On Monday, May 21st, a Black woman, whose name has not yet been released, was assaulted by two Metro Transit Police officers at Fort Totten metro. They pushed her to the ground, held her down, pressed a taser to her back while threatening her, and ripped her shirt — exposing her chest — during the arrest.

And after experiencing this trauma, she faces being charged with assault of a police officer and fare evasion.

This is another horrific incident in a long history of state violence and excessive use of force against Black people nationwide and Black residents in the DMV. Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS) condemns this act of police violence against a young Black woman using public transit, and we join BYP100 and our partners in calling on Metro Transit Police to immediately terminate the involved officers.

The latest attack demonstrates a trend of Metro Transit Police violence against Black women and girls in DC in the name of fare evasion. Several months ago, a transit officer slammed a Black woman against a fence breaking four of her teeth, requiring 12 stitches and fracturing her knee. Again, she was charged with fare evasion and resisting arrest. Fare evasion and assault on officers are common and insidious charges disproportionately lobbed at Black folks often in the name of “safety.” This is, without a doubt, not what safety is. Therefore, we also call on Mayor Bowser and the DC Council to decriminalize fare evasion in DC.

At CASS, we define public safety as the ability to survive and navigate public spaces and access public resources free from harassment and violence, including police harassment and violence. We know for many DC residents, public transit is people’s lifeline for accessing basic necessities like food, healthcare, and much more. Everyone deserves to feel safe while using public transit.

We stand with our partner BYP100 with sign on letter calling on Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to take comprehensive steps to ensure the safety of all transit riders. The first step to achieving this is holding accountable the officers involved in this recent assault and ceasing from engaging in harassment and violence against Black and Brown transit riders over bus and Metro fare.