Photo courtesy of WTOP
LISTEN TO THE RALLY AT THE WILSON BUILDING
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John Ray, a lobbyist and former D.C. councilmember, does not represent the interests of D.C. taxicab drivers. And he’s clear on that. Sort of.
Standing in front of the John A. Wilson Building on Wednesday, Ray told taxicab drivers, “I’m not a member of the city Council. Mr. Barry, Mr. Brown, all the members of the city Council, they are the people who are elected to represent your interests and everybody else. I’m not trying to represent the interests of everybody.”
Ray’s comments came directly following a press conference put on by the group he represents, the so-called “Taxicab Drivers/Owners & Fleet Owners Coalition.”
In a phone conversation on Thursday, in response to TheFightBack’s initial question regarding how much he was being paid, Ray said, “Why the hell do you keep asking this… It’s none of your business how much I get paid by the hour.”
The subject of Wednesday’s press conference was the recently introduced taxicab medallion legislation, which Ray “played a big role in writing.”
Taxicab drivers turned out in large numbers despite being given little if any notice. The sentiment of the drivers was unmistakable: they were overwhelmingly opposed to the medallion legislation.
Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry and At-large Councilmember Michael Brown introduced the legislation, and Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander co-sponsored it.
D.C.’s taxicab industry is unique in that it has many independent owner/operators, small companies and associations. The introduction of medallions could quickly lead to a consolidation of the market, as has happened in city after city.
Wednesday, supporters of the medallion legislation worked hard to pit drivers against one another: old drivers vs. new ones; drivers who live in the District vs. those who don’t.
But the most appalling aspect of the press conference was former Mayor Marion Barry’s remarks. He began by saying, “You cab drivers are the hardest working people in this city, right?” He said, “You know I’ve been with you, don’t you? And I’m still with you.”
But Barry’s comments turned ugly, and xenophobic. He said to drivers, many of whom are originally from a country other than the U.S., “For those of you who are not from America, we welcome you, but we do things just a little bit differently here in Washington. That’s all. We have disagreements without attacking anybody. We have disagreements without shouting down anybody. That’s how we do it, right? And it works that way.”
When challenged by drivers, Barry said, “Wait a minute. I’m telling you how we do it here, now. Y’all do [it] the way you want to do it, and [you’ll] get nothing from it.” He said, “We’re not going to make an ass of ourselves out here in public. Everybody get that?” Barry said, “Not in America [are] we doing that… We’re not going to look like fools out here.”
Before Barry spoke, Ray kicked off the press conference. In concluding his statement, he shouted at the drivers, “No, shame on you!”
Saeed Alimoradi, owner of Hilltop Cab Company, is a member of the so-called “Taxicab Drivers/Owners & Fleet Owners Coalition.” Wednesday, sensing the overwhelming opposition to the medallion legislation, Alimoradi departed from his prepared remarks and said, “A lot of you guys know me. Listen, if the cab drivers are not happy, I’m not going to be happy. My income comes through the cab drivers.”
Shortly before Ray departed, a driver said to him, “You are for monopolization. You are for unemployment… If you’re trying to put [us onto] the street, our kids will be hungry.”
* Correction: Originally this piece was entitled “Racism and Taxicab Medallions,” and it described Councilmember Barry’s comments as racist. “Xenophobic” is a more accurate description.