Signs of Terrorism on the Red Line

The signage in the Metro is the only place in which one can see any sort of reaction. While people don’t talk to each other and generally mind there own business, this is the standard behavior for the Metro. However, the car I was riding in had a “Hey is that your bag?” sign which reminds people to report any bags left behind. However, this is also accompanied by a “Don’t forget your teeth” sign, which reminds passengers to collect all their belongings before leaving. These signs are fairly old, and are part of the campaign which also reminds people not to talk to loudly on cell phones and not to eat on the Metro. However, they have introduced a new recording “See it. Say it.” Which urges passengers to report “suspicious behavior” to an employee.

There is extensive safety information posted in each Metro car, which actually seems quite comprehensive and reassuring should the need to use it ever arise. I learned that there are phones posted ever 800 feet along the tunnel. The sign in the car informed me that I could pick up a brochure on safety from the station manager, which I did. The brochure didn’t really say anything the sign didn’t. The only important thing was that one should “report anything unusual” to the conductor via intercom. However what constitutes “unusual?” Presumably, they’re referring to something connected to a possible terrorist action or some other harmful act, but a lot of “unusual” activity taking place on the Metro. Today I saw a well dressed business man carrying on a conversation with himself on the platform, which I felt was slightly unusual, and woman gave me a funny look for taking notes about the Metro car, so she obviously thought I was unusual. The most important thing I learned from the brochure was what to do if you fall onto the track – you can roll under the platform and wait until a Metro employee comes to help you out, also, be sure not to touch anything.

The doors at the end of each car have an American flag decal on them, but the meaning was not obvious. They seemed fairly old and worn – one was beginning to peel – so maybe they’ve been there for a while. Maybe it means they were made in America, or maybe they were placed after 9/11. The only time I actually saw the word terrorism was on a sign at the Judiciary Square station which read “Terrorism ins the threat. Complacency is the accomplice” and showed a man ignoring an unattended backpack. This was the exception however. I also recently overheard someone say that they are surprised that we don't have to go through metal detectors in the metro.