A New York City yellow-taxi driver was hit with a $25,000 penalty after refusing to pick up a black family but then picking up two white passengers shortly after, according to DNAinfo New York.
The cabdriver, Baqir Raza, reportedly told Cynthia Jordan and her two daughters that he was off-duty when they tried to hail him down outside Macy’s in midtown Manhattan in late 2013. Raza then proceeded to lock the doors of the vehicle to stop the family from getting in.
The cabdriver then drove about 25 feet away from Jordan and her family and stopped to pick up two white women.
“Upon seeing what was transpiring, Ms. Jordan ran up to the cab and exclaimed, ‘Are you kidding me? You picked up these two … white bitches … instead of me and my family. I’m gonna report you,” city administrative Judge Raymond Kramer wrote in his decision.
Kramer ordered Raza to pay $10,000 in compensation to Jordan, a vice president at a stock-transfer firm, in addition to a $15,000 fine.
“I’m happy for the judgment,” the 57-year-old, who says she routinely faces this type of discrimination, told DNAinfo. “Hopefully someone will hear about this and it will affect the way taxi drivers pick up fares in New York.
“I’m always out with my young daughter trying to grab a cab,” Jordan added. “There is nothing threatening about us, and you should see how many people drive right past us.”
Raza also ended up paying a $200 fine to the Taxi and Limousine Commission in November 2013 after he pleaded guilty to his violation. The commission still has to approve the judge’s recommendation for the additional $25,000 penalty, according to the news site.
Read more at DNAinfo New York.