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HEIL TAXI: Cab Driver Suspended For Wearing Nazi Swastika Armband
By
John Del Signore
Published May 16, 2014
Modified May 16, 2014
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 16, 2014
Modified May 16, 2014
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[UPDATE BELOW] There's a lot we don't know at this hour about the cab driver who was suspended for wearing a Nazi swastika armband. Did customers heiling him with a stiff raised-arm salute get preferential treatment? Was it ever actually good for business? Did he greet fares by welcoming them into "Mein Cabf"? What is clear at this point is that the cabbie has some serious issues, and we need more time to brainstorm better Nazi Cabbie puns. We also know that his deeply offensive choice of attire has cost him his license... for 30 days.
According to a press release from the Anti-Defamation League, the ADL was sent complaints about the driver this month and promptly fired off a letter to the Taxi & Limousine Commission. The TLC then suspended the unidentified driver’s operator’s license for 30 days after he pleaded guilty to violating commission rules.
A TLC spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment—we'll update when we know more. [See below.] But Evan R. Bernstein, ADL New York Regional Director, issued this statement:
We applaud the TLC’s swift investigation and successful prosecution of this outrageous and inflammatory gesture by a taxicab driver. By openly displaying this hate symbol identified with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party while operating a New York City taxicab, the driver sent a frightening and offensive message to New Yorkers about who might be welcome - and unwelcome - in the taxicab he was driving.
In disciplining the driver, the TLC sends a powerful message that such a vehement demonstration of hate is unacceptable, and that there are consequences for those who seek to intimidate others.
We'd like your newly subtitled "anti-Semitic cabbie" parodies of the Hitler Downfall bunker scene by the close of business, please.
Update 3:08 p.m.: Here's the statement from TLC Commissioner Allan Fromberg:
Following a consumer complaint, the TLC investigated allegations that a licensee wearing a swastika armband acted provocatively while in the process of driving a New York City taxicab. The matter was investigated and subsequently suspended the licensee for 30-days, citing TLC rules 54-123(e): §54-12 Comply with Laws - Proper Conduct
(e) Willful Acts of Commission. While performing the duties and responsibilities of a Licensee, a Licensee must not deliberately perform or attempt to perform, alone or with another, any act that is against the best interests of the public, although not specifically mentioned in these rules.
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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