St. Louis Union Station

[gabe]

Are any of the members of this forum familiar with St. Louis Union Station? There is an interesting story about it in the St. Louis Post Dispatch today that can be found at:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/5A62042EB1DBCB3386256F2D001377A0?OpenDocument&Headline=Union+Station+visitor+criticizes+bandanna+ban

I told one of my friends who happens to be suffering from *** Cancer about St. Louis Union Station and that she should visit it while she was visiting her boyfriend in St. Louis. I told her that the building was pretty interesting, the shops were decent, and (of course) there were trains there.

She has lost her hair because of her kemo treatment and wears a bandana on her head for that reason. Anyway, apparently, St. Louis Union Station has a policy of not allowing people to wear Bandanas.

She took my advise and visited. When she came in, the security gaurd demanded that she take it off or wear a very noticeable medical bracelet.

I am curious if any forum members have ever ran into this policy while visiting and/or what you might think about it.

I think it takes a cold individual to tell a *** cancer victim to expose her head which she is uncomfortable with or to wear a medical tag that I consider something akin to a Yellow Star of David. Perhaps I am allowing my emotions to cloud my judgment though?

In any event, I want to put this out there where people who might visit St. Louis Union Station can see it.

Gabe

[jeaton]

Gabe,

I am sorry to hear that your friend had to suffer such an outragious insult. The management policy over there falls into my category of "simple solutions for simple minds. In this case very simple minds.

Jay

[eolafan]

Very sad result of very sad times we live in.

[Anonymous]

Ya know Gabe, It's just another instance of a society gone mad. Let's not find the cure, just treat symptoms. What on earth can a bandana do? What if it was part of my religion? Do we have to hire you and file suit?
I'm sorry for your friend's illness, and I'm equaly sorry for the illness at St Louis Union Station.
Mitch

[locomutt]

Gabe,
What do the rules say about ANYBODY wearing a hat? Man or woman. Stetson,bowler,baseball,hard,pillbox,sombero?
Or is it that ALL heads must be uncovered? Sounds very discriminatory to me. I am VERY sorry that your friend is
being treated this way. Would it have made any difference if the bandana had been pink,since that is supposed
to be the recognized color for *** cancer awareness? Although it probably wouldn't have made any difference,
according to the article.[2c]

[gabe]

Locomutt,

That is part of my anoyance with the rule. To be blunt, the rule is intended to keep young black men out of St. Louis Union Station. I find the purpose of the rule to be in and of itself offensive--to say nothing of the side effect of reminding and emphasizing to a 28 year old girl that she has cancer and must be branded.

I understand the need to keep gangs out of Union Station. To my surprise, my Dad agrees with Union Station's policy because of this need. I don't really see it that way. We all want to have historical landmarks connected to railroading that are economically viable and aren't over run by crime. But, I think St. Louis Union Station should solve this problem like most places do, and hire some extra security gaurds and developing a reputation for prosecuting all crime to the fullest extent of the law.

That approach may cost a little more money in the short run, but I think that money is worth it when you consider the stigmatizing effect that the rule has on the vast majority of young black men who are not criminals and cancer survivors.

Gabe

[Anonymous]

St Louis Union Staion died when the last passenger train departed decades ago, Todays Union Station is just a complex of shops, a hotel and a big parking lot. The new occupants could care less about its past railroad glory or its place in American history. Discrimination and sterreotyping has not been eliminated from our society. If we remain silent it will continue. Open forums like this help expose and deter such un-American behavior. Thank you Gabe for bringing this to our attention.
tom

[Anonymous]

Great thinking on the Part of St Louis Union Station. It's a known fact that if no one wears a bandana, there'll be no crime. And here we,ve been building prisons all these years when the solution was to merely ban headscarves.
Mitch

[Anonymous]

Don't you just love bureaucracy.[V]

I think Mark's story about dispatching on one of the other threads hits the mark here. "Protect, then Authorize".

[Junctionfan]

Isn't that unconstitutional? I say take them to court and challenge their stupid policy.

[bnsfkline]

The rap artist "Nelly" who is a St. Louis Citiizan was thrown out of Union Station because of a bandana. He is currently fighting (and loosing) in legal actions.

St. Louis Union Station.......From Train station is Shopping Mall...how sad