The death of Margaret Swan mirrors the death of Iryna Zarutska. Although Swan is much older and also black rather than white, otherwise the murders are uncannily alike and equally chilling. We know even less about the perpetrator in Swan’s stabbing, but he is also a black man who suddenly, and with no provocation whatsoever, viciously stabbed a woman to death in front of a bunch of train
passengers who didn’t intervene.

Whatever delusions or triggered grievances were sparked by the mere sight of such women, the acts are consummately evil.

This is what surveillance video shows:

Security footage shows [66-year-old] Swan sitting alone inside MARTA train car 134 around 11:25 a.m. on Saturday, according to an arrest warrant.

The warrant states [25-year-old homeless man] Matthews walked up to stand near her right side, pulled a knife out of his front pants pocket, grabbed Swan by her head, and cut her throat.

Swan screamed and attempted to rise from her seat before Matthews grabbed her right arm and stabbed her roughly 18 to 20 times in an unprovoked attack.

Matthews then threw Swan to the floor and stood beside her until the northbound train pulled into the Oakland City Station at approximately 11:27 a.m.

There were many witnesses were able to furnish an almost immediate description of the murderer, which enabled police to catch him quickly. He had gotten off the train at the next stop but was still in the station, still holding the bloody knife and dressed in his bloody clothing. But that quickness on the part of the police didn’t help Margaret Swan.

This decision seems to have been a factor:

Swan’s devastated daughter Shanae Sams told The Post on Monday, ripping local officials over the temporary decision to allow free access to MARTA during systemwide renovations for the FIFA World Cup.

In other words, the MARTA system became a haven for homeless people and others with little or no money, such as Matthews.

One of the comments at the NY Post goes like this:

I expect to see every member of the clergy, celebrities, politicians, athletes and BLM members who showed up for the optics of supporting George Floyd at his THREE funerals to be in attendance for this poor lady. If the crime doesn’t fit the narrative, there’s not an activist in sight. Sincere condolences and Godspeed to the family.

Although this attack occurred last Saturday, we still know nothing about Matthews’ life or record, other than that he was homeless. Why have we been told so little?

As for non-intervening bystanders, I don’t judge them too harshly at this point. We don’t know how many people were on the train, or who they were. If it was just a few, and mostly women or the elderly, were they supposed to confront a knife-wielding maniac? I doubt I would have done a thing. Was anyone armed with a gun, which is legal in Atlanta? I have no idea. Were they afraid of a Daniel Penny type of situation, in which a Good Samaritan was criminally tried? I also call your attention to this article analyzing the Zarutska murder and why bystanders did nothing in time.

RIP Margaret Swan.