A Lyft driver has been branded a hero after kicking out a woman and her boyfriend for making racist remarks in a video that has gone viral on social media.
The Lyft driver, who identified himself as James W. Bode, posted the video taken from his dashcam on Facebook. The video, timestamped 10:37 p.m. on Friday night, shows a woman entering Bode’s car, with a man following behind her.
“You’re like a white guy,” she says when she enters.
“That’s inappropriate,” Bode says. “That’s completely inappropriate. If somebody was not white sitting in this seat, what would be the difference?”
Lyft driver cancels ride on racist bar owners. He gets called "n****r lover" and threatened with a punch in the face for it. (Zero tolerance for racist assholes.đ) pic.twitter.com/Ngdait6NUE
— StrictlyChristoîšđșđŠđ» (@StrictlyChristo) May 15, 2022
In his post, Bode noted that the incident happened outside of Fossil’s Last Stand on Race Street in Catasauqua, which he said appears to be owned by the customers who requested the ride. The woman was later identified on social media as Jackie Russ Harford and her male companion as John Keglovics – a Support Department Manager at Innovative Control Systems, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In the wake of the viral video, Harford’s restaurant has been bombarded with negative reviews on Yelp, bringing down the establishment’s rating to one star.
“DO NOT VISIT THIS PLACE. Its values are lacking and the food isn’t made with love, in fact, BOTH the owner and his wife are racist and participate in bigotry,” wrote one user.
“This establishment is run by open racists who publicly use the n-word and make distasteful
comments about people of non-white ethnicities. Do not eat here,” commented another.
Lyft Says It’s ‘Looking into’ Riders, Offers Thanks to James
After the video was shared on Twitter, Lyft responded with a tweet that read, “We are incredibly grateful to Lyft driver @Jameswb333 for instantly shutting down this hate & upholding our no tolerance anti-discrimination policies. We’re looking into these riders & are in touch with James to show our thanks.”
A British teenager received a six-week prison sentence Wednesday after admitting to posting a racist tweet about soccer star Marcus Rashford.
Justin Lee Price, 19, sent the message after the European Championship final last year, Reuters reported.
“Price targeted a footballer based on the color of his skin, and his action was clearly racist and a hate crime,” Mark Johnson, a senior crown prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) West Midlands, said in a statement.
Rashford is one of several Black players on England’s soccer team who were targeted with racist messages on social media following their loss to Italy in the July championship match. He, along with Jadon Sanchi and Bukayo Saka, missed penalty kicks during the match, which was England’s first opportunity to score a major tournament victory in 55 years, The New York Times reported.
Price, who is from Worcester, admitted earlier this month to racially abusing Rashford, according to a CPS news release. The CPS said he posted a racist tweet in reference to Rashford on July 11, 2021, after England’s loss to Italy, but initially tried to distance himself from it to avoid detection.
Price changed his username after the tweet was reported, and then denied posting the tweet in his first police interview after being arrested, the release said. He admitted to the offense in his second police interview.
He pleaded guilty on March 17 in Worcester Magistrates’ Court to sending a grossly offensive message by public communication network, and received his sentence for six weeks of “immediate imprisonment” Wednesday at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court.
Johnson, the CPS West Midlands prosecutor, said in his statement that people who “racially abuse footballers ruin the game for all.”
“I hope this case sends out the message that we will not tolerate racism, and offenders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” he added.
Former Good Morning Britain presenter, Piers Morgan has come out in support of Prince William against âfake racismâ after the Duke of Cambridge faced backlash over his alleged racist remarks.
Sharing the opinion piece of author and activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, the former Good Morning Britain presenter criticized the British-Nigerian activist, saying, âDisgusting race-baiting crap from one of the nastiest, most toxic pundits in Britain.â
He further said, âThe Voice should be ashamed of itself too for fuelling this fake racism nonsense about [Prince] William.â
In her piece, Dr Shola says, âItâs time to call out Prince William on racismâ. Piers MorganÂ
Tweet By Piers Morgan
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu writes that the Duke is dehumanising Africans, Asians and non-white ethnic groups with his comments.
Queen Elizabethâs grandson Prince William drew sharp criticism after he said that it was âalienâ to see war in Europe.
