Four years have passed after that fateful day for Maria Besedina, a victim of sexual assault. She’s suing the MTA for negligence and failing to protect a customer. Serviced by the E,G,V trains the 23rd Street station in Long Island City is known to be dangerous and especially dark. A long path with no security around and only one exit makes it even more
dangerous. According to the article, Besedina left the train after being touched by the assailant, who followed her off the train and into the station.
After confronting him he began to lick her foot and leg, and despite running for help and
telling a booth attendant who “merely looked on as the assailant dragged her back down the stairs to the subway platform and raped her several times”.
23rd and Ely a hot spot for crime.
Besedina, suing for negligence and for failing to provide safety to a customer, had said in an outside interview, “I told a booth clerk and nothing, he even saw me being dragged away and did nothing, a train conductor saw what was happening and nothing, the train didn’t even stop at the station even though it was moving at the slowest possible speed that it can.”
Due to the train station’s location on one of the least populated streets in LIC and a general lack of security, many avoid this station whenever possible especially at night. Generally, one would believe that it is the agency’s job to make it safe for everyone to use a train in every station and borough but it seems that this is not the case. The MTA says that they should not be sued because they are a government agency.
The train is a necessity for many, and security should be provided. However many do not know about this incident as it wasn’t reported in many of the newspapers in Queens. This issue was only recently covered by The Astoria Times only because there is a law suit pending against the MTA. The date of the actual incident spans back about four years, and after extensive research it wasn’t even covered when it happened.
Had this been a different neighborhood, perhaps, it would have been covered more in depth, although this isn’t a definite either. The MTA failed to comment and unfortunately there was only one statement issued by Besedina.
There was too little coverage of this story, and the Queens Gazette, Queens Courrier, Queens Tribune completely overlooked the issue. LIC is one of the least covered areas in Queens, despite its encompassing several neighborhoods.
Like Professor Bernstein noted in class last week, the MTA will use the defense that their workers aren’t police officers and for their own safety they need to stay put and call 911 from the booth/trains. This is understandable, because the majorty of bystanders fear being attacked themselves and the ones who are brave enough to step in end up being attacked or intangled in the problem further. My thoughts are that their needs to be some more security, period. The unfortunate thing is that there are shortages of police officers who can actually patrol each and every station. But, maybe more cameras should be set up along the platforms. Also a “safezone” where train riders can stand in close proximitiy to station service booths during late hours. But, these are only suggestions. Hopefully with the case of this woman, strict security of some sort will follow.
This is why I don’t take the train at night.
This story is truly horrifying and shows the need for more policeman and MTA workers that can help in stations. Too bad the city’s budget can barely afford new hires, because stories like these magnify their need.
Something very similar happened to my brother almost a year after Ms. Besedina’s attack.
My brother was assaulted in a station. He somehow wound up on the tracks and died. We don’t know how he got on the tracks because there were no witnesses and no cameras.
The employee who was supposed to be on duty left the station and “didn’t see anything”.
My brother was a Queens resident but this assault happened in a Manhattan station.
We sued the MTA and was told the same thing as Ms. Besedina. Just like Ms. Besedina’s rapist my brother’s murderer is out there free.
It is an outrage.
First of all the incident occured not at the 23rd Ely Ave subway station but rather the 21st Van Alst station which is one stop away. Secondly based on what I’ve read so far it puzzles me as to why this, at the time, 21 year old girl was on her way to visit her boyfriend who, according to reports, was recovering from a recent surgery, at 2:15 in the morning? I’m not a doctor but shouldnt someone who is recovering from surgery of any sort be, i dont know, SLEEPING at 2:15 in the morning. For all intents and purposes the nyc subway system is still, no matter what the media says, not the safest place to be at 2:15 in the morning on any day. I should know i worked there for eight years. My heart goes out to Ms. Besedina and I pray nothing like this happenes to her again or anyone… ever. But please if it isnt absolutely necessary, dont ride on the subway alone if you dont have to. Furthermore i dont believe it is fair to blame single individuals, in this case a subway clerk and conductor, for doing what they were instructed to do in cases such as this.
We hope that the attacker will soon be arrested so that Besedina could at least claim for justice and in order to prevent similar incident to happen again..
It is very easy for a man to critisize the actions of a woman, so as to not make the male assailant look bad. Who ever thinks that a woman doesn’t have the right to be anywhere at any time (day, night, 2:00 a.m.) and be safe is only enforcing the reason rapist have so much freedom in the United States. It would be great if women turned the table and started raping men but with metal poles, broomsticks or baseball bats and on a regular basis. It would have already happened, but society doesn’t allow women to grow up thinking that men are nothing and need to be put in their place (subservient). When men start getting outraged at men who are such pieces of SH*T that they have to force sex on a woman and the judicial system starts taking rape seriously, the rapist will continue to have their way!!!
TO: Douglas Johnson=====You are a pathetic piece of dung. There is no justification for rape at any time. Are you that much of a moron that you can justify rape of a woman because of what time it is??? It is too bad that men aren’t annally raped on a regular basis at all hours by women. They should start with you and let you know what it is like to have to always worry about being raped where ever you go. Maybe the judicial system and men would take rape more seriously if they were the ones being raped!!!
First of all Carol you clearly did not understand my statment. No where did I state justification for this rape and how dare you think so. Shame on you! Secondly what I was simply saying was that the subway system is not a safe place to be at 2:15 in the morning. How is that justifying rape? I know a hell of alot better then you Carol, the dangers of riding alone on the subway at night because I worked in it for eight years. I’m six feet tall and weigh 210lbs and even I wouldn’t ride the subway at that time if I DIDNT HAVE TO! And is shows real maturity on your part to condone women using foreign objects to rape men in order to teach us a lesson. Carol I MIGHT BE A PATHETIC PIECE OF DUNG BUT THIS DUNG KNOWS HOW TO KEEP HIMSELF SAFE. By the way there have been cases of men being raped. Does Abner Louima ring a bell?
We too hope that the attacker will soon be arrested
Very bad. the attacker must be arrested soon