GREEN IS THE COLOUR

RACIAL OR RACIST PROFILING?

There has been wide speculation and varied reactions to fighting which broke out between Somali and non Somali drivers at Heathrow airport, on Christmas Day.

The question of whether or not some Somali drivers are Yellow Badge holders, has been brewing for some time.

Now drivers are being tagged 'racist' for bringing the subject of suspicious goings-on, to the attention of the authorities.

Sometimes people confuse a racial comment with a racist one.

Tagging your protagonist 'racist' is a weapon used in abundance, since Labour scared the bejesus out of the Tories, for playing the immigration card, during the 1997 election.

Remainers use it to demonise Brexiters.

The misuse of 'racist' tagging, is the new authoritarian gagging order.

I believe we are all racist, sexist, and autistic; it is just a matter of degree.

The fear of being 'tagged' is what allowed Rotherham, Rochdale, minicab rape, unsustainable mass immigration, etc., to happen.

True racism is born through fear and ignorance. Both can be reversed with positive education.

I remember a friend of mine pulling the race card on me in St George's shelter one day.

Lester, who is black by the way, was losing an argument and said "Well Lenny, I didn't realise you were a racist."

He thought that would put me on the back foot and expected me to defend myself. He'd obviously used that tactic before.

I replied "Like I give a fuck what you think."

Disarmed, Lester continued our discussion on an equal footing.

I cannot remember the specifics of our debate, or if anything was achieved, but I know he appreciated my honesty.

The truth can be both hurtful and emancipating, but it cannot be racist or sexist or any other 'ist'. Sometimes something is best left unsaid, for reasons of tact and diplomacy.

Lester stood up in my absence and steadfastly defended me once. He shut an entire shelter up in my defence.

He's retired now. And I miss his humour.

He was one of the least racist man I ever met. But he was astute enough to understand 'racist tagging' and its power.

My philosophy is, refuse to acknowledge any tag someone tries to attach to you; they are only trying to deflect your argument.

We all know real racism, institutionalised racism and passive racism exists. Just nip the ugly thing in the bud.

But crying 'wolf' and tagging someone a racist because you have no answer to their argument is in itself racist and dilutes the fight against real racism.

People I never considered overtly bigoted, had seizures when a Muslim was appointed Mayor of London.

Khan may or may not be up to the task, but his religious beliefs are not a problem.

I remember a cabbie known as 'Jewish Dave'. Ironically there was no other Dave who frequented the shelter.

That is what I call 'innocent bigotry'.

We are all guilty of some form of bigotry, but I judge by intent. Malice is what I base my judgements upon.

We must not let the fear of tagging get in the way of real debate and concerns.

As for Heathrow; it is not about the colour of their skin, but the colour of their badge.

I'll end with this:
If someone starts a sentence with "I'm not racist, but ..." They are most likely racist. They just don't know it.

A SYMPATHETIC EAR

THERE ARE NO VICTIMLESS CRIMES

Base jumpers know the risk. Uber users do not.

I know many Taxi drivers feel they are on the brink of an abyss; especially at this time of year. But let us not become like Uber executives and blame the victims.

At the moment Uber are trying to apportion part of the blame for physical and sexual assault onto the victim. The victim may have flirted or wore provocative clothing, or puked in the car. None of which are grounds to get physical with the passenger.

Being part of the Gold Standard carries huge responsibility.

Let us not lower ourselves to Uber's level.

Very few people know about Uber's toxic track record.

If an Uber customer is fleeced or abused, it is not their fault, but that of Uber.

So let us show all victims of Uber, sympathy.

Freedom of choice. Every person has the freedom to choose their mode of transport. Be it Uber or the bus, or Taxi or cycle.

We should show compassion to Uber victims, not disdain.

Even base jumpers deserve our respect.

See here for Uber: Don’t touch or flirt.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BACKWARD

WASHING MY HANDS OF 'MAD DOG'

Dear Ms Street-Porter,

I have no idea how to contact you, so this is the best I can do.

I believe I know why you wrote that piece about DDD, and I empathise.

I empathise because a cab driver pestered a friend of yours.

I have had to block that same driver from my phone.

He is an incessant pest.

He is not a part of DDD. Nor do I know anything about the USA version.

My friend and I came up with the name over fish and chips in Whitecross Street.

DDD is not about Uber. It is about TfL deregulating the Private Hire industry to appease Uber. Therefore background checks are not as stringent as they should be. Male and females have been attacked as a result.

Uber are not so much a threat to Taxis, as they are to other minicab companies.

The threat to the Taxi is TfL's mismanagement of our roads, leading to a high volume of congestion. Nothing to do with DDD.

I am not here to apologise for someone else's actions. And believe me, I sympathise with your colleague. Her protagonist is as thick skinned and backward as you will ever find.

You have written your article, which I agree is straight about most things.

We all have to bare the burden of Warboys.

As you know, there are nasty bastards in all walks of life. Seventeen police officers committed rape during this past year. Paedo rings involving prominent MPs, judges, doctors, celebrities, milkmen, postmen, etc.

A Taxi driver was charged with rape in 2014.

It is not about the odd teacher or priest, it is about the scale of rape and sexual assault by TfL licensed minicab drivers in London alone.

Getting into a minicab or Uber does not have to be dangerous. If TfL are backed by this Government to do proper background checks via a minimum of a three year DBS, most of these sexual and physical assaults can be avoided. This is exactly in line with Mayor Khan's wishes.

The scale of minicab rape is backed up by a Metropolitan Police freedom of information application, and acknowledged by Sadiq Khan during his Mayor's Questions by the GLA, earlier this year.

Staggering statistics, I know. It was a shock to us too! This is why we organised Dads Defending Daughters.

I do not have to discredit Uber, they do that to themselves, all across the globe.

Uber will never go away. They will just become another AddLee, when they are regulated.

As for DDD's hidden agenda, we simply do not have one. No egos, no sought after limelight. Nothing other than the desire to inform the public.

The media refuse to acknowledge the problem. Murdoch scuppered the story. The BBC remains silent (nothing new there).

You are not the first to question our motives. And why not? Our aim comes across as obvious protectionism. I can see that. Val Shawcross views us that way too.

I personally do deal in protectionism, but not under the guise of the DDD. The DDD is pure of heart.

We can talk about a corrupt TfL, the 'Great Bus Scam', the CSH, the mismanagement of building sites and roadworks that are affecting and destroying our city and my trade. But that has little or nothing to do with DDD.

I honestly believe Uber has had very little impact on my pocket.

I do not hate Uber drivers. I know they are as much victims of Uber as their rivals. But neither do I feel sympathy for them.

When Uber are toeing the legitimate line, and TfL have been made to take their duty of care seriously, DDD will be satisfied.

Although, I do see a problem with an understaffed and under policed 24 hour tube.

Kind regards,

Lenny Etheridge

Click here for Janet Street-Porter's article.