A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officer was filmed detaining, and subsequently arresting, a black man for eating a sandwich on the subway platform on November 4. Steve Foster of Concord has been identified as the man arrested.

According to CBS San Francisco, there were visible signs on the platform alerting passengers of the no eating or drinking policy past fare gates. Despite this, the majority of riders who were questioned by the CBS affiliate agreed the officer should have used better discretion in handling the situation. 

“[BART police] need to be looking out for the real bad guys, the people that are hurting people,” said BART rider Susan Rasmussen to CBS. “I’ve been taking BART for the last ten years and there are much more important things to worry about.”

Riders gathered Saturday for an eat-in protest at the Pleasant Hill stop where the man was detained. Foster also shared his feelings following the encounter to CBS. 

"I'm definitely upset, mad, a little frustrated and angry about it," Foster said.

Despite the defense from BART, those who came out in protest recognized a clear understanding of the issue at play. 

"My first political awakening was back at a lunch counter in the '60s, now we're back to 'eat-ins," said John Reimann from Oakland to ABC7. "To me, I have no doubt this guy was treated differently because he is a young black man."

Officials for BART have stated that video from the incident will be reviewed by independent officers. 

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