Amtrak told Sherrilyn Ifill to move seats on MLK Day Weekend

Amtrak conductor tried to force NAACP Legal Defense Fund exec to give up her seat

Published Jan. 18, 2020

Updated Jan. 22, 2020, 11:48 a.m. ET

An insensitive Amtrak conductor tried to boot Sherrilyn Ifill, the director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, from her seat on a Baltimore-bound train she boarding in Washington, D.C., Friday evening — the start of the Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend — despite having no discernible reason.

Thankfully, Ifill tweeted the whole story.

.@Amtrak I’m being asked to leave my seat on train 80 which I just boarded in D.C. There are no assigned seats on this train. The conductor has asked me to leave my seat because she has”other people coming who she wants to give this seat.” Can you please explain?

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) January 17, 2020

@Amtrak update. I will preface this by saying that I love Amtrak. I am a regular customer. I returned to Amtrak even after suffering a concussion and broken collarbone in the Philadelphia derailment of 188 in 2015. So this incident will not sour me on using this impt public rail. https://t.co/fCtXIMqXMd

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) January 17, 2020

But this was truly bizarre. I left the train at Baltimore and called over the lead conductor and the agent/conductor who attempted to remove me from my seat. I laid it out. She mow said “she wanted to keep empty seats at the front.” Me: “oh so there were no “special passengers.”

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) January 17, 2020

I laid out the facts and made clear that I know thst it is absolutely contrary to policy and unacceptable to pick one passenger from an unassigned seat and demand she move. Lead conductor (man) just has his mouth open. The woman agent/conductor now drops her head.

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) January 17, 2020

At the point I said I was getting off in Baltimore – the next stop is on the train – she should have known that she had totally screwed up and apologized. Instead “follow me. I’ve found a seat for you.” Lead conductor admits he has no explanation and apologizes. I get his name.

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) January 17, 2020

She is looking frankly, unwell. I will deal officially with @Amtrak on Monday which, up to this moment still has not DM’d me or responded. So, that’s actually my concern at this point.

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) January 17, 2020

What really disturbs me is how someone with this authority can just entirely make up something so ridiculous and approach a customer in this way. I did wonder when she was carrying on – how far will I take this? And the immediate answer in my mind was “all the way.”

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) January 17, 2020

Amtrak ultimately issued a public apology and said it was investigating the incident — but it still left a bitter taste in Ifill’s mouth.

I am colossally disappointed in @Amtrak for both this incident & the way it was handled. But this is emblematic of how companies so often fail in this space.I will submit a more formal complaint & closely monitor the review of this incident & of the conduct of the employees.

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) January 18, 2020