State's Attorney Dawn Jones accused McDaniels of being the "queen bee" in a "beehive," by taking up two seats on the crowded bus and then harassing Kreager after she boarded and sat down.

"That's my homegirl's seat," Kreager testified that McDaniels said.

Kreager then moved closer to Ennis, who responded, "You know how these kids are these days. Our daughter has more manners," Jones told the judge. "That's when Nikita McDaniels rose and said: 'What you say? You white bitches think you own everything.'"

Kreager was hospitalized at Maryland Shock Trauma with what the police report says were two broken bones in her left eye socket, two deep cuts on the top of her head and other cuts on her neck and back. Her face was bruised and her left eye was swollen shut. No other victims or suspects needed to be hospitalized. Officials, concerned for her safety, have placed Kreager in witness protection. [ [http://wjz.com/local/hate.crime.bus.2.605981.html wjz.com - Woman Attacked On Bus Placed In Witness Protection ] ]

Nikita McDaniels was convicted and sentenced to a secure juvenile facility. During sentencing, the judge said McDaniels was one of the worst defendants he had seen during his 23 years as a judge, and said McDaniels next crime might be a homicide.

Reaction

Maryland media has featured the story prominently, and the national media quickly picked up the story as well. The story has spurred discussions of race relations, particularly the differences, real or perceived, in media coverage and outcry when the victim of a racial hate-crime is white. [ [http://www.examiner.com/a-1095780~We_have_a_long_way_still_to_go.html?cid=rss-Baltimore We have a long way still to go - Examiner.com ] ] While the national media has addressed the story, it is more widely discussed online through discussion groups and blogs. The story received particular attention from right-wing bloggers, most notably Michelle Malkin. [ [http://michellemalkin.com/2007/12/06/the-beating-on-the-baltimore-bus-what-if-the-races-had-been-reversed/ Michelle Malkin » The beating on the Baltimore bus: What if the races had been reversed? ] ] And, the "Stop the ACLU" website posted it prominently. [ [http://stoptheaclu.com/archives/2007/12/06/isnt-this-a-hate-crime/ Stop The ACLU » Blog Archive » Isn't This a Hate Crime? ] ]

Additional incidents

On December 10, 2007 Patrick Green and Robert Rothe, both white were assaulted by a group of young African-American men on the Number 64 Bus in South Baltimore. Green and Rothe believe the crime was racially motivated. [ [http://www.wbaltv.com/news/14858304/detail.html Racial Allegations In Bus Beatings Stir Up Controversy - Baltimore News Story - WBAL Baltimore ] ] [ [http://www.kxmc.com/News/Nation/189873.asp Another Racially Motivated Bus Beating In Baltimore | KXNet.com North Dakota News ] ]

Other incidents occurred in the month on Bus Routes 51, M-1, and 15.

ee also

*MTA Maryland bus routes
*MTA Maryland former bus routes
*History of MTA Maryland

External links

*PDFlink| [http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/bus/routes/bus/27schedule1.pdf Route 27 schedule] |1.05 MiB

References