Theater of the absurd

BART riders are fed up. Cops are fed up. Regular folks are fed up. And even protesters seem bored, and kind of just strange. The absurdity hit a low point when someone released personal photos of BART spokesman Linton Johnson without his, let’s just say, normal dapper attire. There were some suggestions that Johnson supporters were offended and were planning a counter protest. And a Facebook group called "Commuters Take Back BART” said it was planning a counter protest as well. Though the reports of counter protesters never materialized, it seemed as if it is just a matter of time before some Stephen Colbert disciples were set to take to the scene with placards denouncing protests — "Down with black bandannas!” or "No BART, no way home!” or chanting, "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, this protesting has got to go!

” The whole series of events is so convoluted that the actual reason for the original protest has been lost. For the record, the protests began when 45- year-old Charles Hill was shot dead July 3 after allegedly threatening officers with a knife and a broken bottle. Then it was the Aug. 15 decision to shut off cellphone service to squelch the ability of potential protesters to communicate with each other. It is clear BART police maybe need some help with learning to use Tasers. And the idea to cut off cellphone service was creative, but maybe created more harm than good. You probably won’t see that happening again.

In this theater of the absurd, everyone seems to be learning a bit. Protesters were instructed to hand out fliers rather than enter paid areas and disrupt service. And San Francisco police kept the protesters off Market Street and on the sidewalk.

Now you have this series of protests that seems more akin to a gathering of goofy face masks than an exercise in free speech. It’s obviously a headache for BART and police who must work overtime to deal with the disruptions. And it’s a headache for commuters who chose to eschew the devil wagon of four-wheeled transit for enviro-friendly mass transit. If this continues, how many riders with the option of taking their cars to work and home will make that choice? Quite a few. So the end result just might be overtime for BART workers (including police) and more cars on the road. And who wants that?

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Last week’s announcement that the San Mateo County Times would cease to exist in November shouldn’t be that surprising. But it’s kind of like an old light bulb. You know it’s going to burn out, but it always seems to catch you by surprise when it does.

I’ve been asked by quite a few people how I feel about it. Since it’s a competing newspaper, I should be happy right?

Well yes, and no.

The Daily Journal will likely pick up more readers, but that’s been an ongoing trend in recent years. We’re not perfect, but the number of people who appreciate the work we put in day in and day out seems to be growing. We work hard and try our best to be fair, responsive and responsible. That matters to people.

Like many mid-sized newspapers, particularly those bought out by larger companies, the County Times was suffering a death of a thousand cuts for years. It’s hard to stay vibrant under those conditions.

However, the decision to fold what is left of it into the San Jose Mercury News doesn’t make a lot of sense. As a resident of San Mateo, I don’t care that much about what happens in San Jose or its various communities. I read the County Times for its local coverage and over the years actually appreciated the work of quite a few of its reporters — Erin Sherbert, Martha McPartlin, Justin Jouvenal, Tim Simmers, Malaika Fraley and Mike Rosenberg in particular. Their current batch of reporters are hard-working and will continue to cover what they can up here as a bureau for the Mercury News while the opportunity exists. But those days may be numbered as well. I know the County Times had seen better days, but it was a mainstay of the Peninsula and a valued community resource. Its demise is sad.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com.