Meager1
Dagobah Resident
If you see something, say something.
That`s Amtraks motto on signs throughout their train stations.
Well I saw something.
But I didn`t want to say anything, until after we had taken the return trip home.
The return trip was a nightmare anyway as it turned out, the "heat" in what they called the northern tier, Montana and North Dakota was such that the rails were over heated and in danger of separating. The trains were slowed to 20-30 miles an hour and we were 9 hours behind schedule by the time we reached Chicago. Our connecting train had been gone for hours and we were all forced to wait over night either in a hotel, then hang around all day and part of the night to get back on Amtrak at 10;30 the next evening, or to wait in a bus station and be bussed from Chicago to the final destination.
We opted for the bus outta there.. and just arrived home late this afternoon, we should have been home two days ago!
What concerns me more however, was something we witnessed on the initial trip out to Montana. We needed to change trains in Chicago and had a layover of several hours until the connecting train arrived, so we got to see lots of folks coming and going and the general security of the place, which was by the way, pretty much non existent.
I first noticed a woman with a small boy of about 10-11 years old.
He was well dressed, actually very neat and very intelligent.
I could hear much of what he was saying and the way in which he spoke was surprising for a child.
He was very articulate and very precise in everything he said, so to sound much older then he appeared. I first assumed the woman with him was his mother, but thought that she was actually very cold to the child.
I heard her telling him that this was a great opportunity and he should make the best of it, that everything would be ok etc, and then she just passed him off to a waiting couple standing in line for a train to Houston Texas.
There was no goodbye kisses, no hugs. Just an unemotional walking away as he was leaving.
But then, a small blond girl about 7-8 years old ran to him and leaned onto him as if she didn`t want him to go, they exchanged a small hug as the couple led him away.
I thought it was probably his little sister but the contrast between the two was remarkable in that little boy was neat as a pin and so "proper" appearing, while this little girl was in dirty clothes and her hair obviously hadn`t been combed in days.
She looked as though she had the same dirty clothes on for days too.
Even after the little boy had disappeared down the hallway to his train the little girl went several times to look down the hallway, obviously upset, then an unkempt humpbacked appearing woman came and took her to sit between herself and a man with long greasy black hair and rotten teeth. I thought well no wonder she looks like that then.
You just couldn`t help but notice that the situation for her probably wasn`t a good one.
Then our train came and I didn`t think about her again.
The first night trying to sleep on the train was a nightmare, it is so uncomfortable that to sleep for more then an hour at a time is kind of a miracle.
I was on the isle and my son was inside at the window seat asleep and I`m sure it appeared as though I was to, though I wasn`t. Then here comes a conductor and as he passes me he puts his hand on my shoulder very gently.. and then passes on down the isle.
After he leaves I look at my shoulder thinking what the heck did he do?
Everything seems ok, so I settle back down and try to sleep again,then along comes a woman and she stops at my seat and does the same thing! Very gently touch`s my shoulder then moves on!
I was getting creeped out thinking these people are checking to see how heavy a sleeper people are, do they awaken easily or not, what the heck is that about?
Either the next night was uneventful or I did sleep through any gentle touch, because I don`t recall anything happening the second night.
Then it was time to get off the train and about two stops before ours I told my son that I wanted to get our luggage ready and waiting by the door, so we could be first in line getting off.
We did that and then went back to our seats but apparently someone had decided that we had already disembarked and our seats were taken! So we went back to wait at the door with our luggage.
As we were standing there, here comes an older couple with the unkempt little blond girl with the snarly hair, but now she is wrapped up in a pink blanket. I suddenly had alarm bells going off and was really disturbed, where had I seen this little girl before?
Not on the train, but where?
She had never gone by for food or for the bathroom, I would have remembered seeing her on the train. Then the older man puts his hands on her face all touchy feel-y and says "Megan" now you`ll always have enough to eat, we`re going to take care of you.
