Racism and cabs
On 07/08 I experienced a very frustrating and racist occurrence! I am a 40 year old Black American, Native Coloradan. I was at a LODO lounge and was attempting to “catch” a cab for a ride to a another lounge, about a five - seven minute ride away, to meet up with some more friends for a little birthday celebration. I stepped to the curb and promptly saw three Yellow Cab’s coming down the street! I knew, I could at least have got one their attention? 1st cab: speeds by on the far side of the street.
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I think, not sure, that it is illegal in Denver to flag down a cab...maybe they thought you were undercover...
Posted by Roy on July 16, 2007 02:31 PMIt is illegal to flag down a cab. Due to the upcoming Democratic National Convention Denver is finally addressing the problem. Currently if a cab stops in traffic to pick up a fare they can be fined. Denver's looking at modifying the no stop law to a timed stop law(i.e., 90 seconds) to allow pickup.
Roy may have hit the nail the head and feared you were cop looking to issue a citation. Otherwise, there's no excuse for what you experienced.
Posted by darfor on July 16, 2007 02:37 PMHey Homes, the preferred minorities in Denver, are US Sen. Benedict Arnold Slazar's and Mayor J-Loop's, criminal illegal Mexicans. If you are ever over at the state capitol, please remember that (D-Punjab) Gov. Ritter's favorite illegals, are Hindu-Indians. Ritter has given them sanctuary at Dataman, Inc. in the Denver Techical Center.
Posted by 40acresandmymuleandvetbennies on July 16, 2007 05:52 PMHey Homes, the preferred minorities in Denver, are US Sen. Benedict Arnold Slazar's and Mayor J-Loop's, criminal illegal Mexicans. If you are ever over at the state capitol, please remember that (D-Punjab) Gov. Ritter's and Hillary Clinton's favorite illegals, are Hindu-Indians. Ritter and Clinton has given them sanctuary at Dataman, Inc. in the Denver Techical Center. Hopefully, these traitors, treasoners, and bigots don't invade your church during the '08' DNC convention.
Posted by 40acresandmymuleandvetbennies on July 16, 2007 05:54 PM"All three cabbies were dark skinned and most likely from another part of the world."
1) You mean a dark-skinned man was the victim of racism from other dark-skinned men?
2) Why do you say they are most likely from another country? Are you making a judgment based on their appearance?
It was wrong for you to have been passed by. But, is it possible the issue goes deeper than pure racism. For example, you looked at dark-skinned cabbies and thought they were racists from another country. What do you think they thought when they looked at you?
Posted by John II on July 16, 2007 05:57 PMFor what it's worth, I once called Freedom Cab company for a taxi. I gave them my address in the capitol hill/Botanic Gardens neighborhood and the dispatcher said they don't do pick ups in that neighborhood "because it's
dangerous, isn't it".
To my knowledge, Freedom Cabs is a company owned and operated by African Americans.
They did eventually pick me up after I convinced them that my neighborhood was as safe as any other. I feel safer walking around capitol hill than I do in any of the suburbs.
It just seemed odd that a company owned by african americans would be practicing profiling.
Posted by on July 16, 2007 06:31 PMHmmm...didn't know you can't flag down a cab.Apparently Jason didn't either.Well,when your forebears going back some fifteen generations had to say "yassuh,boss" and "sho thing,boss",it's hard not to take it personally when you see something that looks even a little racist.We will all be paying this price for a long time,maybe another fifteen generations.Too bad.
Posted by Jimminy on July 16, 2007 06:42 PMIf flagging down a cab is against the law, I've broken it and so have the cabbies who stopped.
There is seriously a law against this?? That makes no sense....
Posted by mytwosense on July 16, 2007 11:00 PMIt looks like the law was changed on July 10th of this year to allow taxis to stop at the side of the road for 90 seconds, previous to that it was illegal outright...it is ordinance #325, which is an amendment to Section 54-160 of chapter 54 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code, and can be found on denvergov.org...
Posted by Roy on July 17, 2007 12:20 AMGive me a break people! Have you not heard the news? You can't hail a cab in Denver. That is not until the DNC came to town. Now it's suddenly wonderland. Hail a cab, no homeless, no gangs, no protesters, no illegals. It's wonderland. La la la la la. Please give me whatever they are on. I need it. Seriously I do! Please!
Posted by on July 17, 2007 02:45 AMThere is a difference in cabs in that some are company owned thereby making them subject to the company"s policy regarding picking up fares and stoping for a hail for a cab on the street and based on location and time of night. On the other hand, some cabs are privately owned leaving the decision to the driver.
In the first case, it may or may not be a case of bias or, may or may not be a safety issue, based on the company's track record of incidents in a particular area. In the second, a pivately owned cab driver, even though he's loosley contracted to a cab company, has the legal right to make pick ups off the street when, where and at what time he choses.
It must be remembered that no cab company is owned by the government and therefor is not subject, in the most part, to the governmental regulations that apply to public transportation.
There are many cab companies in many cities that will not only not pick up a hail in some parts of town, they won't even go to that area on a call because of a proven record of being put in danger of being robbed or worse.
This is just a fact of life of the times we live in. It is not race that makes the difference, It's the drugs, and gangs that tend to exists in these areas.. Sorry to say and no bigotry meant but, most of these gangs are made up of and founded by minority people in poorer parts of towns or in high racialy based population areas. It is a tragedy that the good people in these areas have to suffer the consequences of the actions of a few malcontents but, is it right to require cab drivers to go to or pick up hailers when there is a record of violence against them?
Posted by Allen Campbell on July 17, 2007 04:46 AMMr. Cambell,
Good points. Way to tip-toe through the racist minefield. The left has really put the fear of God into people these days. Intelligent people are now reduced to uttering child-like descriptions of people such as calling hispanics and blacks "minority people".
And what is a "high racially based population" area? That one cracks me up. It doesn't even make sense. The fear of the left's racist accusation is palpable in your words.
Don't get me wrong, you're point was understood and I agree with it. As I realized what point you were about to make, I became curious as to how you would deliver it. Your penultimate point about a "few malcontents" was a nice touch.
Posted by John II on July 17, 2007 08:47 AMget over the racism b.s. if things don't go your way, you cry racism. you are a racist. pig
Posted by on July 17, 2007 09:48 AMget over the racism b.s. if things don't go your way, you cry racism. you are a racist. pig
Posted by on July 17, 2007 09:48 AMJohn11
A high racially based population is a population made up of mostly one race of people. What else could you construe from that? I used the words minority people because it applies to many more racial groups than hispanics and blacks not to escape anything so the word palpable does not apply. I fear not the two primary political parties because they are all so busy gnawing at each other they never notice that the shark of public opinion is circling the both of them.
Posted by Allen Campbell on July 17, 2007 10:46 AM"A high racially based population is a population made up of mostly one race of people."
With all due respect, no it isn't. It doesn't mean anything. But, even if you meant it that way, which race are you claiming is the dominant one in the problem areas? Asians? Whites?
You used the words "minority people" because you did not want to say blacks and Hispanics. You timidness and grammatically nonsensical statements are telling; you must be one of those majority people,
Posted by John II on July 17, 2007 11:19 AM