Monday’s shooting of four teenagers at Nashville’s downtown bus terminal was the most extreme case of teen violence to break out at Music City Central. On weekday afternoons, teenagers often converge on the station. And some longtime riders say they’ve seen the situation as volatile.
“It’s usually after school when something will happen,” says Keith Middleton, who has been an occasional city bus rider over the years. ”
You know, in the morning time everybody is tired—going to work, going to school. After school, that’s when they rouse up.”
Some students agree with him. Arianna Sales uses city buses to get to and from school. She’s a young mother, so she sometimes has a child with her. That, she said Tuesday, is why she thinks police need to crack down on the teenagers who cause trouble in the station.
“I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my child. Yes, I’m scared. And I don’t have my baby with me today because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Sales, who says she arrived at the terminal as Monday’s shooting occurred, is worried about more violent afternoons. And she might not bring her baby on the bus again until she sees increased security.
The city has announced plans for a heavier police presence, and they’ve deployed a ”
flex team” to help monitor the station. Still, several MTA patrons said Tuesday morning that they haven’t seen any new police activity.
Leroy Davis says he hardly sees a police presence at all, while other passengers just complain that the the current security level is inadequate. And while Davis
says he would be happy if security was more visible, some riders say they’d like to see bag searches, bus monitors, and even metal detectors on buses.
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