Al Roker, the "Today" show's iconic weatherman, said he filed a complaint after "getting passed up again" by an NYC taxicab, something he believes was racially motivated.
“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?" Roker, who is black, wrote on Twitter around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday,
the New York Daily News reported.
"This happens to folks of color every day. And while most cabbies do their job, there are those ignorant, racist ones who hurt the others . . . What really hurts, my 13 yr. old boy was with me and asked why the cabbie passed us. I said, 'Nick, ignorant people make dumb choices.'"
Roker, 61, said he hopes the Taxi and Limousine Commission "weeds out the bad apples."
After some on Twitter questioned whether Roker's experience was verifiably one involving racial prejudice, Roker offered details.
"[H]e pulled up, I reached for the door, took off and went for the guy a block away. He saw me and took off for another fare."
Meera Joshi, chair of the commission, responded to the complaint, saying, "Service refusal goes to the core of the taxi industry's social contract with the riding public and it will not be tolerated. We're grateful that Mr. Roker took the time to file a complaint, and I can assure him that we will investigate this thoroughly and take every appropriate action."
New York law prohibits yellow cab drivers from discriminating against a potential passenger "because of race, disability, or destination within New York City."
Some complaints to the commission result in hearings, but not all.
Several of Roker's Twitter followers voiced support, and some said they'd experienced the same discrimination.
In her own response to Roker's posts, model Chrissy Teigen attempted to lighten the mood with a joke.
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