NEW YORK—Taxi drivers, community leaders, and elected official protested in front of City Hall on Wednesday a call to racially profile Hispanic and African-American passengers.
Following the shooting of a taxi driver last Friday, Fernando Mateo, president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers and the Hispanics Across America, suggested in a televised debate that taxi drivers should racially profile passengers before letting them in the cab.
“We are asking Hispanic and African American drivers to racially profile their Hispanic and African American passengers,” Mateo said in the debate that aired on Fox 5 News, the video of which is available on the network's website.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, those who are robbing you, assaulting you and killing you are our own people—Hispanics and blacks,” he added.
Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said that the statement made by Mateo diverts pubic attention from the real taxi driver safety issue to racial issues.
“We need real protection,” she said.
According to Desai, taxi drivers are 30 times more likely to be killed on the job than any other profession. This is due to the isolation during work, hate crimes, and robbery, she said, adding that the reasons for attacks vary and are not related to only one race.
Desai said that Mateo's remarks are also insulting to the taxi drivers themselves.
“Look at who drives [the] cabs. We are the same skin color as the people he [Mateo] is discriminating against. You don't stop being a person of color when you get in the taxi,” she said.
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which represents more than 11,000 taxi drivers in New York City, aims to advocate for the drivers' rights and the structural change of the taxi industry, according to the organization's website.
“Racism is not the answer to crime,” said City Councilman Charles Barron at the press briefing.
The way to reduce crime, according to Barron, is to invest in schools, education, and community culture centers.
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez also attended the press conference to show his support for the taxi drivers.
Baresford Simmons, who has driven a cab for over 40 years, said that taxi drivers have ways to protect themselves and that profiling is not the answer for dealing with violence. Taxi drivers are taught how to engage passengers and identify worrisome signs, and they know where the local police precincts are, he said.
“This is ridiculous,” said Simmons, adding that he would be concerned about getting profiled himself should he ever need a cab.
