Bus Driver Punches Young Female Passenger

As a video of a bus driver punching a young female passenger who antagonized him makes the Internet rounds, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is investigating the incident, the Cleveland Leader reports.

From the Cleveland Leader:

The video, which shows the moments leading up to the time when the RTA driver can be seen punching a teenager, was recorded by another passenger on the bus. It shows a verbal dispute between the two, which then leads to the girl approaching the driver. The video doesn't show exactly what she did to him, but a few moments later it shows the driver getting up and punching the girl in the face, knocking her to the ground ...

"We also saw the video today. Upon review, the driver was removed from duty and suspended. We are investigating."

The comments sections on online pieces about this incident are troubling, to say the least, with many celebrating that the teen got "knocked out" by the uppercut, proclaiming that the assault was "what she deserved" or devolving into debates about the appropriate consequences of "disrespect," and when and if it's ever acceptable to hit a woman.

But how about the idea that this is real life, not the WWE, and there's no need to choose sides and cheer? We'd encourage those watching this footage as if it were a spectator sport to consider that when two black people are in a violent (and probably criminal) altercation and the footage goes viral, no one wins; in fact, we all lose.

Read more at the Cleveland Leader.

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