WUSA 9 runs a three-week-long test to see if cab drivers in Washington, D.C., show discrimination towards black people, and what they caught on camera is shocking.
In Avenue Q‘s song “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” the Gary Coleman character jokes, “I can’t even get a taxi!”
In Washington, D.C., that’s a phrase I wouldn’t be surprised to hear.
WUSA 9 took three weeks of footage in downtown D.C. as they ran an experiment to see if cabs would discriminate against black passengers. They had team members, volunteers, and strangers alike help out, putting people of both races on the same block to see which the cabs would pick up.
The hidden camera investigation revealed that black people are 25-percent less likely to be picked up by a taxi than white people. In some cases, black people would have to wait over 15 minutes for a cab while a white person would wait as little as 15 seconds. The numbers, while disheartening, are not the most shocking part of the study.
Being ignored by a taxi was the smallest problem black people endured. Some cabs would pull over for them but refuse service. Some even accepted a black passenger, only to demand they get out immediately.
On the other hand, cabs would literally do U-turns in the middle of the road to pick up a white fare.
Anyone from a major city will tell you that this problem is not limited to our nation’s capitol. In every state, there is a stigma attached to black people hailing cabs, and it affects even black cab drivers. Many drivers will make excuses about their physical safety, or, like the ones in the video, claim ignorance: “I didn’t see him! I swear I didn’t see him!” But whatever the reason, black passengers are still left on the curb far more often and for far longer than white ones.
Video: ThinkProgress TP/YouTube
Photo: Ben Fredericson/Flickr