Few years back, Piers Morgan seems to believe that heâs the victim of âracist bullyingâ and being silenced after complaining at length about Prince Harry and Meghan Markleâs interview with Oprah to his 7.7 million followers on Twitter, on the TV show he hosts every morning, and in his column for the Daily Mail.
The Good Morning Britain host railed against the former senior royals and the stories they recounted of the racism and hostility they faced at the hands of the palace and the British tabloids. Morgan complained on the morning TV show, âTheyâve trashed [Harryâs] dad, theyâve trashed his brother, theyâve trashed his sister-in-law. Theyâve trashed everything the Queen has worked so hard for and weâre supposed to believe theyâre compassionate?â He went on to label the interview an âabsolutely disgraceful betrayalâ of the Queen on Twitter, adding that he expected this âvile destructive self-serving nonsenseâ from Meghan, but not Harry.
However, when Good Morning Britain invited Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu on the program to discuss the coupleâs many revelations, including that unnamed members of the royal family were concerned about âhow dark [Archieâs] skin might be when he was born,â Morgan was not exactly met with a favorable audience for his defense of the beleaguered monarchy.
Spotify is not canceling Joe Rogan. Two weeks into an evolving and far-reaching controversy over its star podcaster, who has been accused of spreading misinformation about the coronavirus, and condemned for his past use of racial slurs, Spotify has faced growing pressure to take a stronger stance about the podcasts it hosts.
But in a memo to employees over the weekend, Daniel Ek, the companyâs chief executive, discussed the recent removal of a number of episodes and made it clear that it would not drop Roganâs show, âThe Joe Rogan Experience.â That show has been exclusive to Spotify since 2020, when the company made a licensing deal with Rogan that has been reported to be worth $100 million or more.
âI do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,â Ek wrote in the memo, which Spotify provided to The New York Times. âWe should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.â
Ek also confirmed that Spotify recently removed dozens of episodes of âThe Joe Rogan Experienceâ after a compilation video was shared online by the singer India.Arie showing Rogan repeatedly used racial slurs on his show. In a video over the weekend, Rogan apologized and called it âthe most regretful and shameful thing that Iâve ever had to talk about publicly,â though he also said that at the times he made those comments â over 12 years of his podcast, Rogan said â he had believed that they were acceptable in context. Many commentators found that apology insufficient.
In his memo, Ek said that Rogan made the decision to remove the episodes containing racial slurs, which appear to number about 70, after meetings with Spotify executives and after âhis own reflections.â
In his letter, Ek alluded to growing employee discontent about that position, and said he was âwrestling with how this perception squares with our values.â
âI also want to be transparent,â he added, âin setting the expectation that in order to achieve our goal of becoming the global audio platform, these kinds of disputes will be inevitable.â
Military police and civilian law enforcement have investigated up to 70 cases of alleged hateful conduct and racist attitudes within the Canadian Army since a crackdown began in September last year, CBC News has learned.
A briefing prepared for the army’s acting commander last winter and obtained under access to information legislation shows 115 cases were catalogued up until that time, with 57 of them being investigated by military authorities.
Figures updated to the end of August â and released to CBC News â show an additional 28 allegations. Of those, 13 were deemed serious enough to warrant a police investigation.
The former top army commander and current acting chief of the defence staff, Gen. Wayne Eyre, ordered a broad crackdown after a series of high-profile incidents and investigations.
Review looked at new and historic cases
He issued a 25-page directive that requires soldiers to report to their superiors when they witness or become aware of racism and hateful conduct. If they fail to do so, there could be serious consequences, with Eyre saying they intend to “hold our members accountable for their actions.”
The majority of the hateful conduct cases in the army assessment were reported early this year and in the latter half of 2020 after Eyre issued his order. The scope of the statistical review goes back to 2019. Some of the actual incidents, however, go back as far as 1997.
The general’s tough line came following the case of a now-former Canadian Ranger who was involved with two well-known hate groups and who referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a “treasonous bastard.”
Just last week, another ex-reservist, Manitoban Patrik Mathews, was sentenced to nine years in a U.S. prison for his role in what investigators called a violent plot to trigger a “race war” in the United States through the right-wing extremist group The Base.
