If You See Something Say Something

I think it was back in 2002 that the Department of Homeland Security implemented the phrase "if you see something, say something". You can see posters at the airport, in bus and train stations encouraging travelers to report suspicious activity.

The next day after I arrived from France, I was at the Amtrak terminal at Penn Station in NYC waiting for my train to arrive and take me to Philadelphia 30th Station. With plenty of time to spare, I decided to use the restroom. I don't know you, but I don't like to use the restroom in the train or bus when I am traveling.

To my surprise, a well dressed young man was injecting heroine in one of the toilet partitions. I screamed an expletive at the young man, and stepped out into the train station waiting area. Immediately notified the situation to an Amtrak employee, he advised me to tell the police.

I informed three police officers, two men and a woman with a K-9 police dog that were standing at the train terminal. They replied, "we'll take a look". They didn't move and kept chitchatting as if I was not there.

The whole incident, and the police officers lack of care had upset me more than when I encountered the young man shooting up drugs in the restroom. What if I was a parent taking my young child to the restroom? How about the safety and wellbeing of other children? The experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Our tax dollars hard at work.