A video of a woman repeatedly directing a racist slur at her Uber driver in a Washington, D.C. neighborhood has residents sounding off after the clip was posted to social media.
The cellphone footage was captured on Wednesday morning from an apartment window in Cathedral Heights.
In it, a white woman on the street below repeatedly insults her Uber driver, who is Black, as he stands in front of her. The woman uses profanity and slurs, and at one point tells the man, “I’m your boss, get out of my face!”
The woman who shot the video, Alex, told News4 the tirade happened in front of her building on Wisconsin Avenue near the National Cathedral. D.C. police said officers responded to the scene and spoke to the driver, but he did not file a report.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
The video does not show what let to the confrontation, but Alex said the Uber driver told her that the passenger wanted to use a phone charger, and when she couldn't, she became angry. He pulled over and ended the trip, and that’s when things escalated.
“I mean I wanted to make sure that this guy was safe and I think it’s important to capture when people are acting that way and honestly to check others,” Alex said.
No one was hurt, but the woman can be seen hitting the man before taking off.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
The offensive video had folks in the quiet neighborhood fuming.
“We don’t know what happened before that, but it doesn't matter. There is no call for any racism whatsoever,” Steve Mason, who lives nearby, said. “[It’s] totally shocking and sad.”
News4 has not been able to confirm the identity of the woman in the video.
Neighbors like Jennifer Hightower said the clip confirms her concerns about the area.
“She [said] you’re a slave, I’m your boss. Like it just speaks to the fact that in 2022, we have so much more work to do,” Hightower said. “I’m outraged and honestly, I come from Southeast… and it honestly speaks to why a lot of people who look like me don’t want to move into this area.”
In a comment under the video, Uber said they have a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, and asked for more information about the rider and driver.
“It’s outrageous. I don't know where she works at or who she is, [but] she needs to be fired. It’s definitely not giving,” Hightower said.