Source: CBC
Earlier this year, Pamela Uba and Rehema Muthamia won Miss Ireland and Miss England respectively, but racism and online hate soon followed much as it did when Black women started to win the Miss America and Miss USA crowns..
Now though, the pair are teaming up during the United Kingdomâs Black History Month — which is in October — to clap back at the hate in the classiest way possible. British tabloid Metro reports the two held an Instagram Live event on Wednesday (October 27) to discuss what this month means to them and how they overcame online abuse.
âBlack history month is a chance for us all to celebrate and share the rich heritage of various cultures, promoting understanding and diversity, ultimately breaking down the walls of fear and ignorance with knowledge, love and understanding,â said Uba, 26, who is a former asylum seeker and the first Black Miss Ireland in the pageant’s 74-year history.
âIt is a time where we not only celebrate the great work of those who came before us but also recognise what other Black people in our present time have and are achieving,â she added. âAll I can say is that hurt people are the ones hurting people, and you shouldnât let them break into your bubble and break you down.â
Both Uba and Muthamia are slated to travel to Puerto Rico next month to compete in the 70th Miss World. The winner will be crowned on December 16 and will receive $100,000 in prize money.
âI take this month to analyse my identity as a Black British African woman, and how I navigate myself through society,â Muthamia said, according to Metro. âAs well as educating myself on the immense strength and great sacrifices that Black people have made through the trials and tribulations of the past, and an understanding of our present, in the hopes of bettering our future.â
Muthamia became Miss England after a history-making unanimous decision. She entered the contest after winning the title Miss Africa All Colours, a new category launched in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Source: BET
Fifty-eight per cent of Canadian youth say they have seen kids insulted, bullied or excluded based on their race or ethnicity at school, according to new survey data from the Angus Reid Institute in partnership with the University of British Columbia.
Fourteen per cent say theyâve experienced it themselves, with visible minority children three times as likely, and Indigenous children twice as likely, as white children to say that they have faced personal abuse themselves, the study finds.
The study, which surveyed 872 Canadian youth aged 12 to 17, is the third in a series created in partnership between the Angus Reid Institute and UBC. The first study helped inform a three-day virtual event, the inaugural National Forum on Anti-Asian Racism, hosted by UBC in June. The latest study is being published in tandem with a report on the key takeaways from the National Forum event that aims to mobilize community and government stakeholders to take action against anti-Asian and other forms of racism in Canada. Ryerson University will host the next National Forum on Anti-Asian Racism: Building Solidarities event on Nov. 9 and 10.
âNo child should ever experience bullying and exclusion because of their race or ethnicity, but sadly, this study finds that racism is a daily reality for many Canadian children,â says UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Santa J. Ono (he/him). âI am hopeful that this study, along with our report from UBCâs inaugural National Forum on Anti-Asian racism, will spur urgently needed national conversations in the fight against racism in Canada.â
Survey respondents were also asked about a number of issues and events related to racial discrimination throughout Canadaâs history to gauge their self-reported level of awareness of these issues and events. One-quarter (26 per cent) of respondents say they learned a lot about racism in Canada throughout history at school, but nearly as many (21 per cent) say they havenât learned anything at all about it. Furthermore, one-third of kids say they never learned anything about slavery in Canada, half say they didnât learn of the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War, three-in-five say schools didnât teach them about the head tax on Chinese immigrants, and four-in-five say the Komagata Maru ship never came up in their classrooms.
Source: UBC
Also Read: Hospital staff complain to regulator about bullying, harassment and racism
The UK music industry has a systemic racism problem particularly affecting Black female artists, a new survey has found.
The Black Lives in Music Survey, which is said to be the largest poll focusing on the experiences of Black musicians and industry professionals, was released on Wednesday (13 October) and based on data gathered earlier this year.
Of the 1,718 performers, creatives and industry staff surveyed, over half had experienced direct or indirect racism, including fighting assumptions about what kind of music they should make.
Sixty three per cent of Black music creators said they had experienced direct or indirect racism, while 71 per cent said they had experienced microaggressions.
Eighty eight per cent of all Black music professionals agreed there are barriers to progression.
These include Black women feeling pressure to change their appearance and fearing they will not be able to earn as much as white women. Black women suffered a disproportionate disparity in earnings compared to the rest of the industry, the survey said.
One of the commenters, who spoke anonymously, said: âWe can never seem to get through the door, and we are often overlooked at every turn â and if you have kids, itâs even worse.
âBut when we bring these facts to the table, we are often labelled too outspoken, forthright, feisty, aggressive, angry, bitter, argumentative, sensitive, ungrateful and or that we have an inferiority-complex when the truth is we are natural-born leaders who shouldnât have to dumb ourselves down to appease others.â
One Black male singer said radio producers told him they were not interested in Black male artists because they were linked to rappers. Another recalled being told they were âtoo dark, too young, too slim for a Black singer, too oldâ and âyour music is too good for a British black singerâ.
Source: Yahoo
Also Read: Romelu Lukaku calls for summit with social media giants to tackle racism
The Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku feels football should adopt âstronger positionsâ than just taking the knee, calling for a playersâ summit with social media companies, governments and stakeholders to help combat online racism.
Earlier this week the Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso explained his decision to stop taking the knee before matches, instead continuing to stand and point to the âNo To Racismâ badge on his shirt, as he feels taking the knee has lost some of its impact.
Last season the Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha stopped taking the knee, opting to stand instead in his own protest against racism and discrimination. Lukaku can understand those viewpoints, with online abuse still continuing despite the playersâ direct action.
âI think we can take stronger positions, basically,â Lukaku told CNN Sport. âYeah, we are taking the knee, but in the end, everybodyâs clapping but sometimes after the game, you see another insult.â
Lukaku returned to Chelsea during the summer and has made an impressive start to the season, his goals helping to put Thomas Tuchelâs men joint-top of the Premier League. The 28-year-old wants high-profile players to sit down with social media executives and other stakeholders to discuss solutions to the ongoing problem of racism on their platforms.
âThe captains of every team, and four or five players, like the big personalities of every team, should have a meeting with the CEOs of Instagram and governments and the FA and the PFA, and we should just sit around the table and have a big meeting about it,â Lukaku said. âHow we can attack it straight away, not only from the menâs game, but also from the womenâs game.
âI think just all of us together and just have a big meeting and have a conference and just talk about stuff that needs to be addressed to protect the players, but also to protect fans and younger players that want to become professional footballers.â
Source: The Guardian
Also Read: Olympic soccer players take a knee against racism
Some of England’s players were reportedly racially abused by Hungary fans during the team’s 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Hungary.
ITV reporter Gabriel Clarke, who was at the stadium, says he heard monkey chants directed at Raheem Sterling, as well as at substitute Jude Bellingham as he was preparing to come on.
England’s players had earlier been loudly booed as they took a knee before kick off, an ongoing gesture to protest racism.
Raheem Sterling was reportedly racially abused during the World Cup qualifier against Hungary on September 2.
Hungary had been ordered by UEFA, European football’s governing body, to play its next three home games behind closed doors after fans’ discriminatory behavior at Euro 2020, but this ban wasn’t yet implemented as World Cup qualifiers fall under FIFA’s jurisdiction.
“Following analysis of the match reports, FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings concerning the incidents last night at the game Hungary-England,” FIFA said in a statement to CNN on Friday.
“Once again, FIFA would like to state that our position remains firm and resolute in rejecting any form of racism and violence as well as any other form of discrimination or abuse.
“We have a very clear zero tolerance stance against such abhorrent behaviours in football.”
In a statement, the English Football Association (FA) said it was “extremely disappointing” to hear reports of “discriminatory actions” directed towards some of its players.
“We will be asking FIFA to investigate the matter,” the statement read. “We continue to support the players and staff in our collective determination to highlight and tackle discrimination in all its forms.”
England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire wrote on Instagram: “Since last night’s match I’ve spoken to my team mates and seen some of the footage.
“Any discrimination is totally unacceptable and the authorities must look into it. Racism has no place in our game or society.”
Source: CNN
Also Read: Olympic soccer players take a knee against racism