"Megan".. Megan's law, comes to mind! Something is very very wrong here.
The older woman with him just looks at the floor, and she doesn`t even appear interested in this child!
Alarm bells are screaming, something is wrong! Something is wrong.
This old guy is waaaaaaaaay to touchy feely and the old woman is disinterested..the old guy pushes her hair back out of her eyes and I can see that this little girl appears to be drugged! She shakes her head several times as if trying to clear it, her eyes are very glassy.
She looks at these people like who are you? But she never says a word.
The conductor comes to open the door for their stop. It`s the Monet stop.
The old man says to the conductor "so, there are a lot of private cars on this train" and the conductor looks at him with pure contempt and he says "yeah, but rules and regulations are changing on that" and he turns away, refusing to even look at these people!
Alarms, alarms. I`m looking at my son, who`s looking at me like we need to get out of here!
The train slows and this old couple get off with the little girl and the conductor closes the door behind them and leaves. I asked my son, do you remember that little girl?
He says yes, but I didn`t see her on the train, that`s weird huh.
Then it hits me..in Chicago..with the grungie couple.. that humpback woman!
I`m thinking oh my god, what have we witnessed here?
Amber alerts look for children on the highways, not on trains!
How often does this happen and how involved is Amtrak in this movement of children in "private cars" across the country..and what in gods name goes on in "private cars" where the rules and regulations are changing according to the conductor?
Are they moving children through the other cars late at night when people are sleeping, but first make sure that everyone is asleep?
Did we truly witness child trafficking on Amtrak, or is there another explanation for these children going off with folks they don`t seem to know?
And these were the only two.. that I paid attention to, how many others might go by unnoticed by anyone, the place is so busy.. I hope I`m wrong, but I`m still creeped out.
And notifying Amtrak of what "their" doing, is simply out of the question, since they already know all about it! But their motto is "if you see something, say something.
And so I`m wondering if an army of mothers need to start riding trains and bust this thing wide open, since I don`t see Amtrak busting themselves.. any time soon.
That`s Amtraks motto on signs throughout their train stations.
Well I saw something.
But I didn`t want to say anything, until after we had taken the return trip home.
The return trip was a nightmare anyway as it turned out, the "heat" in what they called the northern tier, Montana and North Dakota was such that the rails were over heated and in danger of separating. The trains were slowed to 20-30 miles an hour and we were 9 hours behind schedule by the time we reached Chicago. Our connecting train had been gone for hours and we were all forced to wait over night either in a hotel, then hang around all day and part of the night to get back on Amtrak at 10;30 the next evening, or to wait in a bus station and be bussed from Chicago to the final destination.
We opted for the bus outta there.. and just arrived home late this afternoon, we should have been home two days ago!
What concerns me more however, was something we witnessed on the initial trip out to Montana. We needed to change trains in Chicago and had a layover of several hours until the connecting train arrived, so we got to see lots of folks coming and going and the general security of the place, which was by the way, pretty much non existent.
I first noticed a woman with a small boy of about 10-11 years old.
He was well dressed, actually very neat and very intelligent.
I could hear much of what he was saying and the way in which he spoke was surprising for a child.
He was very articulate and very precise in everything he said, so to sound much older then he appeared. I first assumed the woman with him was his mother, but thought that she was actually very cold to the child.
I heard her telling him that this was a great opportunity and he should make the best of it, that everything would be ok etc, and then she just passed him off to a waiting couple standing in line for a train to Houston Texas.
There was no goodbye kisses, no hugs. Just an unemotional walking away as he was leaving.
But then, a small blond girl about 7-8 years old ran to him and leaned onto him as if she didn`t want him to go, they exchanged a small hug as the couple led him away.
I thought it was probably his little sister but the contrast between the two was remarkable in that little boy was neat as a pin and so "proper" appearing, while this little girl was in dirty clothes and her hair obviously hadn`t been combed in days.
She looked as though she had the same dirty clothes on for days too.
