Far-left agitators destroy MTA fare collection in NYC to 'Free Palestine'

Far-left agitators broke the fare readers at a Brooklyn subway stop last week and vandalized the cameras. They opened the gates, allowing people to ride for free. The vandalism and destruction were claimed as a fight against "unaffordable transit, hyper-surveillance in predominantly [b]lack and brown neighborhoods, and the MTA's collaboration with the military industrial complex." Also "free Palestine," somehow.

Despite these claims, made in an anonymous submission shared by Calla Walsh, the real goal of this destruction is exactly that, destruction, and the upending of the social order in New York and the United States. The list of "reasons" given includes not just immediate concerns, such as the cost of transit, but also encompasses causes that are open-ended and vague, such as the alleged "collaboration with the military industrial complex."



The video shows two criminals in the Church Avenue station for the B and Q lines. Both have their faces covered. One of them spray paints the cameras while the other takes a drill and breaks each fare reader while the opening verse of the Beastie Boys' "Open Letter to NYC" plays. 

The camera focuses in on a flyer at the end which reads: "OMNY is a military grade surveillance ecosystem being deployed on commuting civilians, and funneling profits from 'public' transportation to the military industrial complex." The flyer complains that Cubic is a "military equipment company that makes combat training systems" and goes on to link it to "Palestinians in Gaza."

Tracking in the New York City subway system goes back to the mid-1990s when MetroCards replaced tokens. MetroCards, which could be purchased with credit and debit cards, allowed the MTA to link cards and the routes traveled to NYC straphangers. Now, OMNY allows riders to tap their phones or use an OMNY card, allowing riders to pay for their rides but also giving OMNY access to data. Riders can use the OMNY card, however, which limits that data. They can also use their credit or debit cards, which is the same thing as buying a MetroCard.

The fact that these kinds of systems were already in place well ahead of this destructive act shows that the complaint of the vandalizers has nothing to do with that which they claim to complain about. Instead, the aim is outright destruction.

Fare evasion, turnstile jumping, and vandalism of the MTA and its facilities have long been an issue in New York City, but this new destruction is being done in the name of far-left ideology, making it a criminal act that people feel entitled to engage in.

No "change" is being asked for, just the dismantling of systems that took decades to build. These kinds of actions have been emboldened by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who promised free services, such as bus rides, for all New Yorkers. He failed to deliver but is working hard to consolidate wealth and power in the hands of government leaders.