We’re saddened to get word that Jesse Morris, whom you may know as “Punk Rock Johnny Cash” and one of the most beloved BART buskers, died on Sunday. This morning, our own Ed Casey alerted us that friends and fans on Reddit and Facebook have been posting tributes to Jesse. We also heard from several of Jesse’s friends about the sad news.
Many of you have seen Jesse performing at BART — we first wrote about Jesse in 2009 on BART Diaries. Jesse was interviewed by BART.gov and talked about why he likes playing in BART stations:
“The acoustics are good down here, the people are friendly,” he says. “They stop and listen, they tip, they smile … I have a good time down here.”
Although Morris has a night job at a bar, and writes and plays original material with his band, Jesse and the Man Cougars, he keeps coming back to play at BART.
“I consider it a job,” he says. “Just like some people might work in an office, I work at the station entertaining people. I get to do what I love, and I can make a living at it.”
How did you name your band?
Jesse came to rehearsal and teased the “old guys” for having young, beautiful girlfriends, saying, “You guys are like a bunch of man cougars.” And the name stuck.
Photographer Bill Cendak shared this photograph of Jesse with us, taken at a band practice on Nov. 2, 2011. The Man Cougars were due to play at the Uptown this Friday. Cendak has been photographing the Man Cougars ever since the band started.
If you are a friend, family, or fan of Jesse Morris, we would like to hear from you. Please comment or email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com and help us honor a great musician who brought light to our daily transit experience.
(See the photo gallery of today’s protest over at Muni Diaries)
BART’s disruption of cell phone service last Thursday led to the hacking of myBART.org by the group Anonymous, who also promised a live protest today at BART stations. Here’s the latest on the ground from our best sources:
6:48 p.m.: SFMTA reports that “As of 6:48pm, Muni Metro is not stopping at Embarcadero Station due to BART protest.”
6:32 p.m.: SF Examiner reports that all downtown stations except for Powell Street are reopened.
6:26 p.m.: SFMTA reports that Civic Center station has reopened.
6:19 p.m.:KGO radio reports that protesters have made it to the Embarcadero station and that the station is being shut down.
6:15 p.m.: On Twitter, @travel4food reports that, at the San Francisco public library parking lot, “the number of cops waiting in the parking lot was quite impressive. Must have been at least 30-40 people.”
5:57 p.m.: From SFMTA: Muni Metro not stopping at Montgomery, Powell and Civic Center due to BART protest closures.
5:50 p.m.: On Twiter, @c_los007 reports that “3 choppers in the sky watching them from Yerba Buena gardens.”
By now you know that BART temporarily shut down cell service on Thursday to interfere with a proposed protest over the shooting of Charles Hill. And now the agency is under a lot of heat.
According to CNET:
Hackers were calling for action against BART in retaliation for the cell service disruption. The Anonymous group of online activists started promoting Operation BART on Twitter, with one profile saying: “We are going to show BART (@SFBART) how to prevent a riot #OpBART.” … Meanwhile, they also released a digital flyer with the headline “muBARTek,” a reference to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted after demonstrations earlier this year. “
The SFAppeal reports that BART didn’t violate specific FCC rules. And once you’re on the BART platform, “free speech isn’t so free,” says the SF Appeal report (read the Appeal’s excellent coverage of the cell jam).
What do you think of BART’s decision to cut cell service Thursday?
Update (1:38 p.m. Thursday):SFist reports that a protest will take place at Civic Center Station today at 4:30.
Update (7:35 a.m. Thursday): BART was pretty cryptic in their message last night. We found this on SFGate: Possible protests related to July BART Police shooting.
Original post: I just don’t know what this could be (too many possibilities, really), but from the BART.gov website:
Please be advised that protesters may attempt to disrupt train service during August commute periods beginning as early as Thursday, August 11, 2011 in downtown San Francisco BART stations.
Read the rest of the advisory on the BART website. And plan ahead?
If you haven’t sat down on a BART seat or even so much as touched anything on BART since the fecal matter report, you should check out the new renderings of proposed BART seats asap. Designed by BMW Group DesignworksUSA, these proposed seats will replace “the oldest fleet in the country” and feature easy-to-clean seats and “no musty carpets.” See all the proposals in the official announcement from BART.
Word is that the project won’t be completed until 2017, but you should tell BART.gov what you think of the seats via the feedback form or at the open houses that BART will be hosting. The photo above is option A, featuring a center arm rest and head rests for window seats.
Here’s option B, featuring an “informal, open-style lounge” in the middle of each car.
Option C features artistic “S” shaped poles and “portals at the end of some cars for kids to see track and tunnel walls whiz by the front of the train as it speeds down the track.”
Of course, we know many of you have your own ideas of seating on public transit. And these proposed seats don’t look much like the comfortable subway living room in Prague. But maybe that’s a good thing.
In February/March, BART took the down escalator in the Glen Park station out of service – and only posted an explanation after 3-4 weeks (and after I emailed them to ask what was up — apparently it didn’t occur to them to do that beforehand). They predicted it would take through July(!) to complete the work. Then, on August 1, there was a new posting in the station saying that the “work” was taking longer than expected and that it would continue through August.
BART sure seems to have an odd definition of work — in the 5+ months the escalator’s been broken, I haven’t seen workers there more than half a dozen times, and I go through the station daily. There’s no sign that they’re working when I’m not at the station either – the tools/clothes/etc (even the trash people thrown in the work area) virtually never get moved as you’d expect if someone were regularly there.
Courteous emails and calls to BART have resulted in total silence. Anyone in the Muni/BART Diaries community have some insight?
Say goodbye to the fecal-stained seats of BART and say hello to BMW, who will make over BART. No, really. Check out this report by CNet.
BMW’s DesignworksUSA announced a contract to design future trains for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), the commuter rail system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The contract calls for DesignworksUSA to design the exterior, interior, and train operator controls.
The current trains on the BART system, despite their streamlined look, are actually the oldest fleet of commuter rail cars in the country. The rail system uses a broad gauge rather than the standard gauge of most rail in the U.S., so cars must be custom-designed.
Since the project won’t be completed until 2017, I hope there’s time for me to suggest some interior improvements. How about some of that supple buttery leather and titanium trim? But then again, features like “rear seat entertainment” could have a whole different meaning when it comes to BART…
This video of Adrian came from rider Jessica Ann Graham via our Facebook page (which you’ve liked, right?). Adrian was rocking out at the Powell station the other day — I like how he plays to the camera.
We’ve also featured some amazing photos of BART Musicians earlier this year, including my favorite cello quartet, also at the Powell station.
Did a musician perk up your day at a Muni/BART station? Send us some photos, stories, or even better, a video, please!
We tremble in fear before your might⦠RT @rsa Behold, I am BART, harbinger of all that is piss! 16 hours ago
How'd that work out? RT @bushra_b I'm trying something new out today where I *don't* get on the wrong Bart train. 2012/01/25
Maybe she's helping Oscar The Grouch move. RT @TinyCheree This lady just brought a trash can on the bart train. Richmond, We must do better! 2012/01/25
