I work at a small museum in the downtown area of San Diego. On Sunday August 9 a man was sitting at the bus stop on Market Street at 6th. One witness said he was drinking a beer. Several witnesses saw the man die. He was electrocuted to death by the bus bench. The sd union-tribune had a quote that "5000 volts" of electricity were somehow channeled into the metal bench by a short circuit. The electric chair only uses 2000 volts to execute capital punishment. Witnesses said that smoke came out of the man's orifice's and that his hair caught fire. There are 400+ bus stops like this one in san diego. The city has promised investigations.

Speculation: Suppose the man who died was homeless or an undocumented immigrant and nobody files a law suit (they aren't releasing his identity "until they notify the family.") That could mean no real investigation. No action and perhaps more deaths. The media has been vigilant (front page, and tv remote broadcast from the scene even two days later)  but as I came to work downtown (on the bus) this morning there were people defying death on every bus bench. Suppose the company who installed the bus stops skimped on the wiring??? An electrician was quoted in the tribune article as saying $50 worth of parts could have prevented this. Not much until you times it by 400. Get your bean counter out. Who rides the bus in sd? Poor people, old people, kids, some low end working class, and the homeless. Is a man's miserable life worth 20K? Will this be the first in a series of memorial bus benches? Or will the transit authority simply relocate the bus stop and pretend nothing every happened?

Crackpot speculation: Let's say this bus stop was rigged to kill. A test by the CIA or even the Metropolitan Transit District to get rid of the homeless.

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This report was sponsored by San Diego's Museum of Death