Even after the little boy had disappeared down the hallway to his train the little girl went several times to look down the hallway, obviously upset, then an unkempt humpbacked appearing woman came and took her to sit between herself and a man with long greasy black hair and rotten teeth. I thought well no wonder she looks like that then.
You just couldn`t help but notice that the situation for her probably wasn`t a good one.
Then our train came and I didn`t think about her again.
The first night trying to sleep on the train was a nightmare, it is so uncomfortable that to sleep for more then an hour at a time is kind of a miracle.
I was on the isle and my son was inside at the window seat asleep and I`m sure it appeared as though I was to, though I wasn`t. Then here comes a conductor and as he passes me he puts his hand on my shoulder very gently.. and then passes on down the isle.
After he leaves I look at my shoulder thinking what the heck did he do?
Everything seems ok, so I settle back down and try to sleep again,then along comes a woman and she stops at my seat and does the same thing! Very gently touch`s my shoulder then moves on!
I was getting creeped out thinking these people are checking to see how heavy a sleeper people are, do they awaken easily or not, what the heck is that about?
Either the next night was uneventful or I did sleep through any gentle touch, because I don`t recall anything happening the second night.
Then it was time to get off the train and about two stops before ours I told my son that I wanted to get our luggage ready and waiting by the door, so we could be first in line getting off.
We did that and then went back to our seats but apparently someone had decided that we had already disembarked and our seats were taken! So we went back to wait at the door with our luggage.
As we were standing there, here comes an older couple with the unkempt little blond girl with the snarly hair, but now she is wrapped up in a pink blanket. I suddenly had alarm bells going off and was really disturbed, where had I seen this little girl before?
Not on the train, but where?
She had never gone by for food or for the bathroom, I would have remembered seeing her on the train. Then the older man puts his hands on her face all touchy feel-y and says "Megan" now you`ll always have enough to eat, we`re going to take care of you.
"Megan".. Megan's law, comes to mind! Something is very very wrong here.
The older woman with him just looks at the floor, and she doesn`t even appear interested in this child!
Alarm bells are screaming, something is wrong! Something is wrong.
This old guy is waaaaaaaaay to touchy feely and the old woman is disinterested..the old guy pushes her hair back out of her eyes and I can see that this little girl appears to be drugged! She shakes her head several times as if trying to clear it, her eyes are very glassy.
She looks at these people like who are you? But she never says a word.
The conductor comes to open the door for their stop. It`s the Monet stop.
The old man says to the conductor "so, there are a lot of private cars on this train" and the conductor looks at him with pure contempt and he says "yeah, but rules and regulations are changing on that" and he turns away, refusing to even look at these people!
Alarms, alarms. I`m looking at my son, who`s looking at me like we need to get out of here!
The train slows and this old couple get off with the little girl and the conductor closes the door behind them and leaves. I asked my son, do you remember that little girl?
He says yes, but I didn`t see her on the train, that`s weird huh.
Then it hits me..in Chicago..with the grungie couple.. that humpback woman!
I`m thinking oh my god, what have we witnessed here?
Amber alerts look for children on the highways, not on trains!
How often does this happen and how involved is Amtrak in this movement of children in "private cars" across the country..and what in gods name goes on in "private cars" where the rules and regulations are changing according to the conductor?
Are they moving children through the other cars late at night when people are sleeping, but first make sure that everyone is asleep?
Did we truly witness child trafficking on Amtrak, or is there another explanation for these children going off with folks they don`t seem to know?
And these were the only two.. that I paid attention to, how many others might go by unnoticed by anyone, the place is so busy.. I hope I`m wrong, but I`m still creeped out.
And notifying Amtrak of what "their" doing, is simply out of the question, since they already know all about it! But their motto is "if you see something, say something.
And so I`m wondering if an army of mothers need to start riding trains and bust this thing wide open, since I don`t see Amtrak busting themselves.. any time soon.
