Al Roker, like so many other black people in New York City, has beef with a New York City taxi driver who snubbed him last weekend. Roker says that the driver bypassed him to pick up a white customer, and now the taxi driver is speaking out.
Mahabur Rahman is facing up to $1,350 in fines from the city’s Taxi & Limousine Commission because of Roker’s complaint, but he says it was a misunderstanding. Rahman says it was a simple mistake.
“I tell you honestly, I didn’t see him,” Rahman told the New York Daily News.
“It’s a misunderstanding. Maybe he saw me and I didn’t see him. How I refuse him?” he added. “Anybody would pick him. He looks like a gentleman. That’s our business. If you ride with my car, you’re going to make the money.”
But this isn’t the first complaint filed against the Bangladeshi driver. According to the TLC, Rahman was fined for a similar incident in May and had to pay $200. Because this is his second incident, he now faces a $1,000 fine and a possible 30-day suspension of his license if found guilty. Additional charges include penalties between $150 and $350 if his case goes to trial.
Roker stated that the incident was a lesson in racism for his son.