Chief

Man Shouts Racial Slur at MBTA Employee

MBTA Transit Police said they are investigating after a man shouted a racial slur at an MBTA employee on an Orange Line platform Tuesday morning.

Transit officers responded to a call around 10:20 a.m. for an MBTA employee being harassed.

According to the police report, the MBTA employee, who is African-American, observed a white male standing dangerously close to the yellow line. The employee, concerned for the man's safety, advised him to stand back so he would be a safe distance from the right of way. The man responded by shouting a racial epithet and behaving in a disruptive and disorderly manner towards the MBTA employee.

Officers searched the area for the man but were unable to locate him. The incident is being investigated.

"This is a very disappointing and ugly incident. MBTA employees should be free from any form of verbal assault, particularly involving one's race," MBTA Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green said in a statement. "The TPD has zero tolerance for action, however slight, directed towards someone's race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or any other protected class to degrade or demean while on the MBTA system, whether as an employee or a patron."

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