"...contract"

From my Pandemic Journal of March 28th, 2020.

l took the subway to the post office yesterday...it's now too long for me to walk. I was astounded. I expected no one to be down there...and there wasn't. However, it was cleaner than I have seen it in my life...as in my 'whole' life. They shut it down now after midnight. Like the Paris Metro. Our system has 'Never' been shut down...other than during 9/11. That's I think the only time in 120 years. They shut every night now to sterilize the system. In the first months it became a toxic pandemic stew.

Near 200 transit workers perished. Now it's reborn. The stations, and carriages are spotless the marble walls polished! Mind you I only went two stops, but as I say it was a stunning experience.

Btw my electric train model above. That's the #4 IRT subway the very one I use.

That was 2020 here's some 2022 ironies.

We once saw the transit workers as heroes. However. Many violently refused the vaccine when it came. The very thing they and we all waited for. Yes, the world is insane. The system since then has reverted to its filthy poorly maintained dangerous default condition. All the contract cleaners were let go.

Danger over "...fuck you beat it."

It's now as violent as the chaos of the 70's and the deadly Crack War 90's. I actually walk or use Uber in emergencies rather than risk death down there. Few view the civil service protected TA workers as heroes anymore. I sure as fuck don't.

The real heroes were the fired contracted cleaners as they took many of the deaths.