R.I.P. KOS

As year-end statistics point toward a significant jump in vandalized trains, graffiti arrests and budgetary spending on cleanup, the first week of 007 has tallied a single grim statistic which reminds us of the real risks faced by writers of all stripes from every neighborhood.

13 year-old Ari Kraft, aka KOS, from Rego Park, Queens lost his young life on Friday afternoon when a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) commuter train struck him as he ran across the tracks. Reportedly, KOS had just tagged a box containing signal equipment and was heading home.

Generally, the LIRR trains come on a very fixed schedule, and are detectable from longer distances, because they run on a mostly outdoor stretch of track. But LIRR trains also travel at much faster speeds than city subway lines, and are also much quieter, and …