They won't do shit if you're getting murdered right in front of them. They can't refill cards. They literally have no purpose but to sit there and do nothing. No point in having them there for years now.

Before the pandemic I used to see it like 2-3 times a year, maybe. Ever since covid started I see it at least once or twice a month. Crackheads are taking over.

Especially when there are special considerations like carrying something heavy and cumbersome and all of a sudden single platform transfers or escalators become a factor. I live for that shit.

This is too accurate. If someone asks me for directions and we are going a similar way I will of course give them directions but also stay visibly nearby just in case they need more help and so they know I am sort of with them (I am a small woman and definitely not a presence anyone would perceive as menacing). I don't try and chat or make friends but I do feel a protective instinct to watch over this stranger and not allow them to feel alone and lost, or miss their stop. Kind, but not nice. Never thought of my behavior this way but it's true.

The radio in my mom's kitchen has been playing 1010 WINS on a low volume around the clock for the past forty years or longer. The only interruptions have been blackouts and power outages. It's either "for the cat" or "so the robbers will think someone is home."