Woman punched on Transit bus

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/11/2017 (2910 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A transgender woman was left with seven damaged teeth and a black eye after standing up for a woman being sexually harassed on a crowded Winnipeg Transit bus.

Aisha Walker says she was on her way to work Saturday when a man got on the No. 11 bus near Polo Park shopping centre and began accosting another rider.

“He was very clearly intoxicated and was being very creepy. He was getting close to this woman, trying to grind on her and dance. He was being really inappropriate,” Walker said Monday.

“I couldn’t just watch that. So after a few minutes I got up and stood between the woman and the man so he couldn’t talk to her any more and told her she could take my seat.”

The woman moved to Walker’s seat on the bus and sat down. That’s when the situation escalated.

Walker and the intoxicated man exchanged words. Then, another rider — a man not connected to anyone involved in the dispute — intervened.

“He said both me and the intoxicated man were being stupid and should shut up. So I asked him why he had an issue with me coming to this woman’s defence. He challenged me to a fight, saying we could ‘step off the bus’ to deal with the situation,” she said.

By this time, the second man was standing near the door preparing to exit the bus. Walker said she asked him what he was trying to prove by challenging her to a fight.

That’s when, she said, he took a few steps toward her, cocked back his arm and punched her in the face.

“It was extremely surreal. It felt like an out-of-body experience. I didn’t really feel it at first. But afterward, I could feel the teeth in my mouth.”

Walker said the attack left her with a black eye and three of her top front teeth, as well as four bottom ones, chipped — some so badly the nerves were exposed.

She said in a post on social media: “It literally hurts to breathe.”

Walker, a single parent, said her first thought was about the arrangements she could make to have her family watch her five-year-old daughter, so the child wouldn’t have to see the immediate aftermath of the incident.

Following the attack, the bus was stopped and evacuated and Walker was encouraged by the Transit driver to file a police report.

On Monday, Winnipeg police characterized the incident as a “very serious assault,” adding they had no suspects yet identified. A spokesman added police will be reviewing CCTV footage.

If it is determined the attack was motivated by Walker’s gender, it’s likely the case would be reviewed by the police’s hate crime co-ordinator, the spokesman said.

Walker said she’s unconcerned whether the man is brought to justice; she’s just confused why he attacked her.

“I’m kind of a hippie, peace-and-love type of person. I honestly wish this person the best of luck. I don’t wish them any ill will at all. If I saw this person get attacked on the bus, I would come to their defence even though they hit me in the face. I’m more interested in clarification than justice,” she said.

Since the assault, Walker has been dealing with victim’s services to get funding for her dentist bills. As of Monday, she’d been told her medical bills probably would be covered.

Winnipeggers who’ve heard the story have also been stepping up.

A dentist approached Walker to say if she can’t get her bills covered, he’ll do the work for free. In addition, a local business owner said he’d pay for all medical bills related to the attack.

Ultimately, Walker hopes, the incident will help lead others to do the right thing when they see someone being bothered and harassed.

“I think more people need to stand up when they see stuff like this happening. There were so many people on the bus bigger and more intimidating looking than me. It’s frustrating more than confusing. People think, ‘It’s not my problem. It doesn’t affect me. I don’t want to deal with this,’” she said.

“I just couldn’t let that happen to someone. I was expecting the drunk guy to maybe hit me. I was willing to take that risk. I’ll gladly take that hit for the sake of defending a woman.”

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca