A White woman in Washington, D.C. was recorded on video committing assault and battery on a Black Uber driver–repeatedly calling him the n-word–apparently over the driver’s refusal to allow her to charge her phone via his car charger.
The incident reportedly took place Wednesday morning in one of D.C.’s nicer neighborhoods, Cathedral Heights located in upper Northwest near the National Cathedral.
Wikileaks describes the neighborhood: “Cathedral Heights is a quiet neighborhood in the shadow of the historic Washington National Cathedral, composed primarily of single-family detached houses and Edwardian row houses, although the Wisconsin Avenue and Cathedral Avenue corridors of Cathedral Heights are lined with apartment buildings, condominiums, and cooperative complexes.”
The video, recorded from an apartment above the street, shows the Black Uber driver standing on the sidewalk on his phone while the agitated White woman gets in his face, a few feet from a car parked at the curb with its door open. The woman repeatedly tells the man she is his boss and calls the man the n-word over and over, eventually slapping him on the arm or hands. The driver argued with the woman, but kept his cool a lot better than others in his situation might have. Several passersby walk right by the incident but said nothing and kept going.
The video was posted to Twitter by the aptly named account Washingtonian Problems on behalf of one of their ‘community members‘, “TRIGGER WARNING: Seen in Cathedral Heights, DC this morning. Apparently this man was her Uber driver and is seen getting verbally and physically assaulted by this woman. She repeatedly hurls racist slurs towards him.”
Uber posted a response, “Behavior like this is never okay. We have a zero tolerance policy for discrimination. If you have more information about the Uber rider or driver please DM us so we can investigate this.”
WTOP-FM/AM reporter Megan Cloherty reported D.C. are aware of the incident but can’t open an investigation until the driver files a complaint, “DC Police says it’s looking to see whether the man she identifies as an Uber driver filed a report. Without a complainant, it can’t investigate.”