Anger over author’s critical post of worker eating on train
WASHINGTON — A writer on the verge of releasing her debut novel is facing a backlash after she posted a picture on Twitter of a public transit worker eating on a train and reported details about the woman to her bosses.
Natasha Tynes apologized a day later on Twitter and deleted her post before making her account private, but the publishing house distributing her novel dropped her and her publisher delayed the planned release of the book.
The response to Friday’s post was almost immediate, with people upset that Tynes, who is Jordanian American and has called herself a “minority writer,” would shame a black woman and possibly cause her to lose her job.
Tynes’ post showed the woman in her work uniform eating on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority train. The authority doesn’t allow drinking or eating on its trains and buses, although officials on Wednesday had advised police officers to stop issuing tickets for those violations.