Al Roker is an accomplished weatherman, author, philanthropist and too many other adjectives that can fit here that warrant his international fame. Nevertheless, that’s not enough for the Black man to get curved by a yellow cab in NYC in favor a white guy.
Roker revealed that he and his son were discriminated against while trying to hail a cab in NYC. Rather than just shaking his fists in disgust, he filed a complaint with the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC).
“Filed a complaint today after getting passed up again by a NYC Yellow cab. Cabbie picked up a white guy a block away. Wonder why Uber wins?,” he tweeted.
It’s this type of treatment that has us playing the smallest violin possible when the TLC, who is suing Uber, is b*tching and moaning. about the rise of Uber.
Also, if you think Roker was making it up, the cabbie he complained about has done it before.
The New York Daily News reports that Mahabur Rahman settled a similar allegation in this past May for $200.
With Roker’s complaint in the TLC’s hands, the agency on Monday mailed Rahman a plea offer — cop to the refusal of service charge and pay a $500 fine.
Rahman, who’s been a taxi driver since July 2014, could not be reached for comment.
With Rahman facing a second service refusal charge in less than two years, the cabbie could be hit with a $1,000 fine and a potential 30-day suspension of his license, if found guilty. If the case goes to trial, Rahman would also face a separate charge of taking an “action against the public interest,” which carries a fine between $150 and $350.
It’s time for more Black people—or any person of color who potentially was refused service because of their skin—to start complaining and documenting this treatment. We’re willing to bet the vast majority of these racist incidents go unreported.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
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Photo: WENN.com
