Modest hero takes a bow
Published: April 25, 2006
Karen Bass doesn’t think she is a hero.
But Karen Bass is a hero.
If not for the TTC custodian’s keen eye and quick action, who knows where the latest Amber Alert ends up.
This one ended up with a boy being re-united with his mom. Thanks to a hero named Karen Bass.
It all started Saturday when Toronto Police issued the Amber Alert for missing 4-year-old De-Jon Madurie.
“I don’t usually watch the news,” Karen said in an interview last night. “I just happened to see it flashing.”
She made note of the appearance of the boy and of the description of an alleged female abductor and then went back to focusing on her own 23-month-old son.
But as a mom, she went to bed that night thinking about that poor mother who was on the search for her little boy — never realizing she’d ever play a role in finding him.
SOMETHING PECULIAR
“I was thinking, ‘How can this happen?’ I would never want it to happen to me.”
The next day she’s working at her job at the Wilson subway station when she spots something peculiar about a woman and a boy.
“I noticed she had given him something and he wouldn’t take it,” she said. “I said to the boy, ‘Why don’t you take your medicine?’ ”
The boy looked up at her with a scared look. Shivers went up and down her spine.
“The first thing I saw was his eyes,” she said. “I said to myself ‘That’s the kid.’ ”
There was something about his body language. “He kept looking at me as if he was saying, ‘Please rescue me.’ ”
Although nervous, Bass quickly turned her attention to the woman.
“She had her head down. I knew something was wrong and that she wasn’t the mother. She fit the description I saw on the TV,” Karen said. “I thought I better do something.”
She quietly but quickly made her way to the maintenance room and called TTC control.
“I told them there was something suspicious,” she said.
Then she went back to keep an eye on the woman and the boy.
“I saw him being administered something pinkish,” she said. “He was resistant in taking it. I was scared it was something poison.”
The police were there within minutes.
“I realized when the police approached her and she gave them attitude that it was not right,” she said.
She was “stressed” but Bass breathed a huge sigh of relief, knowing the boy was uninjured and would be okay.
Ironically, according to her union representatives, Karen could actually be out of a job if the TTC moves ahead with plans to eliminate the day janitorial shift and create a superclean operation overnight.
“I shiver at the thought of what might have happened had she not been there,” said Bob Kinnear, president of the 8,500-member Transit Workers’ Union, Local 113. “These employees are the eyes and ears down there. They do a lot of things and I am not sure the TTC can put a price tag on that.”
Kinnear said that “just two months ago” the very scenario of what happened with Karen helping locate a missing person was raised with TTC brass.
“This time they got a two for one. She did her job and she (helped save a child). Let’s hope this incident finally wakes the TTC up to the fact that the janitors do more than keep the stations clean during the day. They also assist transit users and have, on more occasions than the public realizes, stopped or reported crimes in progress.”
HONOURED
The TTC did say they’ll honour Bass and that boss Rick Ducharme was to make a congratulatory call to her yesterday.
Meanwhile, her colleagues are thrilled.
“We are so proud of her,” said Local 113 executive Bill Chrisp.”It’s an amazing story.”
It would be awful, though, if the eight-year veteran, who came to Canada from St. Kitts 16 years ago, ended up on the unemployment line. Bass admitted she too is concerned.
“I am worried somewhat,” she said, adding even if seniority keeps her on, she’s not in a position to work overnight.
“I am a single mother,” she said.
Hopefully, somebody can look into this and ensure this doesn’t happen. It would be no way to treat a hero.
As for the media attention and all the accolades, Bass said she is uncomfortable with it.
“It’s the first time I have ever faced this,” she said.
As for helping find the child, “I do feel good about it,” she said. “It’s a human life but I do not feel I am a hero.”
All the real heroes say that.
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