Posted on 04/09/2008 8:22:41 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
All John Clifford wanted was a peaceful ride to work on the 7:39 to Pennsylvania Station. He would get to the Long Island Rail Road station at Long Beach early every weekday morning, board the train, stake out a five-seat section to rest his bad back, and prepare to read his newspaper and eat his breakfast.
But all around him, there would be chaos. One woman putting on full makeup while listening to her iPod and talking to friends. Another inviting guests to a barbecue and talking about personal problems. Men chatting on cellphones. They were treating the ride as a social situation, he testified in court on Tuesday, forming cliques and getting to know each other by name.
He asked the passengers to keep it down, but the chatter continued. In March 2007, Mr. Clifford had had enough. He shouted an obscenity at a passenger talking on his cellphone and slapped the hand of another, and was arrested. On Tuesday, he found himself in Manhattan Criminal Court, telling his tale.
“I stand up for my right to be let alone,” Mr. Clifford, a retired New York City police sergeant, declared from the witness stand at his nonjury trial on charges including harassment and assault.
To his accusers, Mr. Clifford, 60, was a bully who hogged five seats and had told one passenger, Donna DeCurtis, who had talked loudly, that he knew her name and where she lived, and that “I can make your life hell.” He had been arrested before, the prosecutor said, though, until now, the charges had always been dropped.
After one of those arrests, Ms. DeCurtis testified on Tuesday, “everybody just stood up and applauded.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Oh, the humanity!
If he absolutely has to have quiet, he can drive to work.
He should have had a private limo so he could have peace and quiet. It’s called public transportation for a reason.
Probably nutberger. Anybody that thinks people getting to know each other is bad has issues.
Neither. He's a whack job who let his anger fester to the boiling point and slapped out at the wrong people.
If he wants to be left alone, drive. Or, better yet take some constructive steps to try and get the RR company to dedicate one car as a "quiet zone", no cell phones allowed.
Let him bring that $hit down South. He’ll be brushing his teeth in the palm of his hand.
Bully.
If you want to be left alone, take your seat and leave people alone. If you want to spread out across five seats, drive your own car.
If you want peace and quiet, buy a set of these...
For $200, you won't hear a thing. Instead, this bully tries to dictate the behavior of everybody in the car.
A mentally ill individual of whom we can all be glad he’s a retired police officer.
I had to right click on that picture to get an idea of what those green things were.
At first, I thought they were itens that you were suggesting that Clifford shove somewhere!
JClifford is just speeding away,
Thought he was James Dean for a day
Then I guess he had to crash,
Pro-zac woulda helped that bash
they said “hey babe,
take a walk on the mild side.”
If you want privacy, keep your doors locked, your shutters drawn, and your ass inside.
Well he was obviously used to pushing people around and flashing his badge. Some animals are more equal than others.
He’s a retired cop. AND a lawyer.
So he’s and Bully AND a Bully!
Two fer one special, eh?
Hero or Bully?
_____
Neither. My word for him is a$$hole.
I never travel without my noise cancelling headphones. Noise? What noise?
I think Metro-North, and some AMTRAK trains have designated “quiet cars” with no cell phones or loud talking. JClifford needs to move off the island.
"Hospital patient," had he ever been dimwitted enough to actually try pulling that slapping-people-unannounced crap down in Tennessee, where I grew up.
I’m guessing there may be some good reasons why he’s a “retired” cop. But, being a liar (lawyer) too? Yeah, he’s special.
LOL - that might work, too!
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