Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images White Passenger Calls Cops On Black Lyft Driver For “Racial Profiling” A Trump supporter berated his Lyft driver with the N word, and has since been fired from his job after a video of the harassment went completely viral. Buckle your seatbelts for this one, y’all…. The Lyft driver, Shawn Pepas Lettman, calmly filmed the 16-minute lashing out by passenger Robert Ortiz and his two friends, who called the New York City Police after Lettman refused to turn on the radio. “I feel racially profiled … because I’m not black,” Ortiz told the 911 operator. He later adds, “If this guy does anything to threaten my life, I have to defend myself. … I’m a little fearful.” The passenger then proceeds to get the phone with Lyft. “Maybe because I’m not black … I was charged $8.01 for just asking for music,” said Ortiz, while threatening to file a lawsuit against the company. “I came out of a gay club and your driver is racist against gay people,” Ortiz rants, adding, “I know my legal rights as an American citizen that voted for Trump…” Ortiz also calls the Lyft operator, “a piece of s***.” In another video call to a friend, Ortiz uses the N word multiple times to describe Lettman. Ortiz then accuses Lettman of illegally filming him and says, “So, I’m going to make sure, while you’re recording this, that you never have a job as a Lyft driver again.” When the driver finally speaks, he points to a sign in his car that states passengers will be recorded, to which Ortiz threatens to “make your night a living hell.” Ortiz continues to dig himself into a deeper hole, yelling about, “All that Black Lives Matter is bulls***.” He calls the police again while refusing to leave the car. “I bet you if I was black — and Black Lives Matter,” he spits, “he would have put the music on. F*** Black Lives Matter — every life matters … all I asked for was music.” Following their publishing of the story, a representative from Lyft sent a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle : “The behavior exhibited in the video is deeply concerning. Lyft is committed to maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community and discriminatory behavior is unacceptable. We temporarily deactivated both passenger and driver accounts while we investigated the situation. After reviewing all sides, we reactivated Mr. Lettman’s account within hours and permanently disabled the passenger account. We have also reached out to Mr. Lettman to express our support.” Lettman explained that after he stopped recording, he called the police in fear of his own safety. “I didn’t ask for this nor did I want this,” he wrote. “I know America is better than this and despite the hate, we have to deal with from a few, my heart tells me, the world is mostly good.” On Thursday, Ortiz’s former employer, medical clinic CityMD, wrote in a Facebook comment , “This is to confirm that this individual was terminated and is no longer employed by or affiliated with CityMD in any capacity.” You can watch the video from the absolutely insane incident below.
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He TRIED It: Trump Supporter Calls 911 On Black Lyft Driver For Not Turning On The Radio
