On May 1, 2010 I was asked to photograph the May Day Rally that took place in downtown Los Angeles. Instead of driving my car or riding my bike, I decided to hop on the Metro for the first time since Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Richard Gylfie accused me of being a terrorist and “in cahoots with Al-qaeda” for taking pictures on the Metro.

Well, when I inserted a $5 bill to purchase a $1.25 pass I was told I would not receive any change. Okay, fine. So I went across the street to CVS, made a purchase, and made sure that I was given exactly $1.25 in change in order to insert $1 and 25 cents in Metro’s ticket machine.

Okay, problem solved, right? No.

When I tried to insert my $1.25, their machines would only accept paper money and would not accept my 25 cent coin, forcing me to pay at least $2.00 for a $1.25 ride.

Now I wonder how much money the Los Angeles Metro stole from its riders that day and have still managed to get away with it.