Transit activists pushing city officials to put up benches at bus stops across the East Bay
When Darrell Owens and Mingwei Samuel noticed there were no benches at many bus stops across the East Bay, instead of sitting on their hands, they decided to take a stand.
"It's easy to feel helpless in the world with all the stuff that's going on, and this is just a way to make the world a better place," Samuel said.
Over the last three months, they've become known as the Bench Guys, pulling up to bus stops and installing their own hand-crafted creations.
"We weren't looking for any fame or glory or anything like that, our goal is just to give people a place to sit," Owens said
It all started when one of their neighbors, who just got out of surgery, was forced to sit on the curb because there was no bench at the bus stop.
That's when Owens and Samuel took matters into their own hands, learning how to build a bench on YouTube, and even making sure they're compliant with city disability regulations.
Since then, they've been driving around the East Bay, making mental notes of bench-less bus stops. On a particular dreary morning in March, they were headed to the intersection of Sacramento and Virginia streets right by the North Berkeley BART station.
"Their goal, they said, wasn't to provide the city with free seating. But to get them "to actually care about their bus riders and put these benches out" themselves.
And while it may seem like an exercise in futility, they're already getting a sitting ovation from both city and transit officials. In fact, their project has already pushed Berkeley to swap one of their benches for an official city bench.
Jean Walsh, an AC Transit board member said, this quirky campaign is forcing officials to find a solution to this deep-seated issue.
"So many of our problems are hard to solve, they're complex, they're costly, they're really difficult. Putting benches at bus stops isn't one of them. So, I'm really grateful for this action because it has sparked a conversation," she said.
Councilmember Terry Taplin, who represents West and Southwest Berkeley, called these intrepid activists "brilliant," but said "this is the kind of things cities should be doing," without regular citizens "taking things into their own hands."
So far Owens and Samuel installed a total of 23 benches across the East Bay. They plan to build more in the near future.
At the end of a long day, Owens and Samuel headed home, having put officials in the hot seat while paving the way for more benches across the Bay.
"I love just sitting on it and taking a little break and then going about your day after," Samuel said.